.svg){kind=logo} Logo used since 2018 | |
Type of site | OTT streaming platform (United States only, 2007–present) OTT content brand on Disney+(United States and internationally, 2025–present) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Area served | United States (as a standalone streaming service and a hub on Disney+) Canada, Latin America, Caribbean, parts of Europe, Middle East and North Africa, South Africa, parts of Asia-Pacific and Oceania (as a hub on Disney+) |
| Key people | Joe Earley (president) |
| Parent | Disney Streaming (Disney Entertainment) |
| URL | hulu.com |
| Advertising | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users |  64.1 million (as of November 13, 2025[update])[1] |
| Launched | |
| Current status | Active |
Hulu (/ˈhuːluː/,HOO-loo) is an Americansubscriptionstreaming media service owned byDisney Streaming, a subsidiary of theDisney Entertainment segment ofthe Walt Disney Company. It is one of themost-subscribed video on demandstreaming media services, with 64.1 million paid memberships. Its headquarters are located inLos Angeles,California, with offices inSanta Monica, California (the former West Coast bureau forHBO),New York City, andSeattle, Washington. Hulu was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ajoint venture betweenNews Corporation andNBC Universal;Providence Equity,Disney, andTime Warner later made investments in the service.
Hulu originally served as an aggregator, streaming recent episodes of programs from the companies'television networks (includingABC,NBC, andFox). In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially branded as "Hulu Plus," which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and access to new episodes immediately after their airing. In 2016, Hulu syndicated its free library toYahoo in order to focus exclusively on Hulu Plus. In 2017, the company launched "Hulu + Live TV"—a superset of Hulu Plus also offering access tobroadcast and cable television channels.
In 2019, Disney acquired a majority stake in Hulu as part of itsacquisition of News Corporation successor21st Century Fox, and subsequently acquired the remaining stakes held byAT&T andComcast in 2019 and 2023, respectively, giving it full ownership.[3] Following the acquisition, Disney began to establish synergies between Hulu and its sister serviceDisney+, including integrating a Hulu content hub into the Disney+ library for users subscribed to both services. In 2025, Disney announced plans to eventually discontinue Hulu's existing apps in favor of a shared platform shared with Disney+, although they will remain separate subscriptions.
Aside from aJapanese version of the service launched in 2011 (which would be acquired byNippon Television in 2014), Hulu did not pursue a wider international expansion until 2025, when Disney announced that Hulu would replace itsStar brand for general entertainment content on Disney+ outside of the United States.
In January 2025, Disney announced its intent to acquire a 70% majority stake in competing streaming television serviceFuboTV. The sale is expected to be completed by late-2025 or early-2026; the merged business will consist of the FuboTV and the Hulu + Live TV businesses, and will remain led by Fubo CEO David Gandler. The Hulu streaming service itself will remain solely owned by Disney.
The name Hulu comes from twoMandarin Chinese phrases,húlu (葫芦;葫蘆; "calabash, bottle gourd") andhùlù (互录;互錄; "interactive recording").[4]
Jason Kilar, who served as CEO of Hulu, said the name comes from aChinese proverb:
Hulu is Mandarin for gourd. And so when we were launching Hulu, we thought, "what a great name that is." And it had this great sort of symbolism of the holder of precious things, which is the holder of premium content. So that's why we named it Hulu.[5]
Individuals who were instrumental[vague] in the founding of Hulu include Bruce Campbell,[6] Peter Chernin,[7] JB Perrette,[8]Mike Lang,[9]Beth Comstock, George Kliavkoff, Darren Feher, andJason Kilar.Rus Yusupov, the lead designer on Hulu's original design team, played a key role in shaping the platform's initial interface and user experience.[10] Hulu was announced in March 2007 withAOL,NBCUniversal (then co-owned byGeneral Electric andVivendi),MSN,Myspace (then owned byNews Corporation), andYahoo! planned as "initial distribution partners." Jason Kilar was named Hulu CEO in late 2007.[11][12] NBC shut down its earlier online video effortNBBC in order to focus on Hulu.[13]
