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Hulu's recommendations feature starts rolling out to everyone
It's been over a year since Hulu introduced Watchlist, which puts your queue, favorites and watched content all in one place. Up until today, though, that feature was only available to users who wanted to try it early. But now Hulu's making Watchlist part of the main experience for every viewer, including those who watch on iOS, Android, PC, gaming consoles and set-top boxes like the Apple TV. Watchlist recommends movies or TV shows you should enjoy next, offering up suggestions based on your preferred and most recently viewed content. You can also find new series you might be interested in.
Hulu's free, ad-powered shows are heading to Pluto TV
Up until now, Hulu has limited free videos to its desktop website and Android devices. But now, thanks to Pluto TV, a startup that offers an internet television service at no cost, Hulu's taking its ad-supported streaming content to more places. According to Variety, Pluto TV landed a deal that gives it access to everything available on Hulu's site, including shows from ABC, NBC, FOX and other TV networks, as well as movies. The partnership is a big win for Hulu too, since it will be able to deliver its free, ad-powered programming through Pluto TV's web (and, in the future, Android) application -- along with its own. There's no specific timeline on when Pluto TV plans to roll this out, but it is expected to happen "soon."
Hulu hooks up with Showtime to make internet TV more like cable
Showtime is following HBO's lead and launching an internet-only version of its service in July, but cutting the cable doesn't mean the bundle is going away. In a first for Hulu, it's adding the network as a premium option similar to the way it's offered with cable TV. While Showtime by itself will be available for $11 per month on Apple TV, Roku or PlayStation Vue, $8 per month Hulu subscribers (no Plus, it dropped that name a few weeks ago) can add it for $9 and stream the network's stuff to anywhere they usually watch Hulu.
Hulu will have every episode of 'Seinfeld' on June 24th
After paying big bucks to lock up the show about nothing, Hulu has announced when we can expect to see Seinfeld: June 24th. Since it's a heavily syndicated show (and previously available in smaller portions on services like Crackle) you probably weren't lacking in ways to see Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, George and the rest but now you can skip your way through its 180-episode run at your leisure. Also, Hulu is figuring that if you're willing to subscribe and stop by to check out that show, you might hang around for some of the other TV hits and original content it's stuffing the service with. Yes, it's all still ad-interrupted, but on a positive note, Hulu recently added Chromecast autoplay support (like Netflix) to make your binge watching even easier.
Using Netflix on your hotel TV sounds pretty painless
Surprise! Netflix built into hotel-room TVs doesn't seem awful. When Mariott announced that it'd add streaming apps including the House of Cards outfit, Crackle, Hulu Plus, and YouTube into its in-room entertainment options, there was reason for concern. Would it require any separate fees? What about account security? As Cord Cutters News reports, you need to use your personal logins for 'flix and Hulu and you can either clear your credentials manually, or the hotel will do it for you automatically at the time of check out. The apps apparently run without a hitch and are the most up to date versions like you'd use on Amazon's Fire TV and the Roku 3. Oh, and the remotes have built-in Netflix buttons like you'd find at home and abroad. Now I'm curious when RIchard Branson will implement something similar into his Virgin Hotels. [Image credit: Manybits/Flickr]
Hulu pulls a Netflix, rescues 'The Mindy Project' from cancellation
Were you bummed when Fox announced it cancelled The Mindy Project after three seasons? Fret not, Hulu announced today that it's picking up the series, starting with a 26-episode fourth season. The show, named for star Mindy Kaling, already streams on the TV subscription service as one of several Fox series available there, so the news isn't too surprising. There's no word on a premiere date just yet, but when it arrives, it'll be one of the many Hulu original series. Cancelled broadcast shows are getting revived online regularly these days, as Yahoo nabbed Community and Netflix is no stranger to picking up discarded series. [Image credit: John Fleenor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
Hulu reportedly lands 'Seinfeld' streaming rights
According to a report by Variety, tomorrow Hulu will announce that it has won the bidding war for streaming rights to the Seinfeld series. The deal is said to be worth nearly $1 million per episode (a WSJ rumor puts the figure at about $700k per ep), adding up to some $180 million or so, enough to bring the complete series to a streaming service for the first time. According to the earlier rumors Amazon and Yahoo were also in the running for the series, although streaming giant Netflix had dropped out, apparently deciding to focus on original shows and its deal for the Friends series. The deal should be announced tomorrow during Hulu's "Upfront" presentation -- we'll be watching for more info on its Cablevision deal -- for advertisers and the media, scheduled to start at 8:30AM.
