#Disney+ and Hulu Combined Own Most Popular Titles in U.S.: Study

With the Walt Disney Co. having struck a deal with Comcast to acquire full control of Hulu, the Hollywood giant is planning to bring the streamer under one umbrella with its Disney+. That is a winning formula, according to a new study by Ampere Analytics, which found that the combined streaming service would own more popular content titles in the U.S. than any other streamer.

It would also rank second in terms of programming catalog size behind Amazon Prime Video, but ahead of Netflix, the research firm said on Monday.

“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,” the firm highlighted, mentioning 9,578 content pieces. “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.”

Ampere detailed that Hulu currently offers 7,250 titles, and Disney+ 2,525, but some of them overlap. It also listed 6,928 distinct movies and TV seasons on Max, 6,411 on Peacock, 6,132 on Discovery+ and 3,606 on Paramount+ Premium.

The combined streaming offering will also feature one-third of the 100 most popular titles in the U.S. based on the latest popularity data from Ampere Analysis from September. The firm’s popularity metric reflects the online engagement received by titles each month.

Ampere noted that Disney+ included 17 of the top 100 performing SVOD titles in the U.S. in the third quarter, led by its movie library. “When combined with Hulu, that figure jumps to 33, giving the joint entity the largest overall share of top titles,” it detailed. “In comparison, Netflix has 29 titles and Max 18.” Ampere also mentioned 17 of those titles on Paramount+ Premium, 16 on Peacock, and 11 on Amazon Prime Video.

Among the Ampere-listed most popular titles Disney+ features the likes of Ahsoka, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Elemental, while Hulu has the likes of American Horror Story, Only Murders in the Building, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Given complementary strengths, the combination is sort of a match made in heaven, Ampere signaled. Disney+’s strong children and family content portfolio and tentpole sci-fi and fantasy releases would represent 81 percent of the top 100 most popular titles on the combined platform, it estimated. Hulu’s complementary strength is that it features “popular titles from genres currently under-served on Disney+, particularly crime & thriller, romance, and horror,” the Ampere study emphasized.

Plus, “Disney+ already includes some of the Hulu library in non-U.S. markets under the Star banner so that a combined content mix would align with the strategy internationally.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently said that the company would begin integrating Hulu onto the larger Disney+ in December for users who have a Disney Bundle subscription. Indeed, Disney+ officially added a Hulu tile to its homepage on Wednesday, placing it alongside such brands as Marvel, Pixar, Disney and Star Wars.

“We’re on track to roll out a one-app experience on Disney+” by March 2024, Iger has also said.

Overall, Ampere sees the combined service providing a “broadening appeal” to consumers. “As of October 2023, Hulu has more subscribers than Disney+ in the U.S. and according to Ampere’s consumer survey, 44 percent of U.S. Hulu subscribers already have access to Disney+, largely due to bundles offering both platforms and ESPN,” its study noted. “This provides an opportunity for Disney+ to convert the remaining majority of Hulu subscribers who don’t currently subscribe.”

Ampere’s consumer survey also shows that 43 percent of U.S. SVOD users feel “overwhelmed” with the number of streaming services they have access to, “with an existing appetite for aggregation,” where Disney+ and Hulu can provide a solution.

“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,” concluded Ampere analyst Joshua Rustage. “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.”

The expert also warned: “Rivals will have to ensure their offerings remain competitive as the battle for viewing time intensifies, especially as the need to pull in advertising dollars is now also central to the streaming mix.”