Rediscovering My Streaming Joy: Returning to Hulu with Disney+’s Integration

Key Takeaways

• I can now watch Hulu content on Disney+ instead of using the broken Hulu app.
• However, the combined Hulu and Disney+ experience requires a Disney Bundle subscription.
• And, unfortunately, Disney’s password-sharing crackdown could sour the deal.

Finally, Mickey Mouse has answered my prayers. Hulu content is now available in Disney+, meaning that I don’t need to struggle with the broken, neglected, outdated Hulu app.

This is the biggest change that Hulu customers have ever experienced. And, for me, it’s a totally welcome change—I can actually watch Hulu again. The only thing that could end this bliss is a password-sharing crackdown. Oh, please don’t spoil my fun!

The Hulu App Hardly Works Anymore

Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek

My media intake is kinda funky these days. I rarely watch movies outside of the theater, and I have trouble focusing on long episodic shows with convoluted storylines. So, when I turn on the TV, it’s usually to watch a sitcom, a “monster of the week” styled show, or some other lightweight schlock that I can wander away from without consequence.

Hulu is full of this kind of content—Frasier, Family Matters, King of The Hill, and so on. I’ve canceled most of my streaming memberships, but Hulu is among the lucky few that still gets my money each month. I’ve got just one complaint, and it’s pretty big—the Hulu app is a total piece of unmitigated, irredeemable garbage.

The Walt Disney Company hasn’t put much effort into maintaining the Hulu app. It stopped working on Android TV (at least in my home) about a year ago, and if I leave Hulu running on a Roku device for too long, the audio goes wonky. Sometimes I convince myself that I’m doing something wrong, but a quick Google search reminds me that other people have these problems with Hulu.

If it weren’t for the friends and family who use my Hulu account (plus the selection of lightweight shows), I probably would have canceled my membership a while ago. But now that the combined Disney+ and Hulu service is available, I don’t have any reason to cancel. I finally have a Hulu app that actually works, although the app isn’t called “Hulu” anymore; it’s just Disney+.

Ah, the Loving Arms of a Conglomerate Streaming Platform

Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek

Earlier this year, customers who subscribe to The Disney Bundle gained the ability to view Hulu content in the Disney+ app. This will eventually become the standard experience for all subscribers, though The Walt Disney Company hasn’t explained how it will migrate non-bundle customers over to the merged Disney+ experience.

While I don’t love the Disney+ app, it’s well-maintained and works great on all of my devices. And I finally know why the Hulu app was neglected for so long—The Walt Disney Company doesn’t want to waste resources on something that will be discontinued. It seems that the combined app experience took a bit longer than The Walt Disney Company initially expected, which is why the Hulu app got so bad.

In any case, I can use Hulu without banging my head against the wall. And if I want to leap from Hulu to Disney+, I can do so without opening a new app. It’s a good system, all is forgiven, all hail The Mouse.

The only downside to this situation is that my friends and family need to remake their Hulu profiles on Disney+. Oh, what’s that? They shouldn’t bother setting up new profiles? Why’s that?

Disney’s Account-Sharing Crackdown Spoils the Fun

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Thanks to the “Disney Bundle Duo Premium “ package, I can enjoy ad-free Disney+ and Hulu for just $20 a month. That’s substantially less than I’d pay for these services on their own. And, because I’m a Bundle subscriber, I get to watch Hulu content in an app that actually works.

Here comes the tragic irony. Shortly after Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown , Disney announced that it was preparing to enforce a similar policy on its streaming platforms. There was just one hurdle—the Hulu and Disney+ app merger was still a work in progress.

Now that the Hulu and Disney+ apps are merged, customers who share their accounts will be punished. Disney’s password-sharing crackdown begins this June and will be finalized in September.

I’m happy to pay $20 a month for a service that I can share with friends and family. But when I use Disney+ or Hulu, it’s usually to watch old sitcoms and movies that I could find for free on broadcast television or Tubi.

So, what will I be getting out of this $240-a-year subscription? Ad-free Steve Urkel? And am I supposed to stick around when Disney inevitably increases its prices? Unless I can convince my friends to come over and watch Hulu every few days, I can’t justify Disney’s expensive services. Au revoir, greedy rat!

My excitement for the combined Hulu and Disney+ app has been trampled by Disney’s upcoming password-sharing crackdown. I have just a few months to enjoy a Hulu app that doesn’t suck. On that note, it’s time for me to ditch work and watch some TV.

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