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Hulu (/ˈhuːluː/, HOO-loo) (stylized as "hulu") is an American subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company.
 Current logo, which is a revision of 2007 logo, used since 2018 | |
| Type of business | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
Type of site | OTT video streaming platform |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Area served | United States |
| Key people | Joe Earley (President) |
| Parent | Disney Streaming |
| URL | hulu.com |
| Advertising | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users |  51.1 million (as of August 20, 2024[update])[1] |
| Launched | October 29, 2007 |
| Current status | Active |
It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as a joint venture between News Corporation (later 21st Century Fox) and NBC Universal (later bought by Comcast), Providence Equity, and later The Walt Disney Company, serving as an aggregation of recent episodes of television series from their respective television broadcasting. In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially branded as "Hulu Plus", which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and un-delayed access to new episodes. In 2017, the company launched Hulu with Live TV—an over-the-top streaming television service offering access to broadcast television channels.
In 2011, Hulu launched its services in Japan, marking its first and only international expansion. Three years later in 2014, Hulu Japan was acquired by Nippon TV and spun off from its American counterpart.[2] Since February 2021, Hulu's original content has since been distributed outside of the U.S. via Disney+ under the Star brand. In 2019, Disney acquired Fox's stake in Hulu as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, gaining a majority stake in the service, and subsequently acquired the remaining stake held by Comcast in 2023, giving it full ownership. After the acquisition, Disney soft launched an integration of Hulu into Disney+ as a content hub in December 2023, allowing subscribers to both services to access Hulu content from within the Disney+ apps.
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The name Hulu comes from two Mandarin Chinese phrases, húlu (葫芦; 葫蘆; "calabash, bottle gourd") and hùlù (互录; 互錄; "interactive recording").[3]
Jason Kilar, who served as CEO of Hulu, said the name comes from a Chinese proverb:
Hulu is Mandarin for gourd. And so when we were launching Hulu, we thought, "what a great name that is." And it had this great sort of symbolism of the holder of precious things, which is the holder of premium content. So that's why we named it Hulu.[4]
Early years (2007–2010)
Individuals who were instrumental[vague] in the founding of Hulu include Bruce Campbell,[5] Peter Chernin,[6] JB Perrette,[7] Mike Lang,[8] Beth Comstock, George Kliavkoff, Darren Feher, and Jason Kilar. Rus Yusupov, the lead designer on Hulu's original design team, played a key role in shaping the platform's initial interface and user experience.[9] Hulu was announced in March 2007 with AOL, NBCUniversal (then co-owned by General Electric and Vivendi), MSN, Myspace (then owned by News Corporation), and Yahoo! planned as "initial distribution partners". Before the company starts, the glow was the international named Netflix in 2022. Years ago, Jason Kilar was named Hulu CEO in late 2007.[10][11] NBC shut down its earlier online video effort NBBC in order to focus on Hulu.[12]
The name Hulu was chosen in late August 2007, when the website went live with an announcement only and no content. It invited users to leave their email addresses for the upcoming beta test.[13] In October 2007, Hulu began the private beta testing by invitation, and later allowed users to invite friends.[14] Hulu launched for public access in the United States on March 12, 2008.[15]
Hulu began an advertising campaign during NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII with an initial ad starring Alec Baldwin titled "Alec in Huluwood".[16] Advertisements have since aired featuring Eliza Dushku, Seth MacFarlane, Denis Leary, and Will Arnett.[citation needed]
In July 2007, Providence Equity, the owner of Newport Television, became one of the earliest "outside" investors by purchasing a 10 percent stake in the company for US$100 million equity investment,[17] before the company was known as "Hulu".[18] With its investment came a seat on the board of directors, where Providence was said to act as an "independent voice on the board".[18] In April 2009, The Walt Disney Company joined the Hulu consortium as a stakeholder, with plans to offer content from ABC, ESPN and Disney Channel.[19][20][21][22]
Multiple joint ventures (2010–2019)
Early in 2010, Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar said the service had made a profit in two quarters and that the company could top $100 million in revenue by summer 2010, more than its income for all of 2009. ComScore says monthly video streams reached 903 million in January 2010, over three times the figure for a year earlier,[23] and second only to YouTube.[24]
On August 16, 2010, a report revealed that Hulu was planning an initial public offering (IPO) which could value the company at more than $2 billion.[25][26]
In June 2011, an "unsolicited offer" caused Hulu to begin "weighing whether to sell itself".[27] However, Hulu and its owners refused to sell the company, as none of the bidders offered an amount that was satisfactory to its owners.[28] In September of that year, the service launched in Japan; marking Hulu's first international expansion.[29]
