Hulu shutdown start date revealed as Disney begins phasing out streamer

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The Nintendo Switch has also been a gaming console and portable entertainment streaming device for some time. However, it will soon lose one of its major features that fans have come to love, Hulu.

While Nintendo Switch 2 offers major hardware upgrades, customers who have been using their consoles to stream TV shows and movies are about to receive a disappointing downgrade. Not only does the new system currently not support major streaming apps, but the original Nintendo Switch is also losing Hulu, one of its most important streaming services.

Nintendo confirmed that Hulu will be removed from all Switch models on February 5, 2026. In an update released on January 7, 2026, the company announced that the app would be discontinued. It has already been removed from the Nintendo Switch eShop, preventing further downloads. Full support will officially end on the aforementioned date.

For years, Hulu was one of the few mainstream streaming platforms available on the Switch, making it a popular option for users who were looking for an all-in-one portable device for gaming and entertainment. Its removal significantly reduces the console’s already limited streaming capabilities.

The release of the Switch 2 makes this news even more upsetting for consumers. At launch, with Hulu, the new console does not support Crunchyroll or YouTube. The latter is currently listed as “unsupported”, meaning it may work limitedly, if at all. Its compatibility has not been verified at the time of publishing this article. Crunchyroll, on the other hand, is completely incompatible, which could alienate a fairly large demographic of anime fans.

Despite the departure of Hulu and the absence of Crunchyroll on the Switch 2, the anime streaming application will remain on the original model. Nintendo has not announced plans to discontinue this game in the near future.

The removal of Hulu appears to be a decision made primarily by Disney rather than Nintendo. The change aligns with the one from Hulu transition to come as it will be soon combined with Disney+. Although the platform’s content will still exist, it will only be consolidated under one streaming service.