The nameHulu was chosen in late August 2007, when the website went live with an announcement only and no content. It invited users to leave their email addresses for the upcomingbeta test.[14] In October 2007, Hulu began the private beta testing by invitation, and later allowed users to invite friends.[15] Hulu launched for public access in the United States on March 12, 2008.[16]
Hulu began an advertising campaign during NBC's broadcast ofSuper Bowl XLIII with an initial ad starringAlec Baldwin titled "Alec in Huluwood."[17] Advertisements have since aired featuringEliza Dushku,Seth MacFarlane,Denis Leary, andWill Arnett.[citation needed]
In July 2007,Providence Equity, the owner ofNewport Television, became one of the earliest "outside" investors by purchasing a 10% stake in the company for US$100 millionequity investment,[18] before the company was known as "Hulu."[19] With its investment came a seat on the board of directors, where Providence was said to act as an "independent voice on the board."[19] In April 2009,the Walt Disney Company joined the Hulu consortium as a stakeholder, with plans to offer content fromABC,ESPN andDisney Channel.[20][21][22][23]
Early in 2010, Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar said the service had made a profit in two quarters and that the company could top $100 million in revenue by summer 2010, more than its income for all of 2009.ComScore says monthly video streams reached 903 million in January 2010, over three times the figure for a year earlier,[24] and second only toYouTube.[25] On August 16, 2010, a report revealed that Hulu was planning aninitial public offering (IPO) which could value the company at more than $2 billion.[26][27]
In June 2011, an "unsolicited offer" caused Hulu to begin "weighing whether to sell itself".[28] However, Hulu and its owners refused to sell the company, as none of the bidders offered an amount that was satisfactory to its owners.[29] In September of that year, theservice launched inJapan; marking Hulu's first and only international expansion.[30]
Hulu generated $420 million in revenue in 2011, $80 million short of the company's target.[31] The vacant CEO post was officially filled by former Fox Networks President Mike Hopkins on October 17, 2013.[32]
In October 2012, Providence sold its 10% stake to "Hulu's media owners" and ceased participation in the board.[19] On February 27, 2014,Nippon Television Network Corporation acquired Hulu'sJapanese business. The service would retain the "Hulu" brand and technology in Japan under a subsidiary of Nippon as part of a separate agreement.[33][30][34]
On August 3, 2016,Time Warner acquired a 10% stake of Hulu.[35] Hopkins exited and was named Sony Pictures TV Chairman.[36] Fox Networks Group COO Randy Freer was named CEO on October 24, 2017.[37]
On March 20, 2019, Disneyacquired21st Century Fox, giving it a 60%majority stake in Hulu.[23] On April 15, 2019, AT&T sold its 10% stake in Hulu back to the company for $1.43 billion,[38] leaving Disney with 67% andComcast with 33%. Comcast, the only other shareholder, announced on May 14, 2019, that it had agreed to cede its control to Disney, and reached an agreement for Disney to purchase its 33% stake in Hulu as early as 2024.[39]
On May 14, 2019, Comcast relinquished its control in Hulu to Disney effective immediately. As a result, the streaming service became a division ofWalt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) with Comcast effectively becoming asilent partner. Under the agreement, Comcast's 33% stake could be sold to Disney atfair market value as early as 2024. The fair market value would be determined at that time, but Disney guaranteed a minimum valuation of the entire company at $27.5 billion (valuing the Comcast stake as worth at least $9.075 billion).[40] Randy Freer would report to Disney executiveKevin Mayer.[40]
Disney stated that its control of Hulu was the third major component of its direct-to-consumer strategy, complementing its sports streaming serviceESPN+, and its then-forthcomingDisney+. Hulu would be oriented towards "general" entertainment and content targeting mature audiences.[41] NBCUniversal would continue to license its content to the service through at least 2024, but had the option to begin transitioning its exclusivity deals with Hulu to non-exclusive terms beginning in 2020, and to end other content deals beginning in 2022.[42]