Hulu generated $420 million in revenue in 2011, $80 million short of the company's target.[30] The vacant CEO post was officially filled by former Fox Networks President Mike Hopkins on October 17, 2013.[31]
In October 2012, Providence sold its 10 percent stake to "Hulu's media owners" and ceased participation in the board.[18]
On February 27, 2014, Nippon Television Network Corporation acquired Hulu's Japanese business. The service would retain the "Hulu" brand and technology in Japan under a subsidiary of Nippon as part of a separate agreement.[32][29][33]
On August 3, 2016, Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery) acquired a 10 percent stake of Hulu.[34]
Hopkins exited and was named Sony Pictures TV Chairman.[35] Fox Networks Group COO Randy Freer was named CEO on October 24, 2017.[36]
Disney majority ownership (2019–2023)
On March 20, 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, giving it a 60% majority stake in Hulu.[22] On April 15, 2019, WarnerMedia sold its 10% stake in Hulu back to the company for $1.43 billion,[37] leaving Disney with 67% and Comcast with 33%. Comcast, the only other shareholder, announced on May 14, 2019, that it had agreed to cede its control to Disney, and reached an agreement for Disney to purchase its 33% stake in the company as early as 2024.[38]
On May 14, 2019, Comcast relinquished its control in Hulu to Disney effective immediately. As a result, the streaming service became a division of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) with Comcast effectively becoming a silent partner. Under the agreement, Comcast's 33% stake can be sold to Disney at fair market value as early as 2024. The fair market value will be determined at that time, but Disney guaranteed a minimum valuation of the entire company at $27.5 billion (valuing the Comcast stake as worth at least $9.075 billion).[39] Randy Freer would report to Disney executive Kevin Mayer.[39]
Disney stated that its control of Hulu was the third major component of its direct-to-consumer strategy, complementing its sports streaming service ESPN+, and its then-forthcoming Disney+. Hulu would be oriented towards "general" entertainment and content targeting mature audiences.[40] NBCUniversal will continue to license its content to the service through at least 2024, but it will have the option to begin transitioning its exclusivity deals with Hulu to non-exclusive terms beginning in 2020, and to end other content deals beginning in 2022.[41]
On July 31, 2019, Disney reorganized Hulu's reporting structure, placing Hulu's Scripted Originals team under Disney General Entertainment Content. Under the new structure, Hulu's SVP of Original Scripted Content would report directly to the chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.[42] As of November 2019, FX and Fox Searchlight were assigned to supply Hulu with content.[43] In January 2020, Disney eliminated the role of Hulu CEO, with its top executives to report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television.[44] On January 31, 2020, Freer resigned as CEO of Hulu and the position was eliminated; Hulu's top executives now report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television.[45]
In June 2021, Comcast accused Disney of undermining Hulu's growth and value by not engaging in international expansion of the service, having instead added the Star brand as an extension of Disney+ in selected markets.[46]
On September 7, 2021, Hulu announced that the prices of its main video on-demand and ad-free plans would increase by $1 each to $6.99 and $12.99 per-month beginning October 8.[47] In October 2021, Hulu president Kelly Campbell resigned, and was subsequently appointed the president of NBCUniversal's competing service Peacock.[48]
On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to let select 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures films stream on Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max in 2022.[49][50] In March 2022, NBCUniversal decided that it will pull content from Hulu and move them to Peacock, beginning in September.[51] In January 2022, Joe Earley became president of Hulu.[52]
In September 2022, Chapek indicated that Disney is considering merging Hulu into Disney+ because the model had been successful outside the United States without any content friction.[53] To accelerate the plan, he said that Disney would love to buy out Comcast's 33.3% stake in Hulu earlier than their previously agreed 2024 timeline. However, Comcast had not offered reasonable terms for an early buyout[54] and had instead expressed interest in buying Hulu themselves if it were for sale.[53]
On May 18, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 in order to "cut costs." The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards the initial decision to remove Howard, the documentary on the life of lyricist Howard Ashman, on the eve of Pride Month and the release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. However, it was confirmed the next day that film will remain available on the service.[55][56]
On July 10, 2023, Hulu launched an adult animation and anime hub known as Animayhem, featuring several different 20th Television Animation programs, including American Dad, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and King of the Hill, among various others. Additionally, new seasons of Futurama and King of the Hill were commissioned for the service, while the company also showcased an "immersive" experience at San Diego Comic-Con to promote the occasion, titled Hulu Animayhem: Into the Second Dimension.[57] The hub was also launched on Disney+ internationally the following year.
