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According to a new report, Disney may be seizing an opportunity that encompasses Comcast's 30% stake in Hulu, which would bring Disney's share of the streaming service to 90%.
Citing sources close to the case, CNBC announced Thursday that Disney and Comcast were in talks for an agreement, adding that the latter "now weighs the pros and cons of an agreement now rather than later." ". CNBC made it clear that it was unclear whether the agreement will pass and Comcast declined to comment.
However, the report raises interesting questions about Hulu's future as Disney prepares to launch its massive streaming service, Disney +, later this year. What will happen to Hulu if Comcast recovers from NBCUniversal programs – which it acquired in 2011 – and in particular with NBC's streaming service? According to CNBC sources, these broadcasts will stay on Hulu:
To date, NBC provides about 17% of Hulu's content. NBC does not plan to remove the content of Hulu, which will continue to serve as a ship for its broadcasts of the same season, even after the launch of its new streaming service in 2020, according to sources familiar with the matter. (NBC's streaming service will feature the company's television and film library.)
Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts did not give a clear indication of where to go with a deal with Disney on Thursday's earnings call. However, with regard to the relationship between Hulu and NBC, he said that "it is in the interest of all to maintain. And we are – we have no news today about it, apart from [Hulu is] really precious. And we are really happy to own a lot of it. "
Neither Disney nor Hulu immediately returned requests for comment.
Walt Disney Company CEO and President Robert Iger was quite explicit in stating that Hulu will remain a streaming product different from Disney + in programming, which will focus primarily on families (after all, Disney). . Iger also said during a call for results in November that the company was planning to invest in more original series for Hulu.
"Given Hulu's success so far in terms of growing the number of subscribers and the relative strength of the brand and other elements, such as demographics, we believe that "It is possible to increase investment in Hulu, especially on the programming side," Iger said at the time. Edge.
Hulu will remain basically Hulu, at least for the foreseeable future. It would be nice if Disney + decided to simply integrate Hulu programming into Disney + (and stop calling it that) for a mega-streaming platform. I mean, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel, National Geographic, and everything from Hulu? Take all my money.
At the very least, we can get a package.
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