Disney+ Is Going To Look DIFFERENT Starting October 8th

If you were just getting used to navigating your Disney+ bundled service in one app, Disney’s just announced a few changes you want to pay close attention to!

©Disney

With Disney continuing to hone in on its streaming services and adding new titles and content every month, it stands to reason we could expect even more change in store soon for Disney+. If you were just getting used to being able to access your bundled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions from one place simultaneously, Disney’s looking to make your experience even easier in the weeks to come thanks to this HUGE announcement!

Beginning October 8th, Hulu will become the global General Entertainment brand on Disney+. This means that overnight, Hulu will be replacing Star in international markets.

©Hulu

While we’ve known for a while that Disney planned to continue the integration of Hulu and Disney+, this is Disney’s latest step toward a fully integrated unified app experience expected by next year. With this latest announcement, streaming users will begin to see further integrations of Hulu across the Disney+ app as it continues to update its homepage and beyond. This change will start the beginning of a series of design and navigation enhancements rolling out over the coming weeks and months, which will be intended to offer a more dynamic and intuitive experience for streaming users.

©Disney

So what exactly are the changes you can expect to see soon on your Disney+ streaming app? Let’s take a closer look!

Simplified Navigation and UX Design

As these updates roll out, streaming users will see a new navigation bar added to the top of the homepage. With this change, the “For You” tab will be the first screen subscribers will see when they click into Disney+. “For You” will serve as the app’s home base for recommended viewing, powered by an updated algorithm intended to learn its users’ preferences over time. There will also be streaming platform-specific tabs for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, depending on your subscription, making it easier to scroll through each catalog individually.

©Disney

Additionally, a Live hub will take you straight into the latest live news, sports, and events, as well as streams available 24/7. You’ll also want to look for new badging tags like “Season Finale,” “New Series,” and “New Movie” to show what’s unique and timely right now in the app for your favorite shows.

Even More Personalized Recommendations

Disney’s been working to evolve and advance its personalized video algorithm, which is intended to learn and improve over time. All of this work has gone into improving its recommendation and personalization for the content offered in the new “For You” tab as well as other touchpoints throughout the app.

©Disney

To be certain that the algorithm is learning on your specific viewing profile, Disney will be making profiles more prominent across the app. This is an effort that you will find titles personally recommended for you based on your unique viewing habits.

A More Dynamic Homepage

Along with the other updates, Disney hopes to bring a more modern design to its streaming app and homepage that brings its characters and stories front and center.

©Disney

You’ll notice changes to the pages through the integration of conveniences like Hero carousels and more dynamic brand rows showcasing the latest titles. Disney will also be updating its content sets to feature more cinematic poster-style artwork.

©Disney

While most of these design updates will apply to Disney+ being streamed on TVs, Disney’s also not counting out updates to the mobile version of its popular streaming app. Widgets will be launching on iOS, allowing you even more convenience to access your favorite shows and movies with one click. And later in 2026, Disney aims to introduce mobile-first and mobile-exclusive experiences meant to engage with new audiences and expand its growing reach.

While these are certainly exciting enhancements already planned to come to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, they are just the beginning. Even more updates are planned to be released ahead of the launch of a unified app experience expected to be revealed next year.

We’re constantly talking about the latest Disney news, updates, and more! Be sure to check back in with us at Disney Food Blog for all the latest.

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