Disney full ownership (2023–present)
On September 6, 2023, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts announced that Hulu's equity fair value will be assessed as of September 30.[58]
In November 2023, Disney began their acquisition of Comcast's stake in Hulu. The two companies previously agreed to a minimum floor price of $8.6 billion, which was paid for on December 1.[59][60] On December 6, 2023, Disney launched a content hub for Disney+, which contains Hulu content for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States in beta.[61] The Disney+ hub officially launched in March 2024; Hulu also continued to be available through its own app.[62]
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Original content
From January 17, 2011, to April 24, 2014, Hulu streamed its own in-house web series The Morning After, a light-hearted pop-culture news show. It was produced by Hulu in conjunction with Jace Hall's HDFilms and stars Brian Kimmet and Ginger Gonzaga. Producing the show was a first for the company, which in the past has been primarily a content distributor.[63]
On January 16, 2012, Hulu announced that it would be airing its first original script based program, titled Battleground, which premiered in February 2012. The program aired on Hulu's free web service rather than on the subscription-based Hulu Plus. Battleground is described as a documentary-style political drama.[64]
Later that same month, Hulu announced it would air The Fashion Fund, a six-part reality series, and the winner of the show would receive $300,000 to start their career.[65]
To continue with its original programming movement, Hulu announced that there would be a total of seven original programs that were planned to air on its service: Battleground, Day in the Life, and Up to Speed were previously mentioned; and on April 19, Hulu added four more shows to its list: Don't Quit Your Daydream, Flow, The Awesomes, and We Got Next. Some of these programs began airing in 2012, while others premiered over the next few years.[66]
On May 21, 2012, Hulu announced it would be bringing Kevin Smith to its lineup of original programming. Smith hosts a movie discussion show titled Spoilers, which began airing in mid-2012.[67]
In March 2016, Lionsgate Premiere and Hulu jointly acquired distribution rights to the film Joshy,[68] which was later released on August 12, 2016.[69]
On May 4, 2016, Hulu acquired The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, as its first documentary acquisition, as part of a planned Hulu Documentary Films collection.[70] The film premiered theatrically on September 15, before debuting on the streaming service on September 17.[71]
Since September 2022, selected International programs that released on Disney+'s Star Hub and Disney+ original International content that is over the rating limit (maximum TV-14 and PG-13) in United States market begins to release on Hulu.
Content partners
Following the start of its service, Hulu signed deals with several new content providers making additional material available to consumers. On April 30, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would join the venture, purchasing a 27 percent stake in Hulu.[72][22]
Starting August 15, 2011, viewers of content from Fox and related networks are required to authenticate paid cable or satellite service wherever Fox streams episodes, including on Hulu, to be able to watch them the morning after the first airing. Non-subscribers will see those episodes delayed a week before they are viewable.[73]
On October 28, 2011, Hulu announced that they had signed a five-year deal with The CW, giving the streaming site access to next-day content from five of the six major networks.[74] On September 18, 2013, Hulu announced a multi-year deal with the BBC that would deliver 2,000 episodes from 144 different titles in the first 12 months.[75]
In 2015, Hulu began offering content from Showtime for an additional $8.99/month, which is cheaper than Showtime's own streaming service. On June 16, 2016, Hulu announced a deal with the Disney-ABC Television Group for the exclusive SVOD rights to past seasons of seven Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD series, and more than 20 Disney Channel original movies.[76]
The CW's agreement with Hulu ended September 18, 2016; in-season streaming of current CW programs moved to the network's own digital platforms, and Netflix began to carry past seasons of The CW's programs through 2019.[77] As of January 2017[update], a limited amount of content from CBS's library is available on-demand, mostly limited to shows that are no longer producing new episodes.[78][79] A deal was reached to bring live broadcasts of CBS and several affiliated channels to Hulu's upcoming live streaming service[80] as well as to make more shows available on-demand.[81]
In April 2018, Hulu announced a partnership with Spotify that allows users to purchase both streaming services for a discounted price per month. This discount also includes an even larger discounted rate for university students.[82]
