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FX is now exclusively streaming its shows on Hulu
Starting today, FX content is streaming on Hulu. More than 40 of FX Networks' series, including Nip/Tuck, Justified, Damages, Rescue Me and Thief and Terriers, are available on the platform, and new original content is scheduled to arrive soon.
Disney CEO Bob Iger steps down after getting Disney+ off the ground
After guiding Disney through the acquisition of Fox and launching its direct-to-consumer efforts that center around Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, CEO Bob Iger is stepping down from his post. "Effective immediately," former Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek is taking over and will report to Iger while he serves as executive chairman and leads "creative endeavors" through the end of his contract next year. In a statement announcing the move, Iger said ""With the successful launch of Disney's direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of Twenty-First Century Fox well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO." As far as Chapek's experience, he's worked there for more than two decades, and the press release notes that he spearheaded the infamous "Disney Vault" strategy for handling its iconic films as they were released for home viewing on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. Asked on a call with investors about the timing of the move, Iger said that it made sense to turn over day-to-day management of the company to Chapek so that he can use his remaining time to focus on creative aspects of the company. According to him, the move wasn't accelerated "for any particular reason." With Chapek continuing to report to Iger, it doesn't seem like things materially change at Disney much right now, but the move is announced right after the company revealed Disney+ has already grown to over 26 million subscribers. It's also preparing to launch widely in Europe, and we're still months out from the arrival of The Mandalorian season two and tons of Baby Yoda merchandise.
Hulu will exclusively stream the Oscar-winning ‘Parasite’
If you didn't get the chance to see Parasite in the lead-up to its historic Best Picture win at this year's Academy Awards, not to worry. Hulu says it will start exclusively streaming the movie on April 8th.
Alex Garland’s new show wants you to be scared of tech again
Back in the '90s, when the internet first entered our collective consciousness, Hollywood responded by releasing a slate of techno thrillers that warned of all the horrible things computers could do to us. Perhaps our existence could be erased like Sandra Bullock's in The Net, or maybe our entire species would be enslaved like in The Matrix. Now, the media is seemingly dominated by the brilliant-but-inept tech bros of shows like Silicon Valley, or friendly hackers like Abby on NCIS. Ex Machina and Annihilation director Alex Garland's new show Devs argues that maybe we had it right the first time: We should be afraid. We should be very afraid.
Amazon hires former Hulu CEO to lead Prime Video
Amazon has signed Mike Hopkins, a streaming and TV veteran, to lead Prime Video and Studios. Hopkins has been Sony Pictures Television's chairman since he joined the company in 2017 -- he's credited for restructuring and streamlining its operations -- and he served as Hulu's CEO for four years before that. Prior to joining Hulu, he headed 21st Century Fox's distribution strategy. Amazon likely hired Hopkins to make up for the absence of Jeff Blackburn, the company SVP in charge of its digital entertainment efforts, who's taking a sabbatical this year.
Disney+ has already netted 28.6 million subscribers
Disney's start on direct-to-customer streaming came out of the gate with the bang, as the company reported it had 26.5 million paid subscribers for Disney+ (PDF) by the end of 2019. ESPN+ grew to 6.6 million subscribers from 1.4 million last year, while Hulu has 30 million customers total, with 3.2 million of them signing up for live TV services. On a call with investors, CEO Bob Iger reported that Disney+ is still growing, and is up to 28.6 million customers worldwide as of Monday. Iger also announced that Disney+ will launch in India via the company's HotStar service and said Hulu could launch internationally in 2021. On the call with investors, Iger specified that season two of The Mandalorian will debut in October, as well as shows the MCU shows it featured in Super Bowl ads. Falcon and the Winter Soldier will launch in August, and Wandavision arrives in December. He also said that the Star Wars show will run beyond two seasons, with a possibility of "infusing it with more characters and taking those characters in their own direction in terms of series." Executives said they don't expect the next "significant" domestic growth to happen until those series launch. According to the CEO, people weren't just watching the viral series, with over 65 percent of viewers watching ten other things on the platform. Interestingly, he also said that the current priority of Star War is TV as opposed to theatrical releases.
Hulu CEO steps down as it integrates with Disney's streaming plans
Now that Hulu is part of Disney's streaming triumvirate with ESPN+ and Disney+, there's a reorganization at the top and Randy Freer will step down from his role as CEO. He took over in late 2017, but now it will join the others under direct oversight from Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International chairman Kevin Mayer. We'll see what changes come in the future for Hulu, as it previously stood alone as a rival to Netflix, but now is a part of a larger strategy. Disney CEO Bob Iger already announced plans for "FX on Hulu" programming that's overseen by FX boss John Landgraf, which came after Disney pulled the plug on a standalone FX streaming service. The Hollywood Reporter point out that Hulu's scripted original shows are overseen by Disney TV Studios chairman Dana Walden, while Deadline reports it's expected to hire a business leader to oversee the division.
Marvel axes two of its Hulu animated shows
Hulu's animated Marvel show lineup won't be quite as extensive as you might have hoped. Hollywood Reporter understands that Marvel has cut two of the shows, Howard the Duck and Tigra & Dazzler, in favor of focusing its energy on the remaining MODOK and Hit Monkey as well as the live-action Helstrom. There's no known reason why (the involved companies have declined to comment), but it follows a reported attempt at a complete rethink of Tigra following "creative differences" with Marvel.
