Disney to acquire the remainder of Hulu from Comcast for roughly $8.6 billion
Walt Disney Co. said it will acquire a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for approximately $8.6 billion, a deal that will give Disney full control of the streaming service
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Walt Disney Co. said it will acquire a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for approximately $8.6 billion, a deal that will give Disney undisputed control of the streaming service. Disney has actually run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner.
Disney offered no comment beyond saying the acquisition will “further Disney’s streaming objectives.”
Hulu began in 2007 and quickly evolved into as a service backed by entertainment conglomerates who hoped to stave off the internet with an online platform for their own TV shows. Disney joined in 2009, planning to offer shows from ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. A decade later, Disney gained majority control of the business when it acquired 21st Century Fox.
Disney has treated Hulu as one of its own services for years — for instance, when it launched its own streaming service, Disney+, in 2019 and immediately offered a streaming bundle that included Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.
More recently, amid increasing pressure on streaming services brought on by untrammeled expansion, low prices and widespread password sharing, Disney has promised its own crackdown on non-paying users and raised prices for ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu by 20% to 27%. CEO Bob Iger said in August that the increases were designed to steer consumers toward cheaper ad-supported versions of those channels, whose subscription prices did not change.
The advertising market for streaming is “picking up,” Iger said at the time, noting that it’s healthier than traditional TV ads. “We’re obviously trying with our pricing strategy to migrate more subs to the advertising supported tier.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.