The Disney/Fox merger (or takeover, however you want to look at it) has resulted in a quite a few interesting (and mildly depressing) developments. First, in the minds of superhero fans at least, the sale means that Disney now has every Marvel superhero under one roof (minus Spider-Man). Then there’s the not-so-fun recent news that signals that Disney is hacking away at Fox’s anticipated film slate in a way of consolidating the releases. But another result of the sale is that Disney now controls two-thirds of Hulu, making the streaming service instantly more intriguing.
And in a new report via CNBC, Disney’s controlling shares of Hulu could turn into a complete ownership situation, as Comcast/NBCUniversal is looking to potentially selling the remaining 33% to the Mouse House. Of course, as with many of these big-time corporate deals, the details are scarce and nothing is being confirmed, but the outlet says that anonymous sources are saying that Comcast is trying to figure out if it’s better to sell now or later.
This, of course, would signal that Disney would be in full control of two major streaming services. The studio just announced plans for a mid-November launch of its highly anticipated Disney+ streaming service, which would house the entire Disney catalog of films, including many from the Fox library, as well. Plus, the service is already deep into the content-creation game with original films and series from Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and of course, Disney itself.
But Hulu is a different beast entirely. The streaming service started life as a way for people to watch previously-run episodes of popular TV shows. However, in recent years, Hulu has morphed into not just a TV provider but also a place with its own Emmy-winning TV series and award-winning films. A baby brother to Netflix, so to speak. But a baby brother with the potential to rival big bro down the line.
And that’s where Disney sees Hulu in the future. If Disney+ is the family-friendly streaming service with an emphasis on general audiences and PG-13 and below content, then Hulu could be the HBO of Disney. That could be the streaming service that includes all the more risque material that isn’t able to earn the Mickey Mouse seal of approval. And thus, it could rise up from just being a second-tier streaming service and become something else entirely.
During the Disney+ announcement and subsequent interviews, Disney execs basically spelled this out with allusions to Hulu becoming its more prestige branch of the streaming plan. Plus, there were off-hand comments about the future including Disney bunding Hulu along with Disney+ and ESPN+, as a sort of one-stop shop for streaming content of all kinds.
Either way, the first step to this reality is with buying the remaining 33% from Comcast/NBCUniversal. So, we’ll have to see how that works out.