Steve Martin and Martin Short will team up again in a new Hulu series
Hulu has just scored what will likely be a huge show for long-time comedy fans. The Disney-owned service has ordered a series starring comedy giants Steve Martin (his first leading TV role, apparently) and Martin Short. There's no title yet, but Martin and This is Us creator Dan Fogelman developed the story. It revolves around three true crime obsessives who find themselves entwined in a crime story of their own. The as-yet unnamed third star is expected to be a young woman.
Netflix wins just two Golden Globes despite receiving 34 nominations
Streaming won big in TV at the 2020 Golden Globes, but Netflix failed to take advantage of its record-setting number of nominations. Despite being up for 34 prizes, the streaming service won just two, Olivia Coleman's best actress win for The Crown and Laura Dern for best supporting actress in Marriage Story in the film category. Most significantly, Netflix's prestigious Martin Scorsese-helmed film The Irishman was completely shut out of the motion picture awards.
Streaming won't get easier or cheaper
After years of declining cable subscriptions, the bundle is back. Smaller bundles at slightly lower prices, sure, but still bundles. While Netflix had some competition from Amazon and Hulu when it came to one-price-fits-all streaming in the past, the last quarter of this year has been a whirlwind of launches with just Disney+ and Apple TV+ alone.
Google Assistant can now stream Hulu to your Chromecast and Nest Hub
If you own a Chromecast, TV with Chromecast built-in or Google smart display, you'll soon be able to ask Assistant to play and control content from Hulu. The update, first spotted by Android Police, is currently rolling out to the Google Home app, according to a statement from the search giant.
Hulu will stream a Greta Thunberg documentary in 2020
Hulu will premiere a Greta Thunberg documentary in 2020 for those who want to see how she became the face of the fight against climate change over the past year. According to Deadline, the documentary is being produced by B-Reel Films, which has an office in Stockholm, and directed by Nathan Grossman. Apparently, they've been following Greta's efforts since her early school strikes in Stockholm until she started speaking in front of government leaders and heading international protests. Deadline says Hulu also came onboard "a while back" and is involved in the behind-the-scenes process.
AT&T starts showing pause ads with motion on DirecTV (updated)
Since the end of last year, reports indicated that AT&T was planning to add pause ads to its video platforms. According to Variety, the telecom has flipped the switch. AT&T is currently testing the ads on DirecTV, its satellite TV service, and "other" video platforms it owns. They're also more like traditional ads than the pause ads you might see on Hulu. Variety initially reported that they include both sound and motion, though since this article was originally published, AT&T clarified to Engadget that these ads would not include audio. They'll start playing 30 seconds after you stop a video to take a break.
Hulu increases the price of its live TV service, again
Hulu's live TV streaming is about to get more expensive. The company announced today that its Hulu + Live TV option would increase to $54.99 a month starting December 18th. This is the second time this year the company has raised its rate on live television streaming. In February, there was a $5/month hike to $45.99 -- up from the $39.99 price when the service debuted in 2017.
Disney+ vs. the competition: Which offers the best bang for your buck?
With so many different streaming services coming out of the woodwork it's getting harder to keep up with everything — as well as more expensive. That's not going to get any better now that Disney's launched its own offering, with shows from popular franchises like Star Wars and Marvel to entice you to sign up. With only so much time and money to go around, you might need to make a choice as to which offers the best bang for the buck. While we can't tell you which shows you'll like, we can certainly help you out with some of the more technical details, so check out the chart below to see how Disney+ will stack up against established players like Netflix.
FX's entire show archive arrives on Hulu next March
"Beginning in March, Hulu will become the official streaming home of FX Networks," Disney CEO Bob Iger told reporters on the company's Q4 earnings call Thursday. The cable network and streaming service both already operate under Disney's corporate umbrella and are about to get a whole lot closer.
Netflix CEO says time spent streaming matters more than subscriptions
Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings doesn't have any beef with other streaming services, and is actually planning on subscribing to Disney+ when it launches. These are just some of the insights he shared at the New York Times' DealBook conference on Wednesday.
Now Hulu subscribers can download and watch offline on Android
Apple TV+ is just hours from debuting and Disney+ will be here in a couple of weeks, giving Hulu less time to catch up with the pack in terms of streaming features. The video service finally added the ability to download shows for offline viewing earlier this month, but until now it only worked on iOS devices. If you use Android or Amazon's FireOS instead of an iPhone or iPad, then we have good news, now you can download shows and movies too -- perhaps something Halloween themed like Castle Rock season two.
PlayStation Vue is the canary in the cord-cutting coal mine
We knew this day would come. Sony will officially shut down PlayStation Vue on January 30th, 2020, following days of rumors and years of whispers about the longevity of the on-demand, OTT television service. PlayStation Vue offers a mix of live and streaming video starting at $50 a month, and it's currently used in 500,000 households in the United States, according to The Information. By comparison, Netflix has more than 158 million subscribers.
