Can Disney Really Fold Hulu and FX Into Disney+ Without Losing Their Audience?

After Bob Iger’s long and powerful reign as Disney’s CEO, a new head of the company has been announced: Josh D’Amaro. 

While this might not seem like a decision that affects television, this change could be an opportunity for Disney+.

In the age of streaming wars, Disney+ has a very distinct identity geared towards a younger audience.

But this specific niche has limited just how much their TV slate can expand compared to the ways in which HBO Max and Apple TV have experimented with streaming and TV. 

Under D’Amaro’s new direction, here are some important considerations we’d like the CEO to address regarding television. 

Giving The Audiences What They Want

Compared to many other streaming services, Disney+ has always had a leg up in understanding its audience. 

However, in the wake of news that Hulu and Disney+ are merging, the company’s mega-streaming platform might face an identity crisis. 

What complicates this transition is that Hulu has never been just a hub for ABC programming.

For many subscribers, it’s been the home of original series, edgier dramas, and next-day FOX content that feels distinctly more adult than anything traditionally associated with the Disney brand.

That broader, more contemporary identity is what makes the idea of folding Hulu fully into Disney+ feel less like a convenience and more like a cultural collision.

This is the same dilemma HBO Max faced, resulting in a brief period when the app was renamed Max to compete with Netflix as a broad, general-content streamer that also offered a wide range of reality programming from the likes of the Discovery Channel, ID Network, and The Food Network.

The challenge for Disney+ isn’t broad appeal; it’s reconciling two audiences that don’t naturally overlap — viewers who expect Hulu to feel adult and contemporary, and those who associate Disney+ almost exclusively with family- and franchise-driven programming. 

That tension is only amplified by FX’s presence under the Hulu umbrella — a brand that has built its reputation on adult, often provocative storytelling that would feel fundamentally out of place alongside Disney’s family-first identity.

FX shows don’t just skew older; they signal a different creative philosophy, one that Hulu viewers have come to expect and protect.

While the transition has been eased by the availability of some Hulu content on Disney+, particularly ABC‘s next-day drops, it will still be challenging. 

Part of the television strategy that D’Amaro and the Disney television streaming team will need to address is how to appeal to both audiences. 

The company will have to balance its focus on providing content for Marvel fans and young kids with those who love ABC’s slate of police procedurals and off-the-cuff comedies.

As someone who adores Hulu and can’t imagine watching Disney+, I also can’t imagine scrolling past Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the homepage to get to High Potential. And those looking for FX’s The Beauty or The Testaments, the continuation of The Handmaid’s Tale, will feel the same.

But we’ll have to wait and see how D’Amaro leads the company, given its historical reputation for being imaginative in developing a solution to keep television viewers happy.

Diversifying The Slate

As mentioned earlier, Disney+ has a distinct brand and reputation in the streaming space. 

Compared to other platforms, it doesn’t seem like a place where people can browse and discover new shows.

Instead, it appears to focus on delivering content from beloved brands like Marvel, which have kept Disney+ in the cultural conversation among many young adults. 

However, this strategy doesn’t promise long-term sustainability, as many people are experiencing superhero fatigue and might find this scope very limiting. 

Disney+ has also expanded into fantasy, with shows such as Percy Jackson and Willow. 

I would argue that this move to experiment with genres like this is Disney+’s best shot at maintaining growth and attracting new subscribers. 

There’s also an option for the company to invest in more comedies that have been so beloved on Hulu and bring those into the established Disney brand. 

For far too long, Disney+ has had significant untapped potential to become a broader influence in the television industry.

As the new CEO, D’Amaro should take these considerations into account as Disney reinvents its television strategy in 2026.

But what about you?

Are you comfortable with the end of the Hulu app and its content moving to the Disney+ platform?

If you have both, do you currently funnel your viewing toward one of the other based on what you watch, or have you moved toward a more streamlined app experience?

Let us know what you think in the comments below!