The New Hulu: What to Expect

Thanks to Stuart Sweet’s clandestine and ubiquitous reportage, you already know that Hulu is axing its free streaming services. Here’s a little more about how the new paid Hulu will work.

According to an article in Fortune magazine and other sources, Hulu has decided to focus upon building paid subscriptions that provide the “deepest, most personalized content experience possible to our viewers.” That came from Hulu’s Senior VP and Head of Experience, Ben Smith. He also stated, “As we have continued to enhance that offering with new originals, exclusive acquisitions, and movies, the free service became very limited and no longer aligned with the Hulu experience or content strategy.”

So what’s left after Hulu jettisons the no-cost TV streaming it launched in 2007? The paid service remains, which costs viewers $8 per month, or $12 per month for its ad-free subscription. The company plans to make live TV streaming available sometime next year. As for its free TV shows, Hulu plans to offer that through Comcast, Yahoo View, and perhaps some other distribution channels.

Hulu’s switchover is expected to happen relatively quickly, though no one is certain exactly how soon this will happen. Current Hulu customers can expect to receive an offer to sign up for a free trial before switching to Hulu’s paid subscription service. The free version is expected to cease within the next few weeks or months.

If you’re considering paying for Hulu, here’s what’s available starting this week on the popular streaming service:

Available August 8:
T.I. &Tiny: Season 5 Premiere (VH1)

Available August 9:
Ancient Aliens: Complete Seasons 7-9 (History)
Beyond Scared Straight: Complete Season 4 (A&E)
Dance Moms: Complete Season 5 (Lifetime)
Intervention: Complete Season 14 (A&E)
Jane Wants a Boyfriend (2015) (*Showtime)
Street Dance Family (2016) (*Showtime)

Available August 10:
Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Shaun the Sheep (2015)

Available August 11:
American Ultra (2015)
Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert (2016)

Available August 12:
Casino Royale (2006) (*Showtime)
Dancing in Jaffa (2013)
Ghost Rider (2007)
Godfrey: Regular Black (2014) (*Showtime)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
Mr. Accident (2000) (*Showtime)
Proxy (2013)
Rocky Balboa (2006) (*Showtime)
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (2000) (*Showtime)

About the Author

Jake Buckler
Jake Buckler is a cord-cutter, consumer electronics geek, and Celtic folk music fan. Those qualities, and his writing experience, helped him land a copywriting gig at Signal Group, LLC. He also contributes to The Solid Signal Blog.