Hulu distributes video on its own website and syndicates its hosting to other sites,[83] and allows users to embed Hulu clips on their websites.[15] In addition to NBC, ABC and Fox programs and movies, Hulu carries shows from networks: A&E, Big Ten Network, Bravo, E!, Fox Sports 2, FX, PBS, NFL Network, Oxygen, RT America, Fox Sports 1, SundanceTV, Syfy, USA Network, NBCSN, and online comedy sources such as Onion News Network.[84] Hulu retains between thirty and fifty percent of advertising revenue generated by the shows it distributes.[23]
In November 2009, Hulu also began to establish partnerships with record labels to host music videos and concert performances on the site, including EMI in November 2009,[85] and Warner Music Group in December 2009.[86]
In early March 2010, Viacom announced that it was pulling two of the website's most popular shows, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, off Hulu.[87] The programs had been airing on Hulu since late 2008.[88] A spokesman for Viacom noted that "in the current economic model, there is not that much in it for us to continue at this time. If they can get to the point where the monetization model is better, then we may go back."[88] In February 2011, both shows were made available for streaming on Hulu again. The Daily Show was again removed from Hulu in March 2017 in order to push viewers to watch the program on Viacom and Comedy Central's apps.
In 2012, Viz Media, Aniplex of America, and other distributors teamed up to create Neon Alley.[89] It had launched on October 2, 2012, as a 24/7 web channel, but in 2014 it had switched to Hulu-only. The site contained exclusive dub premieres with anime such as Accel World, Blue Exorcist, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Fate/Zero and the uncut version of Sailor Moon. It also had shows such as Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, Death Note, Inuyasha, Bakuman, Ranma ½, One Piece, One Punch Man, and Bleach. It went defunct on May 4, 2016. However, Hulu still hosts over 300 anime from Funimation, Aniplex of America, Viz Media, and Sentai Filmworks, and selected anime began resume to release on Hulu following the deal between Disney and Sony Pictures since 2021.
In April 2017, Hulu signed a first-run license deal with Annapurna Pictures. Hulu also has output deals with IFC Films and Magnolia Pictures.[90]
Hulu in May 2018 announced its first-ever license deal with DreamWorks Animation, becoming the exclusive streaming home for future DWA movies feature films, as well as library films. DWA had streamed exclusively through Netflix since 2013.[91] Films will be available on the service in 2019, while original series will be available later in 2020.[citation needed]
In October 2018, PocketWatch launched 90 22-minute episodes of repackaged content from their YouTube creator partners on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video and partnered with Paramount Pictures to license them to international distributors.[92]
On December 4, 2018, Hulu confirmed an exclusive multi-year first-look SVOD deal with Funimation.[93]
In June 2019, Hulu and FX signed an output deal with Lionsgate, where Hulu and FX would respectably gain the streaming and TV rights to films released under the Lionsgate label in 2020 and 2021.[94]
In August 2019, Hulu agreed to control the streaming rights to upcoming films released by Bleecker Street.[95]
On March 2, 2020, Hulu launched a dedicated "hub" for content from FX branded as "FX on Hulu", with the service becoming the exclusive streaming outlet for current and past series from the network. Beginning with Breeders, new episodes of FX original series also become available on Hulu immediately after their television airing, and selected series will also premiere exclusively on the service.[96][97][98]
On January 14, 2021, it was announced that following an exclusive 3-week IMAX engagement, Searchlight's Nomadland would be released on Hulu alongside a regular limited theatrical and drive-in run in the United States on February 19.[99]
On April 21, 2021, Disney reached a deal for television and streaming rights to Sony Pictures films from 2022 through 2026, which includes library rights for some of its franchises like Spider-Man, Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania franchises, etc., and licensing anime under Funimation and Crunchyroll brands and anime released by Aniplex of America, and post-pay-one window rights to new releases (after their exclusivity period with Netflix expires). This deal covers Disney+, Hulu, and Disney's television channels.[100] On May 17, 2021, it started Onyx Collective which is a content brand for creators.[101]
On August 31, 2021, Disney announced that it would fold the American version of Hotstar—a niche streaming service targeting Indian Americans—in late-2022, with its original entertainment content migrating to Hulu.[102] Since August 2021, Star India Networks programming has been available to Hulu subscribers.
