Are Podcasts Moving to Disney+ and Hulu, and What Does the PAVE Studios Deal Change for Guest Bookings?

What Did PAVE Studios Announce?

PAVE Studios, which describes itself as “a creator-first media company,” announced on October 15, 2026 a deal to bring two original video podcasts from its Crime House true-crime brand to Disney+ and Hulu “for an exclusive window.” The release says the deal “marks the first distribution of video podcasts from PAVE Studios on a major streaming platform” (PAVE Studios release via Podnews). Deadline reported it the same day as an exclusive, saying the two titles are “the company’s first to be picked up by a major streaming platform” (Deadline). Neither Disney nor Hulu is quoted in either report.

The release describes Clues as a “2026 Webby Award-winning Crime House Original” that “takes you deep into the world of notorious crimes and forensic breakthroughs.” In Mother Knows Murder, “each week, Niecy and Dia Nash climb into bed, turn on the TV, and dig into a real case together.” The release lists Niecy Nash’s screen credits as All’s Fair, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Rookie: Feds and Claws.

PAVE was founded by Max Cutler, who, the release says, launched Parcast and sold it to Spotify, where he became a senior content executive. Its brands include OpenMind, which produces Khloé in Wonder Land with Khloé Kardashian; Crime House; and Rewind, a history brand launched in 2026.

What Did PAVE and Its Hosts Say?

Cutler framed the deal as a test of a model: “We built Crime House to be a brand that travels, with creator-led podcasts that can live anywhere audiences are watching. Bringing Clues and Mother Knows Murder to Disney+ and Hulu is proof of that model, and it’s the first of many places we expect these stories to go.” He added that “as streaming platforms increasingly look to add premium content from talented creators, PAVE is well-positioned to be a content collaborator to these companies” (PAVE Studios release).

Moore said: “Clues was developed with a streaming audience in mind from day one. Our goal was to create a show with the production quality and storytelling that would stand naturally alongside other premium content on a streamer like Disney+ and Hulu.” That is the clearest statement in the release of what streaming changes: a show made to sit next to television, not only in a podcast feed.

Mother Knows Murder was first announced in June. Podcasting Today reported on June 19, 2026 that the show would feature “unscripted and unfiltered conversations” about “crimes of passion,” that Niecy Nash would also produce, and that premiere dates and distribution would be announced later (Podcasting Today). The October release supplied both.

What Does an “Exclusive Window” Mean Here?

A day, on the evidence published. Both the release and Deadline say new episodes reach Disney+ and Hulu one day before other podcast platforms (Deadline). Neither says how long the shows will stay on the streaming services, whether back episodes will be added, how episodes will be formatted inside the apps or how viewing will be counted. The deal’s financial terms are not given. Deadline’s own phrasing is that the services will stream the shows “in exclusive windows before they go into wide release,” which, with the one-day lead, describes a short head start for each new episode rather than a long exclusive run.

So the shows are not leaving podcast apps. A listener on Spotify or Apple Podcasts gets the same episode a day later. What changes is the first screen it appears on, and the company that controls that screen.

Is This Part of a Wider Move to Streaming TV?

Deadline puts it in a pattern: “Seeing the growth of YouTube in the living room, Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock and lately Disney+ have been looking to add podcast programming, which is seen as a budget-friendly way to boost view time and engagement” (Deadline). Podnews’ October 16 edition opened with the deal, “Another two podcasts are making it to a streaming service,” and reported in the same item that Australian podcast publisher Mamamia is to become a Samsung TV Plus channel, saying 30% of its consumption is via video, and that Samsung TV Plus has added a Trevor Noah channel in the UK (Podnews). Those two items rest on Podnews’ summary.

Survey data shows why streamers are interested. Sounds Profitable’s Podcast Landscape 2026 found that 44% of podcast consumers watched a video podcast in the past week, up from 40%, and that 83% believe video can be part of the format (Sounds Profitable release).

The chart shows how quickly a TV streamer can become a podcast platform: Netflix, in its first year carrying podcasts, was named by more podcast consumers than Apple Podcasts. The same release adds a caution, though. Just 5% named Netflix as their most-used podcast platform, and among smart TV podcast consumers 71% named YouTube as their most-used podcast app, against 12% for Netflix. Disney+ and Hulu were not reported in the release. Our guides on whether Netflix is now a podcast platform and how people consume podcasts now cover the wider shift.

What Does It Mean for Podcast Apps?