Cablevision is the first cable company to sell Hulu, but how?
Cablevision was already the first provider to start pushing HBO Now for its internet subscribers, and today it's announcing a deal with Hulu. The two have reached an agreement to bring Hulu's VOD catalog to Optimum customers, but exactly what that means is unclear. Unlike the HBO announcement, this news isn't specifically targeted at internet customers, and according to reps, details on pricing and availability will come later. We don't know if Hulu's content will be coming to cable boxes, or if the subscription Hulu Plus service will just be available as an add-on bundle for TV and/or internet subscribers. Tim Connoly, SVP of distribution at Hulu said in the press release "Even with the rapid growth in streaming, there is a huge audience that consumes television through their cable provider, and we want to be there for them too."
Every single episode of 'CSI' hits Hulu Plus exclusively this April
You read that headline right: Every episode of the wildly popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and all its spin-offs are coming exclusively to Hulu Plus. As the Hulu blog tells it, over 300 episodes of the series'll appear on the streaming service come April. Hulu also points out that this deal means that past seasons will be added ahead of future season premieres (CSI: Cyber, anyone?) as well -- unlike its South Park deal, though, there's no word on day-after streaming yet. Hulu says that watching Horatio Caine (David Caruso, above) and crew's antics back-to-back would fill around two weeks total. How many vacation days do you have left?
Hulu's push for exclusives gets a big boost from Fox (update)
As we've said so many times (this week) the battle between streaming services has become all about what exclusive content each one has to offer, and with HBO joining in soon it's only going to get tougher. It's no surprise then, that Hulu's next attempt to get a leg up on the competition is coming with help from the cable arm of part-owner (and former employer of its CEO Mike Hopkins) Fox. Hulu is about to become the best/only place to watch FX (and FXX, and FXXX whenever that launches) shows without a cable subscription and access to FX Now apps. So don't expect to see hows like Tyrant, The Strain, You're The Worst and Married on Netflix or Amazon, they're spoken for. That also goes for new shows debuting next year like the Louis CK / Zach Galifianakis production Baskets and the M Night Shyamalan Fox miniseries Wayward Pines.
Hulu's new Disney-ABC deal brings 'X-Men' and 'Resurrection'
While Amazon and Netflix take their fight to the awards arena, Hulu is still looking for ways to make its content library stand out. Of course, it has plenty of recently or currently airing TV shows, but these days it's all about the exclusives and that's at the heart of a new deal between Hulu and ABC / Disney. According to a blog post, Hulu is the "exclusive subscription video on-demand" home for Resurrection, Mistresses, and those Devious Maids episodes you've been meaning to watch. While we wait for The Wrong Mans to fill in the holes, it's also adding some non-exclusive shows, including the X-Men cartoon (RIP Saturday mornings, and it looks like they're not on Netflix anymore), Melissa & Joey, Alias, Body of Proof, Twisted, Make it or Break It, Spider-Man and Iron Man: Armored Adventures.
Hulu Plus on iOS looks a lot flatter and cleaner now
The word "reimagining" can be a bit scary at times. At its worst you get stuff like Johnny Depp playing Willy Wonka, but on the other side of the coin is SyFy's Battlestar Galactica. Hulu's redesigned iOS app seems to fall on the latter portion of that spectrum. The application's gotten an overhaul, with a keen eye toward making it cleaner and, above all, easier to use. First things first: the landing screen is now divided into three sections; Home, Shows You Watch and Navigation. Home is where content curated by Hulu resides, while Shows You Watch and Navigation are pretty self-explanatory. The kicker is that now when you swipe either left or right from anywhere within the app, you'll pull up either of the latter, respectively.
James Franco's 'Saturday Night Live' documentary is coming to Hulu Plus
While James Franco's Saturday Night Live documentary has been around for a few years now, it was never released for mass consumption. According to the Oz the Great and Powerful star himself, the behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce the show in the span of a week will begin streaming this Friday on Hulu Plus. The 90-minute Saturday Night film chronicles the December 6, 2008 episode hosted by John Malkovich that featured musical guest T.I. Until this week, Franco's project had only seen limited showings at festivals. [Photo credit: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
'Party Down' comes to Hulu Plus, first five eps are on free Hulu
Amazon is loading up a new pilot season of original TV shows, and while Netflix's content juggernaut was shut out at the Emmys, at least it was nominated. So what can Hulu do? In addition to its own list of original shows, exclusively licensed content from UK channels and Criterion, it's added the Starz hit series Party Down, just in time for your Labor Day weekend viewing binge. The show only ran for two seasons, but all 20 episodes are ready to watch for Hulu Plus subscribers, featuring Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Martin Starr and Megan Mulally as employees of a Hollywood catering service. If you've somehow missed it until now, this is the perfect time to watch -- we teared up when the show disappeared from Netflix along with all of the other Starz Play content a couple of years ago. Now Hulu has picked up the license, and even if you're not a subscriber you can watch the first five episodes for free on the show page right here.
