Goodbye, free Hulu streaming.
In a move precipitated by major streaming and technology deals surrounding the signature streaming service, Hulu will now only be offered as an all-subscription model, reports Variety. Users have had the luxury of watching thousands of free episodes on the streaming service, though must sit through ads in the process.
This places it in the ranks of more premium services like Amazon Prime (ticker: AMZN), Netflix (NFLX) and HBO Go, and could perhaps even garner its original series more critical and accolades attention. Hulu only garnered a meager two Emmy nominations compared to Netflix’s 54 and Amazon’s 16, reports Deadline.
Currently, Hulu charges $7.99 per month (commercials) and $11.99 per month (ad-free). Time Warner (TWX) said it would be taking a 10 percent stake in the company last week.
Meanwhile, Hulu has also increased its distribution deal with the beleaguered Yahoo (YHOO). The soon-to-be-purchased company is launching a new ad-supported TV streaming service: Yahoo View, available in the U.S. Monday. This will feature the five most recent episodes of ABC, NBC and Fox shows eight days following their TV debuts, in addition to other content. Yahoo shuttered another video streaming service, Yahoo Screen, earlier this year, that included the short-lived revival of NBC’s “Community.”
Verizon Communications (VZ) recently announced it would buy Yahoo for $4.8 billion amid swirling rumors and much investor speculation. The deal should be finished by the end of this year or early next year.
“Video is an important part of Yahoo’s strategy and we’re committed to delivering the best digital video content to our users. To date, we’ve streamed amazing experiences across sports, finance, and news,” Phil Lynch, VP and head of media partnerships for Yahoo, said in a statement. “This partnership with Hulu is a natural extension of that strategy, bringing the best of TV & entertainment content to our lifestyle vertical.”
Yahoo’s stock price is up about 17 percent on the year; its saga from a star of the dotcom bubble to now an acquisition has been a hot — if frustrating — topic for the investment community. It’s unclear whether this latest attempt in video will bolster any kind of revitalized success for the company.
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Hulu to Stop Free Streaming, Expand Yahoo (YHOO) Partnership originally appeared on usnews.com