On July 31, 2019, Disney reorganized Hulu's reporting structure, placing Hulu's Scripted Originals team underDisney General Entertainment Content. Under the new structure, Hulu's SVP of Original Scripted Content would report directly to the chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.[43] As of November 2019,FX andFox Searchlight were assigned to supply Hulu with content.[44] In January 2020, Disney eliminated the role of Hulu CEO, with its top executives to report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television.[45] On January 31, 2020, Freer resigned as CEO of Hulu and the position was eliminated; Hulu's top executives now report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television.[46]
In June 2021, Comcast accused Disney of undermining Hulu's growth and value by not engaging in international expansion of the service, having instead added theStar brand as an extension of Disney+ in selected markets.[47]
On September 7, 2021, Hulu announced that the prices of its main video on-demand and ad-free plans would increase by $1 each to $6.99 and $12.99 per-month beginning October 8.[48] In October 2021, Hulu president Kelly Campbell resigned, and was subsequently appointed the president of NBCUniversal's competing servicePeacock.[49]
On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to let select20th Century Studios andSearchlight Pictures films stream on Disney+, Hulu andHBO Max in 2022.[50][51] In March 2022, NBCUniversal decided that it would pull content from Hulu and move it to Peacock, beginning in September.[52] In January 2022, Joe Earley became president of Hulu.[53]
In September 2022, Chapek indicated that Disney was considering merging Hulu into Disney+ because the model had been successful outside the United States without any content friction.[54] To accelerate the plan, he said that Disney would love to buy out Comcast's 33.3% stake in Hulu earlier than their previously agreed 2024 timeline. However, Comcast had not offered reasonable terms for an early buyout[55] and had instead expressed interest in buying Hulu themselves if it were for sale.[54]
On May 18, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 in order to "cut costs." The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards the initial decision to removeHoward, the documentary on the life of lyricistHoward Ashman, on the eve ofPride Month and the release of thelive-action adaptation ofThe Little Mermaid. However, it was confirmed the next day that film will remain available on the service.[56][57]
On July 10, 2023, Hulu launched an adult animation and anime hub known asAnimayhem, featuring several different20th Television Animation programs, includingAmerican Dad,Bob's Burgers,Family Guy,The Cleveland Show, andKing of the Hill, among various others. Additionally, new seasons ofFuturama andKing of the Hill were commissioned for the service, while the company also showcased an "immersive" experience atSan Diego Comic-Con to promote the occasion, titledHulu Animayhem: Into the Second Dimension.[58] The hub was also launched onDisney+ internationally the following year.
On September 6, 2023, Comcast CEOBrian L. Roberts announced that Hulu's equity fair value would be assessed as of September 30.[59] In November 2023, Disney began their acquisition of Comcast's stake in Hulu. The two companies previously agreed to a minimum floor price of $8.6 billion, which was paid for on December 1.[60][61] As of August 2024, Disney and Comcast remained in a dispute over Hulu's valuation in connection with fully completing the transaction, with an arbitration decision expected in 2025.[62] On June 9, 2025, both parties resolved the dispute, with Disney paying Comcast an extra $438.7 million in addition to the minimum floor price for their remaining stake of Hulu, closing on or before July 24, 2025.[63][3]
On December 6, 2023, Disney began to roll out an integration of Hulu as a content hub on the Disney+ platform for subscribers to both services.[64]
On August 6, 2025, Disney announced that it would discontinue the standalone Hulu apps and completely merge the service into the Disney+ platform. Hulu will still remain available as a standalone subscription, but its content will be accessed from a new "unified" app to be released in 2026. In addition, Disney replaced the Star brand on Disney+ in international markets with Hulu on October 8, 2025.[65][2]
