Apple has added Hulu Plus to its Apple TV menu with immediate effect – unexpectedly and without any formal announcement. The move follows a decision by the company to remove the YouTube app from iOS 6.
Until now, Netflix was the only third party premium service available on Apple TV alongside the company’s own iTunes store. Available for a flat fee of $7.99 (€6.50) per month, Hulu offers unlimited streaming of current and past TV shows (with ads) including full seasons, and has been available on iPads and iPhones as well as Apple TV competitors such as Roku.
The addition of Hulu might fuel sales of Apple TV set tops. The device competes with other devices such as Roku and Boxee Box, which also make TV sets connected to the internet. During 2011, 1.3 million Apple TV units shipped.
Meanwhile, Apple continued to distance itself from Google with the removal of the native YouTube app from iOS 6. That follows Apple ditching Google Maps in favour of its own, announced earlier this year.