Disney already counts Hulu among its properties when bragging about streaming numbers, but the truth is that they share the service with Comcast right now. The telecom giant is interested in selling and is expecting a “big check” from Disney, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Comcast currently holds a 33% stake in Hulu, with Disney owning the rest. Starting in January 2024, the House of Mouse can buy Comcast out and take complete control of the service.
“We think [Hulu] is worth a lot of money because it’s sold on a full-control basis, as if you were auctioning it off,” said NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell at a recent conference. “And I think there’s no indication that anything else is going to happen than Disney writing us a big check for the asset in ’24.”
Executives from both companies have been playing merger chess with the services in recent months, trying to maneuver for an ideal market value for the service. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said that Comcast would potentially be interested in Hulu if it were put up for sale, while former Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that he would buy Comcast’s stake earlier rather than later.
THR reports that Chapek’s predecessor (and successor) Bob Iger recently described himself as being “very, very comfortable with each of the assets that we have” at a recent town hall, so it remains to be seen if Hulu is going anywhere anytime soon. In the meantime, check out our lists of the best action, science fiction, and horror flicks on Hulu.