Podcast apps were already losing ground as people’s main way to consume podcasts. Sounds Profitable’s release says just 15% of podcast consumers now name a podcast-native app as their most-used platform, down from 19% in 2025; Apple Podcasts fell from 11% to 8%, while YouTube held first place at 40% (Sounds Profitable release). It also found that only 17% now expect podcasts to be audio-only, down from 21%.

A one-day head start on Disney+ and Hulu adds to that trend without ending the open feed. The episodes still reach every other platform the next day. For anyone tracking where a guest appearance will be seen, the practical change is that the first, and perhaps most promoted, version may sit in an app for which no viewing figures for these shows have been published, so the usual podcast download counts will describe only part of the audience.

Why Does a Celebrity Host Matter Here?

The release gives no audience figures for either show, so there is no evidence here on whether a known name changes how many people watch. What the pairing shows is narrower. The second Crime House title on Disney+ and Hulu is fronted by an actor whose credits include a Disney-owned network’s series, The Rookie: Feds, and the release leads with those credits. For a streamer, a familiar face makes a podcast easier to place next to its other programming.

The hosts’ own words, from the June announcement, are about the format rather than the audience: “In our family we don’t just tell stories – we solve them. We are excited to partner with PAVE! Welcome to the mysteries we will unravel together” (Podcasting Today). Clues, by contrast, is led by a podcast-native host: the release describes Moore as “a breakout host and creator with a top-ranked true crime slate” that includes Heart Starts Pounding and Last Trace with Kaelyn Moore. The deal puts a creator-built show and a celebrity-led one in the same window.

The same logic runs through other recent launches. Our guide on how a celebrity podcast launches inside an existing feed looks at Vox’s High Stakes with Hillary Clinton, which chose a different route to an audience. Neither case gives a guest a measured result to rely on.

What This Means for Anyone Booking a Guest Spot

A guest spot on a show that also streams on Disney+ or Hulu is still a guest spot, and the guest does not control where the episode appears. Our recommendations, not PAVE’s rules:

• Ask where the episode will run. Which platforms carry the show, in what order and for how long.
• Read the release form. A consent written for an audio podcast may not clearly cover video on a TV streaming service. Our guide on getting consent to record a podcast guest covers the basics. This is not legal advice.
• Prepare for video. A show built for streaming is filmed to television standards, so appearance and setting matter as much as talking points.
• Ask how viewers are measured. We found no audience number for either title, and a streaming placement is not evidence of reach.

A paid appearance is advertising and should be disclosed. Do not accept a promise that a booking will put a guest on a streaming platform; that decision belongs to the show and the streamer.

Methodology and Limitations

Four limits apply. First, the deal is described by PAVE Studios’ release and by Deadline, which quotes the same executives; neither Disney nor Hulu is quoted. Second, there are no audience figures, financial terms or window length beyond the one-day lead. Third, the Mamamia and Trevor Noah items rest on Podnews’ summary, and the platform figures come from a survey that did not report Disney+ or Hulu. Fourth, as of this guide’s date neither show has started streaming, so nothing here describes how they perform.

Conclusion

PAVE Studios says two of its video podcasts will reach Disney+ and Hulu a day ahead of other platforms, starting October 20 and November 9, and Deadline places the deal among several streamers adding podcasts. The release gives no audience, price or window length. The practical lesson for guests is to ask where an episode will live and what permission they are giving, because a podcast recording may now premiere in a TV app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

This guide is built from PAVE Studios’ October 15, 2026 release as carried by Podnews, Deadline’s report the same day, Podnews’ October 16 edition, Podcasting Today’s June 19 report on the Nash show and Sounds Profitable’s October 1 release, all read on October 19, 2026. The recommendations are ours. We read no statement from Disney or Hulu.

1. vendor PAVE Studios, PAVE Studios shows head to Disney+ and Hulu, press release via Podnews, October 15, 2026. Supports the shows, hosts, dates, windows, credits, company background and quotations. Read October 19, 2026.
2. trade press Deadline, Disney+ And Hulu To Stream Pave Studios True-Crime Podcasts ‘Clues’ And ‘Mother Knows Murder’, October 15, 2026. Corroborates the deal, dates and windows; supports the streamer context. Read October 19, 2026.
3. trade press Podnews, PAVE Studios shows head to Disney+ and Hulu, October 16, 2026. Supports the Mamamia and Trevor Noah items. Read October 19, 2026.
4. trade press Podcasting Today, Niecy Nash and Daughter to host new true-crime talk show for PAVE Studios, June 19, 2026. Supports the June announcement. Read October 19, 2026.
5. trade body Sounds Profitable, Podcast Landscape 2026 press release via Podnews, October 1, 2026. Supports the platform, video and smart TV figures. Read October 19, 2026.