Advertisements controversy
In early 2024, Hulu faced criticism for airing AI-generated advertisements which were seen as promoting a pro-Israel narrative.[103][104] One such advertisement depicted Gaza as a tourist destination rather than acknowledging its complex geopolitical context. An article by Vice highlighted that many viewers found these advertisements controversial due to perceived factual inaccuracies and insensitivity to the ongoing conflict.[105] This led to calls for boycotting Hulu and its parent company, Disney, which holds a majority stake in Hulu.[106]
Content providers
First and third-party content providers for Hulu. Asterisk (*) denotes third parties.
- 1091 Pictures*
- 20th Century Studios
- 20th Television
- 20th Television Animation
- 4Kids Entertainment*
- A24*
- ABC
- American International Pictures*
- Animax*
- ABS-CBN Corporation*
- All3Media*
- AMC Networks*
- Angel Studios*
- Ay Yapım*
- BBC Studios*
- Big Ticket Entertainment*
- BVS Entertainment
- Castel Film Romania*
- Cineverse*
- CJ ENM*
- Constantin Film*
- Discotek Media*
- Disney+ Star Hub
- Disney Television Studios
- Erler Film*
- FilmRise*
- Film Roman*
- Fox*
- Freeform
- Fuji Television*
- FX Networks
- GKIDS*
- GMA Network Inc.*
- Hallmark Channel*
- Hasbro Entertainment*
- Hollywood Pictures
- Hotstar
- Illumination*
- Lucasfilm
- Lionsgate Studios*
- Marvel Studios
- MarVista Entertainment*
- Media Blasters*
- MediaPro Pictures*
- Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation*
- Amazon MGM Studios*
- National Geographic
- NBCUniversal*
- Nelvana*
- NHK*
- Nippon TV*
- Paramount Global*
- BET
- CBS
- CBS Films
- CBS Productions
- CBS Studios
- CBS Theatrical Films
- Comedy Central
- Comedy Central Films
- MTV
- MTV Entertainment Studios
- Nickelodeon
- Nickelodeon Animation Studio
- Nickelodeon Movies
- Nick Jr. Channel
- Nicktoons
- Paramount Network
- Paramount Pictures
- Paramount Television
- Paramount Television Studios
- TeenNick
- VH1
- VH1 Films
- PBS*
- The Pokémon Company*
- Saban Capital Group*
- Samuel Goldwyn Films*
- Screen Media*
- Searchlight Pictures
- Searchlight Television
- Shout! Studios*
- Skydance Media*
- Star+
- StudioCanal*
- STX Entertainment*
- Sony Pictures*
- Televisa*
- Toei Animation*
- Toei Company*
- Toho*
- Tokyo Broadcasting System*
- Tokyo MX*
- Touchstone Pictures
- Tsuburaya Productions*
- TV Asahi*
- TV Tokyo*
- Viva Communications*
- Viz Media*
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Warner Bros. Discovery*
- Adult Swim
- American Heroes Channel
- Animal Planet
- Asian Food Network
- Boomerang
- Cartoon Network
- Cartoon Network Studios
- Cartoonito
- Castle Rock Entertainment
- Cinemax
- CNN
- CNN Films
- CNN International
- Cooking Channel
- The CW
- DC Entertainment
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Life
- Eurosport
- Food Network
- Hanna-Barbera
- HBO
- HBO Films
- HGTV
- HLN
- Investigation Discovery
- Kids' WB
- Magnolia Network
- New Line Cinema
- Oprah Winfrey Network
- Science Channel
- TLC
- Toonami
- Travel Channel
- Turner Classic Movies
- Warner Bros. Animation
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Warner Bros. Television Studios
- The WB
- Williams Street
- WildBrain*
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Hulu on demand service
Hulu's subscription service was launched in a software release life cycle on June 29, 2010,[107] and officially launched on November 17, 2010, under the branding Hulu Plus.[108] The service remained advertising-supported, but it offers an expanded content library including full seasons, day-after access to current season content and more episodes of shows available. Hulu also launched Hulu Plus apps on other types of devices, including mobile, digital media players, and video game consoles. By the end of 2011, Hulu Plus had around 1.5 million subscribers.[109]
On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the "Hulu Plus" branding would be discontinued, and that the service would be henceforth marketed as simply "Hulu" to place it in-line with its subscription-only competitors. By then, the service had grown to 9 million subscribers.[110][111]
In July 2015 Hulu was exploring an advertising-free subscription option for around $12 to $14 a month.[112] This was confirmed as going forward as of September 2, 2015[update], with a "No Commercials" plan priced at $11.99, $4 more than the $7.99 monthly rate for a "Limited Commercials" subscription,[113] though a few highlighted network series (fewer than 10) would retain pre-roll and post-roll[clarification needed] ad pods.[114] Starting in 2019, Hulu plans to begin displaying on-screen ads when the viewer pauses the show, although it is unclear whether this will apply to customers on the $11.99/month No Ads plan.[115]
