Following HBO Go, Hulu ‘Actively Working’ On Chromecast Support

After recent news that HBO and others would be joining Netflix and YouTube in supporting Google’s Chromecast, it’s no surprise that other services are piling on.  The latest is Hulu, who told Varietyit plans to bring Chromecast optimization to its app for Hulu Plus subscribers. 

“We are actively working with Google to bring Hulu Plus to the platform,” Hulu rep Meredith Kendall said. “ At Hulu, we’re constantly innovating to provide our users with access to their favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere, on any device.” 

Hulu Plus is the paid subscription service from Hulu.  It runs subscribers $7.99 a month and allows access to all of Hulu’s normal TV and movie offerings as well as a bevy of premium content (like the Criterion Collection) and allows streaming to devices such as consoles and smart TVs. 

While users can already stream Hulu content to Chromecast, using the Chrome browser’s “cast” feature, Hulu doesn’t seem worried.  The company views this as little different from hooking up your computer to a HDMI cable – something it could never prevent.  Instead Hulu is focusing on enhanced Chromecast support for its apps for both Android and iOS, promising smoother playback, browsing and remote control features. 

Google unveiled the new Chromecast streaming HDMI dongle at its July 24th event.  The affordable $35 device allows streaming from the chrome browser and mobile devices.  The device does the heavy lifting of the playback, which frees your phone up to do something else, like check your email.  An SDK allows developers to incorporate this streaming technology into their apps.