With Cable Dying, Disney Just Built Itself a Life Raft

Over-the-air cable networks are dying. Over the last five years, losing 20 percent of their customer base has caused cable companies to jack up the price on those who have remained, ultimately forcing more to flee. But The Walt Disney Company seems to have a plan to beat back the fleeing customer base and save Disney’s streaming services.

Disney’s recent takeover of all of Hulu from Comcast will allow Disney to create one of the most extensive streaming services in America. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that Disney Plus will combine with Hulu to create the second-largest streaming service, behind only Amazon Prime. Ampere Analytics looked at the offerings on all American streaming services and found that the combination of Disney Plus and Hulu would have 9,578 offerings, making it larger than even Netflix.

Ampere told the Hollywood Reporter:

Combined the Disney+/Hulu app will offer [more than] 9,000 distinct movies and TV seasons, Ampere’s latest title-level analysis of the content offer suggests. This would position Disney+ and Hulu’s total content offering behind only Amazon Prime Video’s 10,892 titles and ahead of Netflix’s 8,391 as of the third quarter 2023.

But it’s not just the combination of Disney Plus and Hulu that would have a massive content library; it would also have some of the best streaming content. The combo would have 33 of the top 100 performing subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) titles in the United States. Netflix has 29, Max has 18, Paramount Plus has 17, Peacock has 16, and Amazon Prime has 11.

The combined offering will bring Hulu’s massive content library, which includes The Simpsons, The Bear, and Only Murders in the Building, together with Disney’s franchises like Marvel, Pixar, and LucasFilms. The combination also streamlines the process for customers, putting all this content in one place.

Ampere analyst Joshua Rustage told the Hollywood Reporter:

With a combined app offering Disney+ and Hulu due to launch in the U.S. in early 2024, its compelling new streaming content offer will surely shake up the status quo…The combined Disney+ and Hulu catalog will provide one of the most well-rounded and popular offerings in a single platform, upping the content stakes at a time when many are pulling back on content investment.

Disney expects this new streaming service to be available in 2024. Disney has also announced plans to take ESPN to a live-streaming platform in the near future. With ESPN having the rights to nearly every professional sports league, as well as college football and basketball, the new streaming service will have the market cornered.

So, despite the downfall of cable television, Disney has found a way to increase its streaming presence and make the transition from the traditional model easier.

This new Disney Plus Bundle and the new ESPN Plus will give Disney a leg up on its competition. Hulu shows, paired with Disney movies and a sport from ESPN, can replace the current cable bundle. One account will give it all to the subscriber, but Disney has to remember the lesson from cable: only so many people are willing to shell out per month, and they want it all in one account. Otherwise, subscribers could head back to live TV.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.