Disney+ is set to get a significant refresh next week, as the company further integrates Hulu into its streaming platform.
But far from the Hulu brand going away, the general entertainment brand will actually be getting more prominent placement. In the U.S., that means a new navigation bar at the top of the app featuring a “For You” tab, a Disney+ tab, a Hulu tab and an ESPN tab, depending on the user’s subscription.
In international markets, Hulu will replace the Star brand tile as the brand for general entertainment programming.
The change, which goes into effect Oct. 8, also includes updates to the Disney+ homepage, with the For You tab leveraging an updated algorithm to provide more personalized recommendations, and a new “live” hub with easy access to live sports, news and events, as well as the Disney+ linear streams.
The homepage will also be more visual with a video display in the “hero” carousel and poster-style imagery and poster-style artwork. Disney is also adding tags like “Season Finale,” “New Series,” and “New Movie” to titles so users can quickly see what’s new or of note.
Disney also says that it is planning “mobile-first and mobile-exclusive experiences” for the phone version of Disney+ in the year ahead (vertical video feeds anyone?).
The changes come ahead of a unified app experience next year, which will more fully bake Hulu and ESPN in Disney+, and follows the launch of the new ESPN video offering.
But the changes also align with a price increase for Disney+, which the company quietly announced last month amid the Jimmy Kimmel brouhaha. The will change will increase the monthly price of its Disney+ plan with ads by $2 to $11.99 per month, while the no-ads Disney+ Premium plan will increase by $3 to $18.99 per month, starting Oct. 21.
Bundle prices with Hulu and ESPN will also rise accordingly.
Still, the changes also reinforce that the Hulu brand, far from going away, is likely to become more important to Disney in the future, as the company globalizes its streaming platform and leans more into general entertainment alongside its genre fare.
That said, homepage refreshes are always risky, with user engagement always top of mind.