If Disney CEO Bob Chapek had his way, a “hard bundle” of Disney Plus and Hulu might be on the way in the coming years. Chapek talked with the Los Angeles Times this weekend at Disney’s D23 fan convention. It was one of the first times he’d talked publicly about the corporation and the slew of scandals it’s faced in the previous two years. Most of what he said was impartial, but when they came to the topic of the future of Hulu, the streaming behemoth co-owned by Comcast, Chapek played his cards.
Disney is now obligated to purchase Comcast’s interest in Hulu as early as 2024. The two firms are arguing over how much Hulu is truly worth, with Comcast suggesting it may be worth up to $70 billion.
Chapek was cautious not to betray his hand in his interview, telling the Times that he’d only consider the subject if Disney bought out Comcast’s portion. He proposed a few options for the future. One was emulating the European version of Disney Plus, which includes all Disney entertainment as well as more mature stuff such as The Bear and The Handmaiden’s Tale. Another choice was the “hard bundle,” which is an interesting way of saying “combining the applications into one app,” which is the Discovery Plus and HBO Max 2023 plan. Finally, there is the company’s current “soft package.”
However, Chapek told the Times that “the customer fundamentally decides everything.” And, according to Chapek, customers desire “a seamless experience,” which sounds a lot like the “hard package.”
