Hulu Launches Mostly Ad-Free Streaming
posted Thursday Sep 3, 2015 by Scott Ertz
After years of customers asking for it, and months of speculation, Hulu has finally confirmed what we have all wanted - advertising-free streaming. What was once called Hulu Plus has been renamed "Limited Commercials" and will remain unchanged at the $7.99 price point. Coming in at $4 more, "No Commercials" will mostly live up to its name for $11.99 per month. In addition, you can add Showtime content to either plan.
Mike Hopkins, Hulu CEO, said of this announcement,
At Hulu, we pride ourselves on listening to our customers and giving them the best possible experience. Many of our customers have asked us for a commercial free option, and so today we are excited to introduce just that. Providing more choice for consumers is fundamental to the Hulu experience, in addition to an array of choices in content and devices, our customers can now choose to watch with or without commercials.
Unfortunately, the name is just a little misleading, as there are 7 shows for which Hulu was unable to negotiate a completely ad-free contract. Those shows are:
- Grey's Anatomy
- Once Upon A Time
- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Scandal
- Grimm
- New Girl
- How To Get Away With Murder
This list is subject to change in the future, hopefully for the better, as Hulu attempts to get the proper licensing for these shows. Luckily, there will be no mid-roll ads - only a 15 second pre-roll ad and a 30 second post-roll ad.
In addition to commercial-free streaming, Hulu also hijacked the contract for EPIX content from Netflix, bringing their content to Hulu for several years. All of this is a definite bonus for loyal members of the streaming service, and with so many options, Hulu has finally decided to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
Are you excited about the commercial-free option on Hulu? Let us know in the comments.
