According to a new report by Variety, beginning this month, Disney has decided to phase out the ‘FX on Hulu’ brand. The ‘FX on Hulu’ moniker was announced on a conference call by former Disney CEO Bob Iger back in 2019, in an effort to spotlight the streaming service as the online home of FX content in the United States.
Now, the company has shifted its focus to streamline FX titles across Hulu by including the FX mark above all of its shows. The mark will be included across all of Disney’s streaming platforms worldwide (Hulu and the FX and FXX linear channels in the United States, Star+in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories.)
“FX’s award-winning adult programming is vital to our services both domestically and internationally and we want to shine a brighter light on the brand within our excellent and rapidly growing portfolio of general entertainment programming for adult audiences,” Rebecca Campbell, Disney’s chairman, international and direct-to-consumer, said in announcing the change.
By ending the ‘FX on Hulu’ moniker, Disney is looking to make things less redundant and subscribers will be able to easily find FX content in the new “FX” hub. The new hub will feature everything from FX, including day including day-after-air shows from FX linear channels and exclusive original programming from FX, such as Mrs. America and A Teacher.
Back in 2020, FX chairman John Landgraf had said, “the brand hit a ceiling” on basic cable and the shift to the “FX on Hulu” branding was to take advantage of Hulu’s millions of subscribers. At the time it was reported by Variety that he said, “I think it’s going to make the FX brand actually more valuable really, because I think it’s going to penetrate more deeply into American culture.”
The ‘FX on Hulu’ rebrand highlights how traditional media companies are trying to find an identity in the ever-changing world of cord cutting. Similar to Disney, WarnerMedia retired HBO Go once HBO Max was launched, which became the streaming home of everything HBO, which has been a success for the company.
Featuring more than 170 seasons and 1,800 episodes of TV shows, the FX library is one of Hulu’s biggest assets. The network aimed to double its programming output in 2020 by producing 30 shows. Landgraf said the FX brand, “will continue to deliver the highest-quality programs any service has to offer,” in a statement.