Hulu Exceeds 20 Million U.S. Subs, Reveals New Content

Hulu has surpassed 20 million U.S. subscribers and has grown total engagement on the service by more than 60 percent, the company revealed alongside a slew of upcoming programming highlights.

Hulu is building up its slate of originals with new series orders for Four Weddings and a Funeral and Ramy. Four Weddings and a Funeral is a limited series written and executive produced by Mindy Kaling and Matt Warburton, inspired by the 1994 British romantic comedy film. The series will follow a group of friends as their lives intersect through five events. Ramy is a comedy series based on the real-life experiences and comedy of Ramy Youssef. The series takes viewers into the world of Ramy, a first-generation American Muslim who is on a spiritual journey in his politically-divided New Jersey neighborhood.

In partnership with Blumhouse Television, Hulu revealed Into the Dark, a new horror event series that will include 12 standalone episodes, with a new installment released on the first Friday of every month throughout the year. Each episode is inspired by a holiday from the month of its release.

Hulu has renewed The Handmaid’s Tale for a third season. Season two premiered last week and has already doubled its audience compared to season one.

Thanks to a new agreement with Sony Pictures Television, Hulu has become the exclusive SVOD streaming home of ABC’s hit drama series The Good Doctor. The complete first season of the series is now available on Hulu and future episodes will become available the day after their original broadcast on ABC.

A multiyear deal with DreamWorks Animation makes Hulu the exclusive streaming home to future slates of DreamWorks Animation movies, as well as library films. Additionally, Hulu will work with DreamWorks Animation Television to develop original kids’ and family series for exclusive streaming based on the company’s popular franchises and upcoming feature films. This marks the first time Hulu has partnered with a major studio in a multi-series commitment to debut original kids’ and family content.

Starting later this quarter, Hulu will begin offering dynamically inserted advertising within its Hulu With Live TV product. The functionality will be introduced across select cable networks and roll out onto additional live content over the coming months.

Hulu also revealed its plans to become the first company to offer a downloadable content experience with opportunities for advertisers. The new feature will make it possible for subscribers to access their favorite shows and movies on the go, with no internet connection required. The experience will launch on Hulu during the 2018-19 upfront season.

“Our launch of the industry’s first ad-supported downloadable content experience is yet another example of how Hulu is innovating viewer-first ad solutions to drive powerful results for brands,” said Peter Naylor, senior VP of advertising sales at Hulu. “With downloadable content, we’re offering brands more ways to connect with engaged viewers who love the experience of watching television, wherever they may be.”

“Hulu is the complete TV experience for consumers, offering both live and on-demand programming and more consumer choice than ever before,” said Randy Freer, CEO of Hulu. “We are the only place that delivers award-winning content, ad loads less than half that of traditional television, with ads that are always viewable and always in a brand-safe environment—and we are leading the TV and advertising industries into the future.”