We’ve heard it all before, but this time it looks for real: the US online catch-up TV service Hulu is to expand internationally. The News Corp, Walt Disney and NBC Universal-owned service has just launched its premium service Hulu Plus in the US and now wants to spread its wings.
With the premium service now in place, the time is ripe to export. According to reports, the international version of Hulu Plus looks set to be available on several platforms, including the iPhone, iPad, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This would make Hulu a multiplatform service including a connected TV version.
Last year, Hulu was already reported to be ready to enter the UK market (see report in Broadband TV News), but the move never materialised, with UK broadcasters opting for their own solutions rather than licencing their material to a third party.
Meanwhile, the launch of Hulu Plus in the US has come under fire from consumers, who balk at paying a monthly subscription fee of just under $10 (€7.9) while still having to put up with commercial pre-rolls and ad breaks for TV series that are otherwise available free-to-air.
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Connected TV Forecasts NEW REPORT. The number of TV sets connected to the Internet will reach 551 million by 2016 for the 40 countries covered in this report from Digital TV Research, up from 124 million at end-2010. The report states that this translates to 20% of global TV sets by 2016, up from only 6% at end-2010. Published in November 2011, this 83-page PDF report is the most geographically comprehensive to ever be published.