If you’ve been waiting on pins and needles for the merger of Hulu with Disney+ (especially now that Disney effectively owns all of Hulu), well, that wait is over because you can now get Hulu shows and movies inside the Disney+ app.
And … that’s pretty much all there is to it. It’s part of the previously announced “beta” test to bring everything under one roof. (The full, official rollout is said to be coming in March.) And we say “beta” in quotes there because, unlike a traditional beta test that actually requires you to opt into the beta test, this one sort of just happened. The reason for the beta moniker, CEO Bob Iger said in November, is that it’s “giving parents time to set up profiles and parental controls that work best for their families.”
It’s all simple enough: If you also have a subscription to Hulu, you’ll now see a Hulu logo inside the Disney+ app, both on mobile and on a streaming platform. (I used an iPhone and Apple TV, for what that’s worth.) Click through, and you’ll be presented with the world of content that’s currently available on Hulu.
Hulu content is also returned as a search result from the top level of the app, which is exactly how you’d expect it to work.
One thing that didn’t convert over is any sort of “resume” playlist. If you were in the middle of a show or series on Hulu proper, it looks like you’re going to have to go to it directly in the Disney+ app to jump back into where you left off. That’s hardly a deal-breaker, though it’s worth noting.
Otherwise? Things look to work exactly as you’d expect. You’ll need to have both a Disney+ account and a Hulu account to take advantage. And if you don’t? Disney+ will happy upgrade you for a small fee.