You Now Can’t Subscribe to Disney+ or Hulu via Apple Devices

Disney is looking to cut out the middleman when it comes to its streaming services… or at least one especially greedy middleman. The company is no longer allowing new and returning customers to sign up for Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+ through Apple, which will save the House of Mouse from paying a commission on each subscription. Of course, customers can still sign up directly through Disney and stream the services on their Apple TV streaming players or other iOS devices, but they just won’t be able to pay and manage their subscription through Apple.

Key Details:

• Apple takes large commissions from apps that sell subscriptions on its devices.
• Other streamers like Netflix have also pulled the ability for customers to subscribe through Apple.
• Viewers can still watch Disney streaming services on Apple TV and other devices as normal.

According to the updated rules on paying for Disney streaming services posted to the respective streamers’ help pages, customers who originally signed up for Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+ through an Apple device will still be billed via Apple, but new subscribers will have to sign up directly or seek alternative subscription methods.

Why is Disney cutting off the ability for customers to subscribe to its streaming services through Apple? There was no public confirmation, but the answer almost certainly lies in Apple’s commissioning practices. YouTube TV decided to sell NFL Sunday Ticket through the Apple TV digital store earlier this year, but had to add a full 30% to the price to offset the commission it had to pay, raising the cost of a Sunday Ticket subscription to almost $750 for the season.

Other streaming services have also opted out of allowing Apple to sell subscriptions on their behalf. Netflix has been unavailable to subscribe to via Apple since 2022, and earlier this year even existing customers lost the ability to pay for their Netflix via Apple.

It’s possible that Disney will eventually cut off support for existing customers to pay for their accounts through Apple in the future, as well. It clearly wants the money it’s paying Apple in commissions in its own pocket, and that could lead to future changes in its arrangement with the tech company.

Customers who watch Disney streaming services primarily on Apple devices will not see any major changes in the way they watch. They’ll still be able to sign in and use the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ apps as normal, but new customers who are subscribing to these services won’t be able to do so through an Apple device.