• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 11, 2023

The combined Disney+ and Hulu app can offer more of the top-100 popular titles in the U.S. than any other VOD service, according to Ampere Analysis.

As of September, the combo app, now in beta launch with full integration planned for March, owned 33 of the top 100 titles as defined by Ampere’s Popularity Score, which measures titles’ monthly engagement.

Disney+ had 17, including “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” and “Elemental,” and Hulu 16, including “Only Murders in the Building” and “Gray’s Anatomy.”

That’s ahead of all other major VOD services, including Netflix, with 29 of the top 100, and Max, with 18 (chart top of page).

In addition, the Disney+/Hulu app comes in second under the category of most content overall.

The combined app can offer 9,500+ distinct movies and TV seasons, even if some 300 titles owned by Comcast — which is selling its share of Hulu to Disney — were removed from the service, Ampere reports. Hulu currently offers 7,250 titles, and Disney+ 2,525, but some overlap.

The total puts Disney+/Hulu ahead of Netflix, with nearly 8,400 titles/seasons, and behind only Amazon Prime Video, with nearly 10,900.

The complementary libraries add up to a winning combination, says Ampere.  

Disney+’s content strategy relies on its strong children and family content portfolio and tentpole sci-fi and fantasy releases from major franchises. These would represent 81% of the top 100 most popular titles on the combined platform, according to the analysis.

Hulu’s content library includes popular titles from genres currently underserved on Disney+, particularly crime and thrillers, romance and horror.

As of October, Hulu had more U.S. subscribers than Disney+. And according to Ampere’s consumer survey, 44% of U.S. Hulu subscribers already had access to Disney+, largely due to the bundle offering both platforms and ESPN.

This provides an opportunity for Disney+ to convert the remaining majority of Hulu subscribers who don’t currently subscribe, says Ampere, noting that its survey shows 43% of U.S. SVOD users agree they feel overwhelmed by the number of services to which they have access.

Given consumers’ existing interest in aggregation, and that the combined app will have one of the most well-rounded and popular content offerings in a single platform — including Disney’s Marvel and Star Wars titles and Hulu’s “vast” content library — Disney+/Hulu will “surely shake up the status quo,” points out the analysis.

The combo app is “upping the content stakes at a time when many [services] are pulling back on content investment,” adds Joshua Rustage, analyst at Ampere Analysis. “Rivals will have to ensure that 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,” he adds.