On September 30, 2025, stockholders of FuboTV approved a planned merger of the company with Hulu + Live TV to form a larger company that will be controlled by Disney. The Fubo deal calls for Fubo to merge with Hulu + Live TV, a sister platform to the Hulu streaming app, with Disney owning approximately 70% of the newly expanded entity. Fubo’s existing management team, led by co-founder and CEO David Gandler will run the new Fubo. Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will continue to be available to consumers as separate offerings post-close. Fubo has said it expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter of 2025 or the first quarter of 2026.[66][67]
On October 29, 2025, Disney completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Fubo, which made it the No. 6 pay-television operator in the United States when combined with Hulu + Live TV. Disney will control 70% of the new streaming organization, with Fubo shareholders retaining the rest. Fubo’s current management team, led by co-founder and CEO David Gandler, will run the merged Fubo and Hulu + Live TV businesses.[68]
From January 17, 2011, to April 24, 2014, Hulu streamed its own in-house web seriesThe Morning After, a light-hearted pop-culture news show. It was produced by Hulu in conjunction withJace Hall's HDFilms and stars Brian Kimmet andGinger Gonzaga. Producing the show was a first for the company, which in the past has been primarily a content distributor.[69]
On January 16, 2012, Hulu announced that it would be airing its first original script based program, titledBattleground, which premiered in February 2012. The program aired on Hulu's free web service rather than on the subscription-basedHulu Plus.Battleground is described as a documentary-style political drama.[70]
Later that same month, Hulu announced it would airThe Fashion Fund, a six-part reality series, and the winner of the show would receive $300,000 to start their career.[71]
To continue with its original programming movement, Hulu announced that there would be a total of seven original programs that were planned to air on its service:Battleground,Day in the Life, andUp to Speed were previously mentioned; and on April 19, Hulu added four more shows to its list:Don't Quit Your Daydream,Flow,The Awesomes, andWe Got Next. Some of these programs began airing in 2012, while others premiered over the next few years.[72]
On May 21, 2012, Hulu announced it would be bringingKevin Smith to its lineup of original programming. Smith hosts a movie discussion show titledSpoilers, which began airing in mid-2012.[73]
In March 2016,Lionsgate Premiere and Hulu jointly acquired distribution rights to the filmJoshy,[74] which was later released on August 12, 2016.[75]
On May 4, 2016, Hulu acquiredThe Beatles: Eight Days a Week, as its first documentary acquisition, as part of a planned Hulu Documentary Films collection.[76] The film premiered theatrically on September 15, before debuting on the streaming service on September 17.[77]
On March 3, 2025, Hulu streamed the97th Academy Awards in simulcast with ABC, making the first time that the Oscars were streamed on the platform. However, the airing was plagued with multiple technical problems. These included some server outages in the beginning of the award ceremony, as well as the live event ending just before theBest Actress nominees were announced.[78][79]
Following the start of its service, Hulu signed deals with several new content providers making additional material available to consumers. At launch, Hulu streamed movies and shows from co-ownersNews Corporation andNBCUniversal, as well as fromSony Pictures,MGM,Warner Bros. andLionsgate.[16] On April 30, 2009,the Walt Disney Company announced that it would join the venture, purchasing a 27% stake in Hulu.[80][23]
On June 1, 2011, Hulu announced a deal to add hundreds of films fromMiramax to the service.[9]
Starting August 15, 2011, viewers of content from Fox and related networks are required to authenticate paid cable or satellite service wherever Fox streams episodes, including on Hulu, to be able to watch them the morning after the first airing. Non-subscribers will see those episodes delayed a week before they are viewable.[81]
