Hulu

Hulu transitions free content to Yahoo View, renews focus on subscriptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 8, 2016

Hulu said today it's phased out its free, ad-suported tier as it refocuses efforts on subscription services. According to Variety, free TV episodes will no longer be available on Hulu, but the current $7.99/$11.99 per month paid tiers won't change. All Hulu content that was available free with ads has moved to Yahoo View, a new service designed for hosting free, ad-supported TV shows from the likes of ABC, NBC, Fox and others.

Time Warner buys 10% stake in Hulu, new live-streaming service due in 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 3, 2016

Time Warner is taking a ten percent stake in Hulu, joining existing owners Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Variety reported today. The move should help bolster Hulu's programming by adding content from Time Warner’s channels, like Turner networks and CNN, which will be part of a new pay TV service that Hulu wants to launch next year. Terms of the investment were not disclosed, but sources claim that Time Warner paid around $583 million for its stake in Hulu, boosting its valuation to a cool $6 billion.

WSJ: Hulu is working on a cable-like digital pay-TV service

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2016

Citing sources familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Hulu has been busy putting together a cable-like subscription offering that'd include content from partners like Disney and Fox while providing such advanced features as a cloud-based digital video recording (DVR) capability, live TV and more. The service sounds a lot like a rumored skinny TV bundle that Apple's been unsuccessfully trying to create.

Analysts have estimated that Hulu may charge consumers about $40 per month for the yet-to-be-announced service, which won't launch before 2017.

T-Mobile will let you stream Netflix and other video services without using data, but there’s a catch

Jeff Benjamin ∙ November 10, 2015

T-Mobile just took the cover off of its latest Uncarrier initiative, Binge On, which will allow customers who pay for at least 3GB of data to stream Netflix, ESPN, Hulu, HBO Now, Sling, and other popular video streaming services without it counting against monthly data usage.

If that sounds a bit crazy, then we're right there with you. T-Mobile has done similar things with music streaming already, but video is a whole different animal altogether.

But unsurprisingly, there is one small catch. T-Mobile will essentially cap the maximum quality of the video streams participating in its plan through what it calls "optimization". Basically, it's reducing the amount of bandwidth used for videos, which will result in at least some quality degradation for most modern smartphones.

Hulu, Pocket, BBC iPlayer, MLB.com at Bat and more updated for iOS 9’s Picture in Picture mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Picture in Picture mode is one of the several productivity-focused enhancements on iPads with iOS 9. This handy feature allows you to watch a video while doing something else. The video plays in a small window overlaid on top of your apps so you can, for instance, browse the web while watching your favorite show at the same time.

Developers can decide whether or not they wish to enable Picture in Picture mode in their apps.

Thankfully, some of the well-known developers have already implemented Picture in Picture mode in their apps, including Hulu, Pocket, MLB.com at Bat and BBC iPlayer.

For $12 a month, you can now enjoy Hulu completely ad free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 1, 2017

Unlike Amazon and Netflix who stream commercial-free movies and television shows in exchange for a monthly fee, Hulu's existing $7.99 per month plan includes limited advertising. Wednesday, Hulu unveiled a new monthly plan that gets rid of all advertising for an extra $4 a month.

As noted in Hulu's media release, commercial-free viewing is available to both new and existing customers for a monthly fee of $11.99.

Hulu Plus app updated with new design, in-app subscriptions and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Hulu has posted a major update for its Hulu Plus iOS client, bringing the app to version 4.0. The update features a number of enhancements, including an all new design, new navigation options, and in-app subscriptions, which allows you to subscribe to the Hulu Plus service.

In addition to these changes, the Hulu Plus app also received a new Search function, which now offers contextually grouped results to help you find what you're looking for. The app has also been updated to support iOS 8, and to "run beautifully" on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Hulu to launch redesigned iPhone app with free mobile viewing this summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 27, 2017

It's easy to forget about Hulu amid the heated battle between Amazon and Netflix for the digital distribution of premium entertainment and original content.

As you know, for quite some time this service has been offering on-demand streaming video of TV shows and Hollywood movies, free of charge with some ads. However, on desktops only.

This is about to change as Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins announced at a press event in New York this morning that beginning this summer non-subscribers will be able to stream ad-supported content on mobile devices, marking a major shift in strategy for this over-the-top video service.

They'll also issue a redesigned iPhone app around the same time this summer...

Hulu Plus app updated with remote control support for game consoles

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 27, 2017

Hulu posted a significant update for its Plus iOS client this morning, bringing the app to version 3.5.2. The release includes a new remote control feature that will enable users to control the Hulu Plus experience on their Xbox One, PS3 or PS4 console using an iPhone or iPad.

Setup is a breeze. Simply launch the Hulu Plus app on your iOS (or Android) device, and it will automatically detect your gaming console. Once detected, a 'Cast' button will appear in the app, allowing you to pair your smartphone or tablet to the selected console and take control...

Amazon announces it’s passed Apple and Hulu in streaming video usage

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Following the unveiling of its new Fire TV box last week, Amazon announced today that video streams on Instant Video nearly tripled over the past year. And according to a report from tracking firm Qwilt, the e-commerce giant has surpassed Apple and Hulu in streaming video usage.

The report doesn't mention how traffic for Apple and Hulu is being tracked, but it does show that Amazon experienced a 94% traffic volume increase of streaming video users in the last 12 months. In fact, in March, Amazon's Instant Video service was only topped by Netflix and YouTube...

WSJ: Amazon working on free video streaming service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Much of the tech world seems to be infatuated with Office for iPad today, but I think what's going on over at Amazon is more interesting. Not only is the company expected to unveil a new TV device next week, and working on Internet radio, but a new report claims it's also building a Hulu-like service.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this afternoon that Amazon is planning a free, ad-supported streaming service that will offer video content to all customers—not just Prime members. The outlet says the service could be used to stream original Amazon shows as well as other licensed programming...

Former Hulu exec Pete Distad is now Apple’s VP of Product Marketing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Bloomberg last mont asserted Apple had poached Hulu executive Pete Distad to help push forward its stalling negotiations with media moguls and cable companies. According to a new report out today, the executive has now started work at Apple in marketing capacity: Hulu has killed Distad's bio page and the executive's LinkedIn profile now lists him as Apple's Vice President of Product Marketing.

Distad was Hulu's Senior Vice President in charge of marketing and distribution so he clearly knows a thing or two about the complex web of licensing deals, though it remains unclear if his product marketing role entails dealing with content owners at all...