Hulu

Hulu (, ) is an American subscription streaming media service that is owned by Disney Streaming, a unit of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It is one of the most-subscribed video on demand streaming media services, with 64.1 million paid memberships. Its headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California, with offices in Santa Monica, California (the former West Coast bureau for HBO), New York City, and Seattle, Washington. Hulu was launched on October 29, 2007, at first as a joint venture between News Corporation and NBC Universal; Providence Equity, Disney, and Time Warner later made investments in the service.

Hulu originally featured recent episodes of programs from several of the companies' television networks (including ABC, NBC, and Fox). In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially branded as "Hulu Plus," which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and access to new episodes immediately after their airing. In 2016, Hulu syndicated its free library to Yahoo in order to focus exclusively on Hulu Plus. In 2017, the company launched "Hulu + Live TV"—a Hulu Plus production also offering access to broadcast and cable television channels.

In 2019, Disney acquired majority ownership in Hulu as when it became owner of 21st Century Fox, previously known as News Corporation, and later acquired the remaining ownership portions held by AT&T and Comcast in 2019 and 2023, respectively, giving it full ownership. Following the acquisition, Disney began to establish links between Hulu and its sister service Disney+, including adding a Hulu content hub into the Disney+ library for users subscribed to both services. In 2025, Disney announced plans to eventually discontinue Hulu's existing apps in favor of a shared platform with Disney+, although they will remain separate subscriptions.

Aside from a Japanese version of the service launched in 2011 (which would be acquired by Nippon Television in 2014), Hulu did not pursue a wider international expansion until 2025, when Disney announced that Hulu would replace its Star brand for general entertainment content on Disney+ outside of the United States.

Hulu's subscription service was launched in beta (preview) on June 29, 2010, and officially launched on November 17, 2010, under the branding Hulu Plus. The service remained advertising-supported, but it offers an expanded content library including full seasons, day-after access to current season content and more episodes of shows available. Hulu also launched Hulu Plus apps on other types of devices, including mobile, digital media players, and video game consoles. By the end of 2011, Hulu Plus had around 1.5 million subscribers.

On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the "Hulu Plus" branding would be discontinued, and that the service would be henceforth marketed as simply "Hulu" to place it in-line with its subscription-only competitors. By then, the service had grown to 9 million subscribers.

In 2017, Hulu reached a deal to offer movies from production company Neon in the first pay TV window after theatrical release. From 2019 until 2022, Hulu had a deal to show movies from production company Bleecker Street. In 2022 Hulu made a deal with independent production company Roadside Attractions for the first pay TV window.

 References 

 Other websites 


 "With Hulu, Older Audiences Lead the Way", The Wall Street Journal

Category:2007 establishments in the United States
Category:Companies based in California
Category:American entertainment websites