In May 2016, Hulu announced that it had reached 12 million subscribers.[116] In January 2018, Hulu announced that it had reached 17 million subscribers.[117]
On August 8, 2016, Hulu announced that it would discontinue its free video on-demand content, and syndicate it to Yahoo! on a new website known as Yahoo! Screen. This service featured recent episodes of ABC, Fox, and NBC series until its 2019 discontinuation. The Hulu website is now devoted exclusively to the subscription service.[118][119][120]
In May 2018, Hulu introduced 5.1 surround sound on select devices for its original content.[121] In December 2016 Hulu began streaming content in 4K, also limited to its original content.[122] 4K video was quietly rolled back in 2018, and reintroduced in July 2019.[123][124] Hulu added HDR for some of its original content in August 2021.[125]
On January 23, 2019, Hulu announced a $2 price drop for the basic ad-supported plan to $5.99. The $5.99 monthly plan has previously been offered as a promotional offer since late 2017 where users that signed up (or reactivated accounts that had previously ended their service) during the offer period would keep the price for an entire year before paying the regular rate.[126]
Since the launch of Disney+ in November 2019, the service has been available in the United States in a bundle with Hulu and ESPN+, priced at US$12.99 per-month for the ad-supported tier of Hulu, and US$18.99 for the ad-free tier of Hulu.[127][128]
On September 7, 2021, Disney announced that Hulu would be getting a price increase on October 8, 2021. The ad-supported Hulu plan would increase from $5.99 to $6.99 a month, while the ad-free Hulu plan would increase from $11.99 to $12.99 a month. The Hulu live TV plan and the Disney bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu with ads and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month, would not get a price increase at this time.[47]
Hulu + Live TV service
On May 4, 2016, Hulu announced that it planned to begin offering an over-the-top "live programming from broadcast and cable brands" some time in 2017.[129] On November 1, 2016, co-owners 21st Century Fox, including Fox Networks Group (Fox, Fox Sports, Fox News Channel, FX Networks, and National Geographic) and The Walt Disney Company, including Disney–ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc. (ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, Freeform, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, and ESPN3) agreed to supply their channels to the streaming service, joined by Warner Bros. Discovery, including Turner Broadcasting System (TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, TruTV, CNN, HLN, CNN International, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang) on August 3, 2016, which previously reached an agreement with Hulu.[130]
The service, originally marketed as "Hulu with Live TV," launched in Software testing on May 3, 2017, along with NBCUniversal (Bravo, Cozi TV, NBC, Oxygen, SYFY, Sprout, and Telemundo), A+E Networks (A&E, History, and Lifetime), CBS Corporation (CBS, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and Showtime), and Scripps Networks Interactive (Cooking Channel, Food Network, and HGTV). It was later renamed to "Hulu + Live TV." The service included live streams of more than 75 broadcast and cable-originated channels, including feeds of the five major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW – as well as cable channels owned by Hulu witch part of The Walt Disney Company, along with NFL Network, Paramount Global with Showtime, A+E Networks, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery with HBO, Cinemax,[131] and Starz available as add-ons for an extra fee. Hulu representatives stated that it intends to negotiate carriage agreements with independently owned broadcasting groups to gain distribution rights to local stations from additional markets.[132][133][134]
By May 2018, the service had reached 800,000 subscribers.[135]
On November 29, 2018, Hulu + Live TV now adds Discovery Networks, prior to the merger with Warner Bros., now as Warner Bros. Discovery (Discovery, TLC, MotorTrend, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery) for the prices on the bundles featuring the new channels will not change, Discovery will be joining Scripps Networks Interactive. While the $40 per month Hulu With Live TV core package will get the five aforementioned channels, more of Discovery brand channels will also be available through add-on packages. Destination America, Discovery Family, Science Channel, Discovery Life, and American Heroes Channel are in the Entertainment add-on for $7.99 per month. Discovery Channel and Discovery Familia have been added to the $4.99-per-month Spanish language package.[136]
