All seven seasons of ABC’s Once Upon a Time will start streaming on Hulu Sept. 1. The fairytale drama has been streaming exclusively on Disney+ since it left Netflix; it will now be shared by the two Disney entertainment platforms.
Exclusivity, considered paramount in the early stages of the streaming wars, has taken a back seat to media companies’ push for additional revenue and profitability. The strategy shift has led to original HBO series streaming on Netflix, for example, with NBCUniversal’s Suits also finding its way to the global streamer.
At Disney, there has been increasing cross-pollination between previously walled-up Disney+ and Hulu.
The Simpsons, which started streaming exclusively on Disney+ at launch, also has a couple of seasons available on Hulu.
Once Upon a Time is considered a quintessential Disney+ series as it has been built on classic Disney IP, including most Disney princesses. Same goes for Marvel which has its own tile on Disney+; the streamer’s latest Marvel series, Secret Invasion, recently got a run on Hulu.
And as Deadline reported over the weekend, Disney+’s upcoming Goosebumps series from Sony TV, is expected to also stream on Hulu.
The move comes as both Disney+ and Hulu shed dozens of series and specials earlier this year in a cost-cutting measure as Disney is preparing to roll out a single streaming app with programming from both Hulu and Disney+ by the end of this year.
Created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, One Upon a Time, which streamed on Hulu during its run on ABC, blends the fantastical and real worlds with fairytale characters living in Storybrooke, ME. Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas and Lana Parrilla star.