Combined Disney+/Hulu would own most US titles

by James · December 12, 2022

A combined Disney+ and Hulu offering would account for the largest share of the top 100 titles of any US SVOD service.

According to a recent study by Ampere Analysis, the player will have a comprehensive lead on Netflix’s 23%. Among these titles are shows from Disney’s Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm and Hulu originals such as Just murder in the building and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Ampere adds that US streaming platform Hulu is currently owned by Disney (67%) and Comcast (33%), who are set to reach a sale agreement in January 2024. However, recent reports suggest that Disney intends to close a deal earlier in order to take a 100% stake and integrate the streamer into Disney+ as a combined offering

A merger seems logical to Ampere’s analysts, as Disney’s share of Hulu content has grown significantly, suggesting the company has continued to invest significantly in the platform. Since September 2016, the share of Hulu’s catalog for which Disney owns the distribution rights has tripled, from 6% of all movies and TV shows to 19% by September 2022.

Meanwhile, the major studios without streaming platforms have reduced their contribution to Hulu’s content slate (down from 81% in 2016 to 71% in 2022), and those with their own streaming services have generally maintained or reduced their input. Specifically, the combined content from NBCUniversal, Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery less than 10% of all TV shows and movies on Hulu.

Ampere says removing content from Hulu to support newer services like Peacock, Paramount+ and HBO Max poses a threat to Hulu’s competitiveness. The streamer has already lost very popular titles such as America’s Got Talent (to Peacock), films and TV series set in the Star Trek universe (to Paramount+) or Family Matters (to HBO Max).

If major studios reclaim their proprietary content, Hulu could lose 10% of its total catalog. That number rises to 37% of Hulu’s 100 most popular titles, using Ampere’s Popularity Score metric, which tracks total online engagement with a title.

Christen Tamisin, analyst at Ampere Analysis, comments on the results of the study: “The threat of additional popular or critically acclaimed titles leaving Hulu for rival platforms is a concern, as engaging content is critical to subscriber retention, especially as the US SVOD market approaches saturation. This risk makes the case for Disney to merge Hulu and Disney+ into a single platform stronger.

“On the other hand, Disney+ and Hulu’s complementary catalogs mean that a combined platform will have a more diverse content offering – similar to other major market players – than the two standalone platforms currently have. While the Disney brand has long been associated with family-friendly content, Hulu has a broader appeal for a general audience, offering a wide range of genres and more adult-oriented titles”.