Disney and Comcast announced that Disney will take full control of Hulu effective immediately. For Disney, that’s a big win. During an investor’s presentation in April, Disney championed Hulu as one of the cornerstones of its upcoming streaming offensive, alongside ESPN Plus and the upcoming Disney Plus.
So, what does that mean for TV buffs and Hulu subscribers? Not as much as you would think. While there is reason to be concerned that Disney is slowly gobbling up every major property in the entertainment industry, Hulu will continue to host all of its regular content for the next four years.
Per the terms of Disney and Comcast’s deal, NBCUniversal content will remain on Hulu until 2024, at which point Comcast will be able to take its programming elsewhere. Until then, Comcast has agreed to keep NBCUniversal content on Hulu, including its live TV service. Comcast will be allowed to stream some of its shows on NBC’s upcoming streaming platform, too, in exchange for lower rates from Hulu.
Basically, that means that if you use the streaming service to watch NBCUniversal programming like Community, Parks & Recreation, or many of the other great shows on Hulu, you don’t need to worry. They’re not going anywhere — at least, not for a while.
Naturally, all of the Fox programs on Hulu will stay there, too. Disney recently finalized its $71.3 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox, giving it control of every single Fox property. We know that The Simpsons is headed to Disney Plus, but other Fox shows — including series like the X-Men spin-off Legion and comedy Better Things, both of which aired on Fox’s FX networks — will likely remain on Hulu.
Disney’s Fox deal might be a boon for Hulu subscribers. In the past, Disney has said that Fox’s R-rated fare, like the Deadpool flicks, will reside on Hulu, not the family-friendly Disney Plus.
The big mystery is what is going to happen in 2024 when Comcast can sell it 33% stake in Hulu to Disney for a minimum of $5.8 billion and take its programming elsewhere. By then, both Disney Plus and NBC’s streaming platforms should be in full swing, and it’ll be interesting to see how Disney plans to replace NBCUniversal’s vast library. That’s a question for the future, however.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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