Watch Jiro dream of sushi with Hulu's latest movie additions
Hulu is building up its fledgling collection of art house movies this weekend with a deal to offer Magnolia Pictures' catalog. The team-up lets both regular and Hulu Plus viewers watch a slew of full-length features that might have slipped under the radar, such as Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall's swords-and-sandals flick Centurion. The near future should bring a host of well-known (if not always popular) titles like Jiro Dreams of Sushi, 13 Assassins and Freakonomics. This isn't a huge expansion of Hulu's library, but it may be just the ticket if you're eager to catch up on more than just TV this weekend.
You can watch the Spanish-language version of Breaking Bad on Hulu Plus right now
Sure, via Netflix (in 4K, soon) or on Blu-ray is a good way to watch the entire Breaking Bad series, but what if we told you there was a way to experience the show all over again for the first time? There's a Latin American version of the show called Metástasis, and while the meth adventures of Walter Blanco are airing nightly in the US on Univision networks, it's also available on streaming via Hulu -- but there's a catch. On broadcast TV and internet, there's no option for English subtitles, so while native speakers and telenovela fans may breeze right through, if your last "Que?" was during a high-school elective you're out of luck. To find out what you're missing (Colombia instead of Albuquerque, schoolbus instead of RV), check out an English-subtitled trailer for Metástasis after the break.
Hulu will bring free TV shows to your phone, and it's trying to reach your cable box
One advantage Hulu has always had over other streaming services is that it has newer TV shows, and you can watch them for free. What's frustrated viewers however, is that it only applies if you're watching on a computer, since phones and TV apps have always required a Plus subscription that opens up a slightly different library of content. Today in New York the streamer announced that this summer it's going to offer "a selection of ad-supported full TV episodes on mobile devices– for free." Other news includes that it's crested six million subscribers to Plus so far -- it had five million in December -- and that its quest to "lead the industry in ad innovations" has resulted in several new developments. The most notable of them is the "In-Stream Purchase Unit" it's bringing out later this year that at launch, will let viewers order from Pizza Hut without leaving Hulu. New CEO Mike Hopkins also mentioned that Hulu is talking to cable providers to get the Plus service on set-top boxes -- Netflix just launched on a few smaller providers -- although there aren't any deals to announce yet.
Fraggle Rock returns from the '80s as Hulu's first original kids show
For video services like Hulu and Netflix, there's no doubt that having a solid lineup of original content is imperative for the future. But, it is also very important to cover as many demographics as possible, whether it be that of people who love a good drama, or kids who need to watch something a little more colorful. With the debut of Doozers on the streaming platform today, Hulu now has a show that a young audience can enjoy and, in the process, continues to grow its portfolio of original series.
Control Hulu on consoles from the comfort of your mobile device
Because remote controls are so 2008, those who own an iOS or Android mobile device, along with a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, will now be able to control Hulu Plus on their console of choice directly from the service's mobile app. [Image: Hulu Plus]
Hulu Plus adds phone and tablet remote control to PS3, PS4 and Xbox One apps
If you've been enjoying the second screen-style remote control experience on Hulu Plus for the Chromecast, the streaming video site just announced similar support is coming to other devices. First up are the Hulu Plus apps for PS3, PS4 and Xbox One, and other devices are expected to add support soon. Similar to the second screen control Netflix and YouTube have offered -- Hulu is not using the DIAL protocol those two built yet, but an in-house solution, we're told it will add DIAL support in the future -- you'll need apps on both devices, logged into the same account. Then just punch the cast button, and you can throw video from mobile to TV screen, control playback or browse for something new to watch without interrupting the action onscreen. Also like Netflix it has lock screen controls, so you don't have to unlock your phone or tablet just to press pause. It should be active in the apps already, so all you need to do now is find something to watch.
