Disney is changing its tried and true release strategy for Star Wars television with the release of the galaxy far, far away’s next TV show, as it will not be exclusively available on the Disney+ streaming service, but in another place as well. Since Disney+ launched in 2019, it has been the exclusive home for Star Wars TV. From The Mandalorian to Andor and everything in between, in order to watch television projects set in the Star Wars universe, fans have needed Disney+.
On August 5, Disney and Lucasfilm are going to premiere their newest Star Wars television series. Titled Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, the series will debut on Disney+ with all episodes available to stream on the first day. However, for the first time in history, the upcoming Star Wars show will also be released on Hulu on August 5, meaning that it will be available to stream on two platforms instead of exclusively on Disney+.
A partnership between Disney+ and Hulu is nothing new. In June 2025, The Walt Disney Company fully acquired Hulu after purchasing Comcast’s 33% stake in the company. Since then, Disney has made an effort to completely combine the two brands, integrating Hulu and Disney+ into one streaming app rather than having two separate platforms.
While Hulu still operates as its own app and service, Disney’s plans are for it to shut down by the end of 2026, meaning the only way to view Hulu content will be on Disney+.
However, since the Hulu platform is still active and consumers can have a standard Hulu subscription without paying for Disney+ as well, The Ninth Jedi will technically be available on two separate platforms when it is released.
As mentioned, this is the first time that a Star Wars series will premiere on Hulu. However, it is not the first time that a Star Wars Disney+ project or a major Disney+ title from a different franchise will be available to stream on the platform.
In the past, Disney has added select streaming projects to the Hulu library. Most likely, it was in an effort to maximize a project’s audience and to mainly drive consumers to subscribe to Disney+.
For example, if someone were subscribed to Hulu but not Disney+, it is possible that they could have watched a Disney+ project on Hulu and enjoyed it, which could prompt them to then sign up for Disney+.
That may sound pointless, seeing as Disney owns Hulu. Since that is the case, it wouldn’t matter which platform someone was subscribed to, as Disney would be earning revenue either way. However, Hulu and Disney+ are still two separate platforms.
Fans can bundle the two services, but they can also have separate standard subscriptions. If someone were to have a subscription to Hulu and then buy a Disney+ subscription, it would only make Disney more money, as that consumer would be paying for two subscriptions instead of one.
It is also worth noting that Disney’s hopes, specifically with The Ninth Jedi, are likely based on overall viewership as well. By premiering The Ninth Jedi on both Disney+ and Hulu, the show could reach an even bigger audience than if it were just on Disney+. That would undoubtedly drive the total streaming numbers up for the show, which would make The Ninth Jedi even more successful than if it were only on Disney+.
Essentially, Disney is maximizing its streaming numbers and potential for new subscribers without having to spend more money.
As mentioned, this is not the first time that a Disney+ project has been on Hulu. Notably, it is the first time a Star Wars show has premiered on Hulu, but past projects have been made available on Hulu after their initial release.
Major Disney+ Projects That Have Also Been on Hulu
Secret Invasion
Back in 2023, Marvel Studios debuted one of its most anticipated TV shows of all time, Secret Invasion. While many were excited for the series, it ended up not performing well and was poorly received by audiences. However, it was a groundbreaking project, as it was the first time that a major Disney+ project was also released on a separate platform.
Only the first three episodes were released on Hulu, and the full series remains exclusive to Disney+, but the fact that those episodes were released on Hulu paved the way for future titles to be released on that platform as well.
Echo was another MCU series that was also available on Hulu. However, unlike Secret Invasion, the entirety of Echo was released on Hulu rather than just a few episodes. Echo took a similar approach to The Ninth Jedi with its Hulu release, as the show premiered all of its episodes on the same day, and they were made available to stream on Hulu from the very beginning.
Ultimately, this was done in an attempt to drive Echo‘s viewership up. However, it is worth noting that the show only stayed on Hulu for a few months. After that, it left the platform and is now only available on Disney+. Disney and Lucasfilm haven’t confirmed if The Ninth Jedi will take a similar approach and pull the show from the Hulu library after some time, or if it will stay on there until the Hulu app is shut down.
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is one of Marvel’s newest TV shows, and it was a pleasant surprise for many fans. After initially releasing on Disney+ in January 2026, it officially made its way to Hulu in March, with all eight episodes being added to the streaming service.
Notably, Wonder Man only stayed on Hulu for a few months before being pulled in June. Most likely, Disney placed the series on the platform after its success in hopes that Hulu subscribers would either purchase a Disney+ subscription or upgrade to the bundle that included both Disney+ and Hulu.
Werewolf by Night
One of the more forgotten MCU projects was 2022’s Werewolf by Night. Instead of being a full TV series, the project was a Disney+ Special Presentation that was essentially like watching one long episode of a show.
One year after Werewolf by Night premiered on Disney+, it received a limited release on Hulu from September 15 to October 31, 2023 as part of Hulu’s Huluween programming block.
Star Wars Movies
Disney+ originals aren’t the only content that has been released on Hulu. For example, some of the Star Wars movies have had limited runs on the platform for limited promotional windows.
Once again, this likely happened in hopes that Disney+ would gain more subscribers, as putting older movies like Star Wars’ original trilogy on a platform like Hulu would only make Hulu subscribers more likely to purchase a Disney+ plan so that they could see more content from the Star Wars franchise.
MCU Movies
Just as Disney has done with Star Wars, the company has also added some MCU movies to the Hulu library as part of special limited promotional initiatives. Films such as those within the Captain America trilogy have been added to Hulu for short periods of time to promote Disney+ and drive subscribers up.
Andor
Andor is one of the most beloved Star Wars projects of all time. After its first season received massive praise from critics and fans, Disney thought it would be beneficial for the first season to be added to Hulu to help promote Season 2.
This was a masterful plan from the House of Mouse, as it allowed Hulu subscribers to watch Season 1 just before Season 2 was released. Therefore, any Hulu subscribers who enjoyed Season 1 would then have to buy a Disney+ subscription to watch Season 2.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu: A Special Look
Star Wars returned to theaters in 2026 for the first time since 2019 with the release of The Mandalorian & Grogu. As part of the film’s marketing campaign, Disney released a special look at the flick on Disney+ in hopes of getting fans more excited about its premiere.
However, Disney also debuted that special look on Hulu as a way to get even more eyes on The Mandalorian & Grogu, likely in an effort to drive up the movie’s potential box office earnings. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work that well, as the movie has been a financial disaster.