On October 28, 2011, Hulu announced that they had signed a five-year deal withThe CW, giving the streaming site access to next-day content from five of the six major networks.[82] On September 18, 2013, Hulu announced a multi-year deal with theBBC that would deliver 2,000 episodes from 144 different titles in the first 12 months.[83]
In 2015, Hulu began offering content fromShowtime for an additional $8.99/month, which is cheaper than Showtime's own streaming service. On June 16, 2016, Hulu announced a deal with the Disney-ABC Television Group for the exclusive SVOD rights to past seasons of seven Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD series, and more than 20 Disney Channel original movies.[84]
The CW's agreement with Hulu ended September 18, 2016; in-season streaming of current CW programs moved to the network's own digital platforms, and Netflix began to carry past seasons of The CW's programs through 2019.[85] As of January 2017[update], a limited amount of content fromCBS's library is available on-demand, mostly limited to shows that are no longer producing new episodes.[86][87] A deal was reached to bring live broadcasts of CBS and several affiliated channels to Hulu's upcoming live streaming service[88] as well as to make more shows available on-demand.[89]
In April 2018, Hulu announced a partnership withSpotify that allows users to purchase both streaming services for a discounted price per month. This discount also includes an even larger discounted rate for university students.[90]
Hulu distributes video on its own website and syndicates its hosting to other sites,[91] and allows users to embed Hulu clips on their websites.[16] In addition to NBC, ABC and Fox programs and movies, Hulu carries shows from networks:A&E,Big Ten Network,Bravo,E!,Fox Sports 2,FX,PBS,NFL Network,Oxygen,RT America,Fox Sports 1,Sundance TV,Syfy,USA Network,NBCSN, and online comedy sources such asOnion News Network.[92] Hulu retains between thirty and fifty percent of advertising revenue generated by the shows it distributes.[24]
In November 2009, Hulu also began to establish partnerships with record labels to host music videos and concert performances on the site, includingEMI in November 2009,[93] andWarner Music Group in December 2009.[94]
In early March 2010,Viacom announced that it was pulling two of the website's most popular shows,The Colbert Report andThe Daily Show, off Hulu.[95] The programs had been airing on Hulu since late 2008.[96] A spokesman forViacom noted that "in the current economic model, there is not that much in it for us to continue at this time. If they can get to the point where the monetization model is better, then we may go back."[96] In February 2011, both shows were made available for streaming on Hulu again.The Daily Show was again removed from Hulu in March 2017 in order to push viewers to watch the program on Viacom and Comedy Central's apps.
In 2012,Viz Media,Aniplex of America, and other distributors teamed up to createNeon Alley.[97] It had launched on October 2, 2012, as a 24/7 web channel, but in 2014 it had switched to Hulu-only. The site contained exclusive dub premieres with anime such asAccel World,Blue Exorcist,Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic,Fate/Zero and the uncut version ofSailor Moon. It also had shows such asNaruto andNaruto: Shippuden,Death Note,Inuyasha,Bakuman,Ranma ½,One Piece,One-Punch Man, andBleach. It went defunct on May 4, 2016. However, Hulu still hosts over 300 anime fromFunimation,Aniplex of America,Viz Media, andSentai Filmworks, and selected anime began resume to release on Hulu following the deal between Disney and Sony Pictures since 2021.
In April 2017, Hulu signed a first-run license deal withAnnapurna Pictures. Hulu also has output deals withIFC Films andMagnolia Pictures.[98]
Hulu in May 2018 announced its first-ever license deal withDreamWorks Animation, becoming the exclusive streaming home for future DWA movies feature films, as well as library films. DWA had streamed exclusively through Netflix since 2013.[99] Films will be available on the service in 2019, while original series will be available later in 2020.[citation needed]
In October 2018,PocketWatch launched 90 22-minute episodes of repackaged content from their YouTube creator partners on Hulu andAmazon Prime Video and partnered withParamount Pictures to license them to international distributors.[100]
On December 4, 2018, Hulu confirmed an exclusive multi-year first-look SVOD deal withFunimation,[101] and the deal was later folded into Disney-Sony deal on April 21, 2021.
In June 2019, Hulu andFX signed an output deal withLionsgate, where Hulu and FX would respectably gain the streaming and television rights to films released under the Lionsgate label in 2020 and 2021.[102]
In August 2019, Hulu agreed to control the streaming rights films released byBleecker Street.[103]
On March 2, 2020, Hulu launched a dedicated "hub" for content from FX branded as "FX on Hulu", with the service becoming the exclusive streaming outlet for current and past series from the network. Beginning withBreeders, new episodes of FX original series also become available on Hulu immediately after their television airing, and selected series will also premiere exclusively on the service.[104][105][106]
On January 14, 2021, it was announced that following an exclusive 3-weekIMAX engagement,Searchlight'sNomadland would be released on Hulu alongside a regular limited theatrical and drive-in run in the United States on February 19.[107]
On April 21, 2021, Disney reached a deal for television and streaming rights toSony Pictures films from 2022 through 2026, which includes library rights for some of its franchises likeSpider-Man,Jumanji andHotel Transylvania franchises, etc., and licensing anime underFunimation andCrunchyroll brands and anime released byAniplex of America, and post-pay-one window rights to new releases (after their exclusivity period withNetflix expires). This deal covers Disney+, Hulu, and Disney's television channels.[108] On May 17, 2021, it startedOnyx Collective which is a content brand for creators.[109]
On August 31, 2021, Disney announced that it would fold the American version ofHotstar—a niche streaming service targetingIndian Americans—In late 2022, with itsoriginal entertainment content migrating to Hulu.[110]
In October 2025, Hulu acquired the rights to the Spanish thrillerInnate, originally developed by Netflix Spain.[111]
In early 2024, Hulu faced criticism for airing AI-generated advertisements which were seen as promoting a pro-Israel narrative.[112][113] One such advertisement depicted Gaza as a tourist destination rather than acknowledging its complex geopolitical context. An article byVice highlighted that many viewers found these advertisements controversial due to perceived factual inaccuracies and insensitivity to the ongoing conflict.[114] This led to calls for boycotting Hulu and its parent company, Disney, which holds a majority stake in Hulu and the majorOnline advertising provider of Disney's online platforms, includingDisney+.[115]
In early 2025, Hulu's ad-supported tier began hosting promotional content likeFirst-Time Buyer, a show paid for by theNational Association of Realtors.[116] The content is labeled as an advertisement, but still appears while cycling through the main Hulu menu interface.
First and third-party content providers for Hulu. Asterisk (*) denotes third parties, while several international providers secure content deals throughDisney+.
Hulu's subscription service was launched in asoftware release life cycle on June 29, 2010,[117] and officially launched on November 17, 2010, under the brandingHulu Plus.[118] The service remained advertising-supported, but it offers an expanded content library including full seasons, day-after access to current season content and more episodes of shows available. Hulu also launched Hulu Plus apps on other types of devices, including mobile,digital media players, andvideo game consoles. By the end of 2011, Hulu Plus had around 1.5 million subscribers.[119]
On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the "Hulu Plus" branding would be discontinued, and that the service would be henceforth marketed as simply "Hulu" to place it in-line with its subscription-only competitors. By then, the service had grown to 9 million subscribers.[120][121]
In July 2015, Hulu was exploring an advertising-free subscription option for around $12 to $14 a month.[122] This was confirmed as going forward as of September 2, 2015[update], with a "No Commercials" plan priced at $11.99, $4 more than the $7.99 monthly rate for a "Limited Commercials" subscription,[123] though a few highlighted network series (fewer than 10) would retain pre-roll and post-roll[clarification needed] ad pods.[124] Starting in 2019, Hulu plans to begin displaying on-screen ads when the viewer pauses the show, although it is unclear whether this will apply to customers on the $11.99/month No Ads plan.[125]
In May 2016, Hulu announced that it had reached 12 million subscribers.[126] In January 2018, Hulu announced that it had reached 17 million subscribers.[127]
On August 8, 2016, Hulu announced that it would discontinue its free video on-demand content, and syndicate it toYahoo! on a new website known asYahoo! Screen. This service featured recent episodes of ABC, Fox, and NBC series until its 2019 discontinuation. The Hulu website is now devoted exclusively to the subscription service.[128][129][130]
In May 2018, Hulu introduced5.1 surround sound on select devices for its original content.[131] In December 2016 Hulu began streaming content in4K, also limited to its original content.[132] 4K video was quietly rolled back in 2018, and reintroduced in July 2019.[133][134] Hulu addedHDR for some of its original content in August 2021.[135]
On January 23, 2019, Hulu announced a $2 price drop for the basic ad-supported plan to $5.99. The $5.99 monthly plan has previously been offered as a promotional offer since late 2017 where users that signed up (or reactivated accounts that had previously ended their service) during the offer period would keep the price for an entire year before paying the regular rate.[136]
Since the launch of Disney+ in November 2019, the service has been available in the United States in a bundle with Hulu and ESPN+, priced at $12.99 per-month for the ad-supported tier of Hulu, and $18.99 for the ad-free tier of Hulu.[137][138]
On September 7, 2021, Disney announced that Hulu would be getting a price increase on October 8, 2021. The ad-supported Hulu plan would increase from $5.99 to $6.99 a month, while the ad-free Hulu plan would increase from $11.99 to $12.99 a month. The Hulu live TV plan and the Disney bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu with ads and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month, would not get a price increase at this time.[48]
On May 4, 2016, Hulu announced that it planned to begin offering anover-the-top "live programming from broadcast and cable brands" some time in 2017.[139] On November 1, 2016, co-owners21st Century Fox, includingFox Networks Group (Fox,Fox Sports,Fox News Channel,FX Networks, andNational Geographic) andthe Walt Disney Company, includingDisney–ABC Television Group andESPN Inc. (ABC,Disney Channel,Disney Jr.,Disney XD,Freeform,ESPN,ESPN2,ESPNU,SEC Network, andESPN3) agreed to supply their channels to the streaming service, joined byWarner Bros. Discovery, includingTurner Broadcasting System (TBS,TNT,Turner Classic Movies,TruTV,CNN,HLN,CNN International,Cartoon Network,Adult Swim, andBoomerang) on August 3, 2016, which previously reached an agreement with Hulu.[140]
The service, originally marketed as "Hulu with Live TV," launched inbeta on May 3, 2017, featuring content fromNBCUniversal (Bravo,Cozi TV,NBC,Oxygen,SYFY,Universal Kids, andTelemundo),A+E Networks (A&E,History, andLifetime),CBS Corporation (CBS,Pop TV,Smithsonian Channel, andShowtime), andScripps Networks Interactive (Cooking Channel,Food Network, andHGTV). The service was later renamed "Hulu + Live TV" and included live streams of more than 75 broadcast and cable-originated channels, including feeds of the five major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW – as well as cable channels owned by Hulu-part-owner Disney, along withNFL Network,Paramount Global with Showtime, A+E Networks,Comcast's NBCUniversal,Fox Corporation,Warner Bros. Discovery withHBO,Cinemax,[141] and Starz available as add-ons for an extra fee. Hulu representatives stated that it intends to negotiate carriage agreements with independently owned broadcasting groups to gain distribution rights to local stations from additional markets.[142][143][144]
By May 2018, the service had reached 800,000 subscribers.[145]
On November 29, 2018, Hulu + Live TV added the Discovery Networks (Discovery,TLC,MotorTrend,Animal Planet andInvestigation Discovery) to the Scripps Networks Interactive package featured within the Hulu + Live TV core offering. More Discovery-brand channels were also made available through add-on packages;Destination America,Discovery Family,Science Channel,Discovery Life, andAmerican Heroes Channel were added to the $7.99-per-month Entertainment package andDiscovery Channel andDiscovery Familia were added to the $4.99-per-month Spanish language package.[146]
In the third quarter of 2019, Hulu overtookSling TV as the top OTT pay television service in the United States, with 2.7 million subscribers.[147]
The service was initially priced at $39.99 per-month. In December 2019, the price had been increased to $54.99 per month (after having previously been raised to $44.99).[148][149] In November 2020, the rate for Hulu + Live TV increased to $64.99 per month. The rate for the ad-free plan with Live TV included also increased to $70.99.[150]
On January 19, 2021,Nexstar'sNewsNation launched on Hulu + Live TV.[151] On April 30, the service added nine ViacomCBS (now Paramount) networks (BET,Comedy Central,MTV,Nickelodeon,Paramount Network,VH1,CMT,Nick Jr. Channel, andTV Land) to the base package, along withBET Her,MTV2,MTV Classic,Nicktoons andTeenNick on the Entertainment add-on.[152] On November 10, Disney stated that Hulu + Live TV had reached four million subscribers.[153] On December 21, it was announced that unlimited DVR, Disney+ and ESPN+ will be included with Hulu + Live TV moving forward, but the price of the service would be increased by $5.[154]
On November 14, 2022, Hulu announced that it had addedThe Weather Channel and Comedy.TV at the start of the month and thatHallmark Channel andHallmark Movies & Mysteries would be added that day.Hallmark Drama also became available in the Entertainment Add-On. Hulu also announced that on December 1, five Vevo music video channels would be launched, along withtheGrio Television Network, JusticeCentral.TV, and The Weather Channel en Español.[155]
On January 6, 2025,FuboTV agreed to sell a 70% majority stake in its vMVPD business to Disney and merge with Hulu's live TV service. The merged company will be led by Fubo's executive team and remain a public company, but with Disney holding majority control of its board. Both the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV services will continue to operate under their respective brands, with Fubo being responsible for carriage negotiations. The deal excludes the Hulu video on-demand service, which will continue to be exclusively held by Disney. As part of the agreement, Fubo also settled with a lawsuit againstESPN Inc. (majority-owned by Disney),Fox Corporation, andWarner Bros. Discovery due to their announcement of asports streaming joint venture, with Fubo winning a lawsuit in August 2024 and being granted a preliminary injection to stop its launch. The consortium plans to make a one-time payment of $220 million. Fubo also reached a carriage agreement for Disney's suite of channels. The merger is expected to be completed between 12 and 18 months, pending regulatory approval.[156][157]
On May 22, 2025, Hulu reached a carriage agreement withTelevisaUnivision, addingUnivision,UniMás,TUDN, andGalavisión to Hulu + Live TV beginning June 3, 2025. The agreement was made ahead of the2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[158]
Viewership numbers for the site are tracked by measurement firms such asYouGov,Comscore,Nielsen Media Research, andQuantcast. In partnership with comScore, Hulu is the first digital company to receive multi-platform measurement at an individual level that includes co-viewing for living room devices.[citation needed]
The reliability of these metrics has been drawn into question, partly due to widely divergent estimates. For example, between May and June 2010, ComScore updated its scoring methodology and its estimates for Hulu. Hulu's viewers would go from 43.5 million to 24 million in one month.[159] In a comScore digital trends report in 2010, comScore's Digital Year in Review report found that Hulu was watched twice as much as viewers who watched on the websites of the five major TV networks combined.[160]
Hulu in May 2018 announced it has surpassed 20 million subscribers in the United States.[99] The tally, which puts the company about 36 million subscriptions behind Netflix, was disclosed at a media presentation at the newly named Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hulu said it has grown total engagement by more than 60%, with 78% of viewing taking place in the living room on connected TVs.[citation needed]
Hulu original seriesThe Handmaid's Tale won two awards at the33rd annual Television Critics Association Awards forProgram of the Year andOutstanding Achievement in Drama.[161][162] At the69thPrimetime Emmy Awards, Hulu earned a total of eight awards for the series and became the first streaming service to winOutstanding Drama Series.[163][164]The Handmaid's Tale also received Emmys forOutstanding Directing,Outstanding Writing,Outstanding Cinematography andOutstanding Production Design.Elisabeth Moss won the Emmy forOutstanding Lead Actress, andAnn Dowd the award forOutstanding Supporting Actress.[165][166] At the 75th Golden Globe AwardsThe Handmaid's Tale took home two awards, Best TV Drama and Best Actress in a Drama TV Series[167] (Elisabeth Moss).
At the2016 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Hulu's first-released documentary,The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years won the award for Best Music Documentary.[168][169] The documentary also receivedGrammy Awards forBest Music Film at the2017 Grammy Awards and Best Documentary at the 16th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards.[170][171] At theCreative Arts Emmy Awards, the documentary earned two Emmys includingOutstanding Sound Editing andOutstanding Sound Mixing.[172][173]
At the68th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016, Hulu received its first Emmy Award nominations for its Original series,11.22.63 and forTriumph's Election Special 2016.[174][175] In 2016, Hulu received its firstGolden Globe Awards nomination for its original seriesCasual forTV series, Comedy.[176][177]
In 2020, Hulu original seriesThe Bravest Knight won theGLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.[178]
U.S. News & World Report ranked Hulu its 'Best Live Streaming Service' of 2022.[179][180]