In the third quarter of 2019, Hulu overtook Sling TV as the top OTT pay television service in the United States, with 2.7 million subscribers.[137]
The service was initially priced at $39.99 per-month. In December 2019, the price had been increased to $54.99 per month (after having previously been raised to $44.99).[138][139]
In November 2020, the rate for Hulu + Live TV increased to $64.99 per month. Along with the ad-free plan with Live TV included, which is now $70.99.[140]
On January 19, 2021, Nexstar's NewsNation launched on Hulu + Live TV.[141]
On April 30, 2021, the service added nine ViacomCBS (now Paramount) networks (BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, VH1, CMT, Nick Jr. Channel, and TV Land) to the base package, along with BET Her, MTV2, MTV Classic, Nicktoons and TeenNick on the Entertainment add-on.[142]
On November 10, 2021, Disney stated that Hulu + Live TV had reached four million subscribers.[143]
On December 21, 2021, unlimited DVR, Disney+ and ESPN+ will be included with Hulu + Live TV moving forward, but the price of the service would be increased by $5.[144]
On November 14, 2022, Hulu announced that it had added The Weather Channel and Comedy.TV on November 1 and Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries effective November 14. Hallmark Drama also became available in the Entertainment Add-On. Hulu also announced that on December 1, 2022, five Vevo music video channels would be launched, along with theGrio Television Network, JusticeCentral.TV, and The Weather Channel en Español.[145]
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Viewership numbers for the site are tracked by measurement firms such as YouGov, Comscore, Nielsen Media Research, and Quantcast. In partnership with comScore, Hulu is the first digital company to receive multi-platform measurement at an individual level that includes co-viewing for living room devices.[citation needed]
The reliability of these metrics has been drawn into question, partly due to widely divergent estimates. For example, between May and June 2010, ComScore updated its scoring methodology and its estimates for Hulu. Hulu's viewers would go from 43.5 million to 24 million in one month.[146] In a comScore digital trends report in 2010, comScore's Digital Year in Review report found that Hulu was watched twice as much as viewers who watched on the websites of the five major TV networks combined.[147]
Hulu in May 2018 announced it has surpassed 20 million subscribers in the United States.[91] The tally, which puts the company about 36 million subscriptions behind Netflix, was disclosed at a media presentation at the newly named Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hulu said it has grown total engagement by more than 60%, with 78% of viewing taking place in the living room on connected TVs.[citation needed]
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Hulu original series The Handmaid's Tale won two awards at the 33rd annual Television Critics Association Awards for Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama.[148][149] At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, Hulu earned a total of eight awards for the series and became the first streaming service to win Outstanding Drama Series.[150][151] The Handmaid's Tale also received Emmys for Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Cinematography and Outstanding Production Design. Elisabeth Moss won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress, and Ann Dowd the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.[152][153] At the 75th Golden Globe Awards The Handmaid's Tale took home two awards, Best TV Drama and Best Actress in a Drama TV Series[154] (Elisabeth Moss).
At the 2016 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Hulu's first-released documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years won the award for Best Music Documentary.[155][156] The documentary also received Grammy Awards for Best Music Film at the 2017 Grammy Awards and Best Documentary at the 16th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards.[157][158] At the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the documentary earned two Emmys including Outstanding Sound Editing and Outstanding Sound Mixing.[159][160]
At the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016, Hulu received its first Emmy Award nominations for its Original series, 11.22.63 and for Triumph's Election Special 2016.[161][162] In 2016, Hulu received its first Golden Globe Awards nomination for its original series Casual for TV series, Comedy.[163][164]
In 2020, Hulu original series The Bravest Knight won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.[165]
U.S. News & World Report ranked Hulu its 'Best Live Streaming Service' of 2022.[166][167]
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