Too Much TV: 8 Questions I Have About The Changes At ESPN, Disney & Hulu

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, August 6th, 2025:

8 QUESTIONS I HAVE ABOUT THE CHANGES AT ESPN, DISNEY+ & HULU
The Walt Disney Company held its quarterly earnings call Wednesday morning and by now you've likely heard the highlights of the many changes in the company's streaming portfolio. But I was left with so many questions, many of which I assume still haven't been decided yet.

Here are eight of my biggest questions. Although to be honest, I could have made this list two or three times longer with no problem:

1) How are investors - and industry reporters - supposed to judge the success or failures at Disney & ESPN if the company doesn't release any specific metrics?
In today's earnings call, Disney officially announced that moving forward, it will no longer provide a breakout of subscriber numbers or of its subscribers ARPU (average revenue per user). Netflix made a similar move earlier in the year, and while subscriber numbers are nice to know, they don't really provide much in the way of helpful guidance without also having those subscriber's ARPU. Even providing just the ARPU would provide some inkling about the direction of revenue growth. 

It's not clear to me how I am supposed to accurately cover a company which won't release subscriber numbers, subscriber ARPU (especially broken down by region), subscriber churn rate, customer acquisition costs or any other data point which would provide me with a way to accurately judge the strategy of the company. To be fair, every major streamer has similar issues with transparency. But given the changes to Disney's streaming platforms in the coming year, I have no idea how I can determine whether the new initiatives are working or not. I do know that I am not going to write about any of the vague stats that will likely come from the company in the next few quarters.

2) Are "Hulu Originals" now going to be described as "Disney+ Originals" or in the case of FX, "FX on Disney+?"
The short answer is that no one outside the company knows. And to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that no one in the company knows for sure. While the Hulu brand is going to be rolled out internationally, replacing Hotstar on the Disney+ app across the globe, it's not clear whether there will still be Hulu Originals or even what content is going to be part of this new Hulu. The service is now being described as a "global entertainment brand," but I have no clue what that might look like in the real world.

3) What will Disney have to give Donald Trump in order to get approval for the ESPN/NFL deal?
Because the deal will result in the NFL having a 10% ownership of ESPN, federal approval will be required for the deal to go through. And if we have learned one thing so far in the Trump Administration, it's that approvals never come without a cost. Will there another "voluntary" donation to the Trump museum? Will ABC decide that maybe the Jimmy Kimmel show is just too expensive to continue? 

4) Why will there still be so many separate apps?
My understanding is that engineers at Disney are well into a second year of completely rebuilding the tech stack for Disney+, as well as for the new ESPN streamer. Hulu Live TV will apparently live on the new Disney+ app once it launches, because according to sources I spoke with earlier this year, the current Disney+ app can't support a vMVPD lineup. I'm assuming that Hulu Live TV will be some sort of a tile on Disney+, but it is supposed to eventually be fully integrated into Disney+.

What I can't figure out is why Disney will continue to offer separate Hulu and ESPN+ subscriptions, given that Hulu will be melted into Disney+ and ESPN+ will essentially be the basis of the new ESPN's basic programming tier. 

And there was talk in the earnings call about Hulu Live TV and being combined with the sports-centric streamer Fubo, which will be run under a proposed joint venture majority-owned by Disney. The company also said Hulu + Live TV and Fubo brands will remain separately sold and marketed. So if Hulu Live TV will eventually be absorbed inside Disney+, will the JV still be selling Fubo as another service that competes directly with Hulu Live TV and ESPN? I honestly have no idea how this is supposed to work.

5) Which "other sports programmers" have ESPN executives been talking to?
During today's earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned that Disney is exploring potential bundles with other sports programmers. "“We believe there may be opportunities for us to bundle other companies’ sports offerings. We’ve actually had some discussions with some other companies on doing just that. Nothing to report on that. Obviously, we’re not only interested in growing engagement and growing our own subs, but we’re interested in serving consumers better as well.”

6) Was Bob Iger calling from his yacht?
I could have sworn I heard the sound of seagulls off in the distance during his comments on the quarterly earnings call.

7) Are price increases on the way once these changes have been fully implemented?
One indication the answer is likely "yes" is this portion of the prepared statement from today's announcements. Which includes a laundry list of supposed upsides for Disney. But "consumer value" is not one of them:

"By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization. This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies that over time may result in savings that we can reinvest back into the business.”

8) What will happen to the subscribers currently paying for the "Disney Bundle?"
The so-called "Disney Bundle," which combines Hulu, Disney+ and in some cases ESPN+, has been a rare bright spot of growth for Disney's streaming business. Subscribers get the bundle at a discount and I would assume Disney would like that discount to go away. But with all of the various price points for the new configuration of services, I'm not sure how any of this is going to work out.

TWEET OF THE DAY



ODDS AND SODS
* Magnolia Table: At The Farm will premiere Sunday, September 7th on Magnolia, The Food Network and HBO Max. This is just another example of how Warner Bros. Discovery is slowing cutting back on the content spend at its most viable linear networks. In this case, running one show on two linear networks on Sundays, which typically is where The Food Network has premiered many of its more high-profile shows.

* The Tonight Show format is getting its first international adaptation, thanks to a new deal with Mongolia's Central TV.

* MSNBC has announced another round of hirings as it continues to add staff ahead of its split from NBC News. New hires include Ryan Reilly as senior justice reporter; Akayla Gardner as a White House reporter; Priya Sridhar as Pentagon reporter; and Mychael Schnell, Arielle Hixson, Julia Jester, and Alex Tabet as general assignment reporters.

* The Wrong Paris premieres Friday, September 12th on Netflix. Here is a first look at the trailer. Here are some images from the film. And here is the official logline "She signed up for Paris, France. She got Paris, Texas. In this feel-good Netflix romantic comedy, Miranda Cosgrove plays an aspiring artist who joins a dating show hoping for a free trip to Paris, France, but ends up just a few miles from her hometown in Paris, Texas. What starts as a plan to get eliminated takes an unexpected turn when sparks fly with the bachelor (Pierson Fodé)."

* A number of film makers have signed a petition asking Mubi to to end its relationship with an investment firm with close ties to the Israeli military.

* Naomi Osaka: The Second Set will premiere Sunday, August 24th on Tubi. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here are some images from the documentary. Here is the official logline: "Naomi Osaka: The Second Set chronicles renowned athlete Naomi Osaka’s return to professional tennis after the birth of her child. The documentary film will deliver an intimate look into the life of Osaka as she navigates balancing her career with first-time motherhood and is described as a love letter to her daughter, Shai."


WHAT'S NEW TOMORROW

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7TH:
* Demascus Series Premiere (Tubi)
* Necaxa Series Premiere (FXX)
* Taurasi (Prime Video)
* Ted Bundy: Dialogue With the Devil (Hulu)
* The Furry Detectives: Unmasking A Monster Docuseries Finale (Sundance TV)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH:
* Bering Sea Gold Season Nineteen Premiere (Discovery Channel)
* City Confidential Season Nine Finale (A&E)
* Clown In A Cornfield (Shudder)
* Freaky Tales (HBO)
* Last Cowboy Standing Season Two Finale (Fox Nation)
* On Everything I Love (ALLBLK)
* Outlander: Blood Of My Blood Series Premiere (Starz)
* Ralph Barbosa: Planet Bosa (Hulu)
* Resident Alien Series Finale (Syfy/USA)
* Stolen: Heist Of The Century (Netflix)
* The Fixer Season One Finale (Fox)
* Totally Funny Animals Season One Finale (The CW)
* Totally Funny Kids Season One Finale (The CW)

SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!