Disney+ adds new navigation bar in key update
Disney+ adds new navigation bar in key update
Disney is consolidating its streaming content on the Disney+ app, and it’s already added a key feature to make finding content easier when it does.
Disney+ will undergo some major changes in the next year. The streamer is set to become the focal point of all Disney streaming efforts, as in 2026, it will fully integrate Hulu and all of its content onto the Disney+ app. That process has already begun, but by next year, there will be no further need for a standalone Hulu app.
Disney also launched an ESPN tile on Disney+ a year ago, and has expanded the amount of sports content viewers can watch on the app ever since — especially when the new ESPN direct-to-consumer service launched in August. Now, viewers with ESPN subscriptions can watch a wide selection of live games and shoulder programming on Disney+.
The company clearly wants to lower barriers for watching Disney streaming content and sports by putting all these shows, movies, and games on the Disney+ app, but it needs to make sure customers can navigate the app simply if it wants to store it all in one place. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a new navigation bar pop up on the Disney+ website and connected TV app in recent weeks.
This nav bar is at the top of the screen on these platforms, and has just a few options: For You, which takes a viewer back to the Disney+ home page traditional view; Disney+, which shows the content that comes with a Disney+ subscription; Hulu, which filters out the shows and movies from that general entertainment streaming service; and ESPN, which lays out live events, studio analysis, and other types of show and movie in their own content rows.
These tabs are all very well organized, especially the ESPN tab. I can see even more evolution to come to the Disney+ app in the future as well, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see more innovative and customer-forward features added, such as ESPN’s multiview. That would give viewers even more reason to continue engaging with the Disney+ app, since there’d be no real reason to leave it.
Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN are all under the same corporate umbrella, but even though all their content is available on Disney+, they can serve very different audiences. Hulu’s audience tends to be more adult than Disney+’s in general, and the ability to switch between these brands quickly, with a minimum of hunting around for the right button, is a very smart move for Disney to make as it continues to position the Disney+ app as the main home for all of its streaming content.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”