By Gavin Boyle
Disney Television Studio boss Eric Schrier revealed that the company will focus on streaming content for adults, rather than creating new shows for children.
“We’re not really developing shows for kids and family, that’s really done by our global brands and IP,” Schrier said. “So we’re really looking to do Hulu originals across the world, and showing people that there’s content for adults on Disney+.”
“We’re not dogmatic,” he added. “Obviously, comedies, dramas, limited series are the backbone of what we do. Unscripted is a big part of the Disney brand, and Disney+ and ABC in particular, whether it’s SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES or our doc series or our true crime-based series. So we’re looking to do a portfolio of our content.”
Related: Here’s When Hulu Will Fully Integrate With Disney+
This shift in focus is extremely disappointing, though not entirely surprising as Disney looks to merge Disney+ and Hulu into a single platform sometime next year. Focusing on adult content is also likely to be a losing game for the company as that has been Hulu’s approach since it launched and it failed to keep up with competitors despite having a decade plus edge over every other platform other than Netflix.
Disney+ Sets Date for Hulu to Replace Star as Its Global Entertainment Brand, Adding New Integrated Features Ahead of Hulu App Phaseout in 2026 https://t.co/dWJCJWMybj
— Variety (@Variety) October 2, 2025
Furthermore, Disney’s focus on adult content also proves that the company still fails to understand that uplifting, family-friendly projects are the shows and movies audiences most desire. This misunderstanding is shocking given that Disney remains a leader in family-friendly content. At last year’s box office, for example, eight of the top 10 movies had uplifting, family-friendly stories, including the No. 1 movie, INSIDE OUT 2, which was released by Disney.
“The findings of our 2025 Report to the Entertainment Industry show once again that movies with strong Christian, redemptive, biblical, and moral content and values did much better at the box office in 2024 than movies with excessive or graphic foul language, sex, nudity, violence, and substance abuse, or movies that rejected or mocked positive values. These movies also did much better overseas and on home video. That’s because most moviegoers, including families with children and grandchildren, want to see inspiring stories that enrich their lives,” explained Movieguide® Founder and Publisher Ted Baehr in this year’s report to the industry.
Disney continues to lose sight of its core audience: families. Rather than rolling Hulu onto Disney+ and continuing to focus on families – the thing that has made Disney+ successful – it is instead investing more in the strategy that has caused Hulu to struggle. This will be a costly mistake for Disney and it would be much better for the company if it returned to its roots and focused itself on kids content, rather than trying to garner a larger adult audience.
Read Next: Why Hulu’s Rollover Into Disney+ Marks the End of an Era
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +4