Hulu Plus launches on PS3, exclusive to Sony's console through 2010
By Sean Hollister 
posted July 14th 2010 4:01PM
posted July 14th 2010 4:01PM
PlayStation®3 System the First and Only Console to Offer Hulu Plus™ in 2010
Hulu Plus™ preview available today on PlayStation 3 to select PlayStation®Plus members; Release of Hulu Plus available to all PlayStation 3 owners in the United States in the coming months
FOSTER CITY, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire/ - Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) and Hulu™, an online video service offering an expanded selection of television shows and movies, announced that the Hulu Plus™ preview will begin today on the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system in the United States with the consumer release of Hulu Plus available to all PS3 owners set to occur in the coming months. PS3 is the first and only console with dedicated gaming functionality that will offer Hulu Plus in 2010. Hulu Plus will deliver a library of high-definition (HD) content including full seasons of popular TV shows and blockbuster movies from nearly 150 leading content companies. Content on Hulu Plus is complementary to the more than 23,000 movies and TV episodes already available on the PlayStation®Store.
"We are delighted to offer the Hulu Plus preview starting today on PlayStation 3 and that PlayStation 3 will be the only console to offer Hulu Plus in 2010," said Jack Tretton, president and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. "The combination of Hulu's premium video library and PlayStation®Network's expanding game and video catalogue further cements PlayStation 3 as the industry's best entertainment device for all of your content experiences from games, TV shows and movies to live sports, original content and 3D."
Starting today, a select group of PlayStation®Plus subscribers will gain access to a preview version of Hulu Plus for an additional $9.99 per month. All PlayStation Plus subscribers may download the free Hulu Plus application and, within it, request an invitation to the exclusive preview.
General availability of Hulu Plus in the United States is expected in the coming months on the PS3 computer entertainment system and additional Sony Electronics Internet-connected entertainment devices, including select BRAVIA® TVs and Blu-ray™ Disc players.
Do PlayStation Plus subscribers have to pay an additional $10 too? If not, this is a great addition to PS+. If they do have to pay, meh..
@Nonok Yes you do have to Pay the $10/month. PS is just making this a Premium to having plus... but HULU still needs to get paid.... So whip out that MasterCard!
@ComboBreaker
Yeah. I dont mind Hulu getting paid, but Sony should pay them. We're already paying for PS+. (well, I'm not, but some people are). Sony should increase the offerings without increasing the price to encourage more subs.
@ComboBreaker No u do not have2 pay $10 a month if u r PS+ subscriber trust me I would know
@ihve2cuties http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/06/hulu-playstation-plus-service-is-only-a-requirement-during-the/
"With the launch of Hulu Plus there have been many rumors started and we are trying our best to remedy the situation. Specifically to your question, the Playstation Plus service is only a requirement during the preview period.
Once the preview period ends you should be able to download the Hulu Plus app but that will still require the Hulu Plus subscription.
Right now we are limiting the number of users but Hulu Plus will be launching to the public very soon so stay tuned!"
Whether or not you have PS+ you have to pay $10 to Hulu every month
@Nonok
hahahaha $60 for hulu's old episodes on a ps3?
ill stick to my 360 and $8 for netflix
@MicrosoftOwns PS3 has netflix too.
@MicrosoftOwns
No, you do not have to have PS+ to have Hulu+ on the PS3. So actually its $10 for old hulu episodes.
Personally I will just stick to Netflix. But still, the hulu deal is not that bad if you do not have cable. It gets more recent TV shows than Netflix and they stay on for longer. The biggest downside for me though, is that even if you pay $10 for Hulu+, you STILL have to watch the ads! I think that is a bit of a stretch....
@MicrosoftOwns Time to troll bash.
You can get Netflix on PS3 and you DON'T have to have PS+ to get it. Just pay $9 a month and stick the netflix disk in (its not $8)
But here is my message to Hulu: What about regular ol' free Hulu? Can't I watch that on my game consoles?
And here is my message to both Microsoft and Sony:
1) Why are you forcing people to get Xbox Live Gold just so they can pay $9 a month to watch Netflix?
2) Why are you forcing people to get PlayStation Plus just so they can pay $10 a month to watch Hulu Plus?
It's completely asinine. Either make it INCLUDED with your $50 a year plan or have it available for everyone.
@MicrosoftOwns
Oh and, its not really $8 is it now. Remember that your Xbox Live subscription is required...
@daftrok
"2) Why are you forcing people to get PlayStation Plus just so they can pay $10 a month to watch Hulu Plus?"
Once again, they are not. You can have Hulu+ separate and only pay $10 per month.
@MicrosoftOwns it's $50 a year. If you add that along with the $10 a month, the monthly breakdown would be $14 and change. Not bad for a bunch of RECENT old TV shows. I have Netflix on my PS3 as well, so if I want to watch older TV shows I can now do both. Both are still far less then basic cable.
@adrenalynn Not that I own either console but if your talking what media you can play back then surely the fact playstation uses blu-ray is some sort of trump card?...
@ihve2cuties U sir are wrong y should i trust u no one should everyone should continue to downrank you
@Ithacus I'm pretty sure you don't need xbox live gold to get netflix
@foxfireoutpost I take that back, I forgot that every xbox comes with a trial period of gold.
@Ithacus
Well people pay for cable and you still have ads. But $10 a month sounds a lot better than what most people are paying for even basic in some places. If figure in the cost of not having to rent/buy a DVR for time shifting, you can start to see the benefits.
I for one, am ditching my cable when I can get Netflix and Hulu+ running in my living room. It will literally save me hundreds of dollars a year.
@Ithacus
ding ding ding !!! true !
@Nonok "The Sony Defense Force"
Is a website run by a 360 fanboy. We've known that for YEARS
And what gives? You don't mock fans of other systems that much.
rolls eyes at sony defense force....
Except Netflix was free with no additional fee for the 360. Hulu Plus is a new service that requires a fee where as before Hulu was FREE.
Highly doubt this service will be as popular or as widespread as Netflix is.
@BrookLynnsFinest "sigh" why does this have to turn into a "360 vs PS3" debate? You just had to go there. Still feeling the sting of the HD-DVD thing are you?
@BrookLynnsFinest But you have to pay $x to Netflix for their service, correct? How is that different from Hulu Plus?
I do agree, though, that Netflix has just about cornered the market and I for one have no interest in Hulu's paid offering...Netflix suits me just fine.
@BrookLynnsFinest
As usual, I have no idea what you're talking about. Not only does Netflix on the Xbox 360 require you to subscribe to Netflix, you must also be a subscriber to Xbox Live Gold in addition. Could you explain how that is "free with no additional fee?" BTW, Hulu Plus will also require an Xbox Live Gold subscription on the Xbox 360 in addition to what you would pay for Hulu Plus.
@Dafrety
You have to have XBL Gold to use Netflix on a 360?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sorry.
It works fine on my PS3 without any stupid 'plus' services. Oh, and it works wirelessly without any expensive adaptors. And it works without self destruction even though I bought a launch model of the console.
I guess the Sony Defense Force joke was meant to get the console war going. I think MS would be smart to let XBL silver members use Netflix too, but they don't seem to need my help making money.
@EliteMonsterHunter
What does HD DVD have to do with this? I didn't even own one of those. I like most people was waiting for the dumb format war to be over. Would I have liked sony to lose. You betcha but it really doesn't bother me. Movies are movies. Not here to argue about that.
However Netflix has always been a service that you paid for and as long as you had a Gold Membership you could access your Netflix shit with no issues and no addditional fee.
That's the fundamental difference. Hulu was free before. Now it isn't. So why exactly should 360 owners be jealous or even care that sony fanboys are first in line for a pay for service?
Oh wait that's right we don't care.
@ItalianScallion
HULU Plus is now charging you for something you were already getting where Netflix is expanding the ways you get video from them and have not increased the price.
HULU Plus will most likely still subsidize their coffers with advertising during video where Netflix has not done that (so far).
For $15 a month I get 2 DVD's out at a time with a 2 day turnaround and streaming to just about every device I have connected to my TV's. Besides, I have been watching HULU on my PS3 for over a year with PlayOn.
@BrookLynnsFinest I think you're missing something:
Netflix = $9/mo (XBL Gold required / PS+ NOT required)
HuluPlus = $10/mo (XBL Gold required / PS+ NOT required).
So with Xbox 360, an extra $35-$50 is required just to access these paid services. PS+ is only required during the short preview period. After that, normal PSN users can get the app for free (stills require the $10/mo regardless).
@BrookLynnsFinest
But... the Xbox Live Gold is an additional fee. It's $50 a year MSRP. That is an additional fee. Just because you yourself already pay for it does not negate it.
Netflix on PlayStation 3 (and the Wii) does not require you to subscribe to anything other than Netflix to use it. Hulu Plus will apparently be the same way once it opens up for everybody.
@Dustin F You got that right. Now when they are raking in $1 billion a year on Xbox Live, which I for one have no problem paying for.
And netflix on 360 vs netflix on PS3 (I have both consoles by the way I use PS3 for playing almost all games except for Halo and Gears of War and use the Xbox for Netflix, Halo, and Gears of War) wwaaaaayyyy better on the 360.
@ArhcAngel HuluPlus is adding 720p and full season libraries, which they could not support with the limited advertising they had.
Hulu (free) will be removing full season access to all of their content, and only the most recent few episodes will be available for free.
They also have removed (by request) certain TV Shows because studios could not maintain the licensing. With this new service (Hulu+) these and other networks should be back on board.
And Netflix DID increase their prices, requiring you to pay an extra $2 for BD access. As they get more people, they need more money to cover services. As they get more people using Watch Instantly (which is still fairly limited) they will require more money to cover overhead. If that can be taken out of the softening need to cover DVD/BD deliveries, then great. If not (and the demand is still high for both) they will need to raise prices again.
@BrookLynnsFinest
If your arguing in paragraphs, you blew it.
@blazinsmokey -- if you're using bad grammar, you blew it.
@BrookLynnsFinest
Your a Fuckig dumbass. Netflix is not free. Xbox live is not frer. Hulu plus isn't free but does not require a paid subscription to playstation+ like netflix does on the xbox
@BrookLynnsFinest Your avatar should be on the right hand side. :)
@BrookLynnsFinest But your argument is ridiculous considering that you have to have a Netflix subscription for the service to even work and you have to be a Gold subscriber. So how is it free on 360? Really, I mentioned the HD-DVD bit trying to figure out your flawed logic. Regardless of which console users own, they're paying for the services (netflix/hulu) Do yourself a favor and just don't go there next time.
I speak for the Xbox community when I say we have no affiliation with this BrookLynnsFinest character you speak of.
@EliteMonsterHunter
. . . U lavasloth much??? Lolz jk but u got ad-hoc party???
I could feel comfortable recommending a PS3 and Hulu Plus to friends who want to save money and ditch Satelite/Cable now. Skip the wonky HD antennas, forget the Tivo box and subcription. Sure there's some compromise, but hey, tons of episodes on your TV? I'm already there.
@JONNNathannn Personally there is no way I can go without sports.... which is why the 360's espn3+hulu is very intriguing to me in terms of being able to drop cable.
@jagowar -- many PS3 users are begging for a browser update. ESPN3 would cover most of my sports needs. Maybe PS3 will score NBA.tv and NFL.tv like they have MLB.tv, then you can pick your poison and only pay for what you want to see.
What a joke. Not only is playstation plus ripping you off, but now you can pay 10 more a month to watch a limited selection of tv shows. Woo!
Give me regular hulu, please.
@sweetelectro If u have PS+ u do not have 2 pay $10 a month
@ihve2cuties Yes you do.
@sweetelectro
Hulu Plus has a ton of extra stuff that you never got with standard Hulu. Once you can get Hulu Plus on the PS3 without PSN+ then I'm definitely going to sign up. Hulu Plus and Netflix will be the killer combination to my cable subscription.
PS Plus?? No thanks.....
@TheSunman89 Do u have an Xbox ? Do u have xbl gold membership?
@ihve2cuties
What does that have to do with anything? I have a PlayStation 3 (60 GB, naturally) and I want nothing to do with PSN+. I no longer subscribe to Xbox Live Gold, either. I just don't find any value in the services they offer currently.
It sucks that PS3 owners had Hulu access for free in the browser until we got laid low. Even though it's a paid service through the preview period, paying for access that was once free is a downer. I'll consider it if I can find some other incentive to get PSN+.
@EliteMonsterHunter Paid service with a PSN+ subscription*
@EliteMonsterHunter -- only during the preview period, then you wont need PS+. You'll still need Hulu+ ($10/mo) regardless... basically like Netflix. PS+ members get the preview early, that's all.