Hulu Announces New Content, Doubled Subs

LOS ANGELES: Hulu has slated two new exclusive shows for the platform, Quick Draw and East Los High, unveiled during an Upfront presentation where the company also revealed that its ad-supported subscription service doubled its subscriber base last year.

Hulu Plus surpassed the 4-million-subscriber mark in Q1 2013. The growth rate for mobile viewing was also a hot topic, as it is expected to account for around 15 percent of Hulu’s consumed videos for 2013-14. Living-room viewing is also on the rise; it currently accounts for 29 percent of Hulu’s content consumption, and 80 percent of Hulu Plus subscribers have watched with someone else.

Hulu has continued its commitment to bringing first-run franchises to its audiences. At the Upfront, it announced the half-hour comedic western Quick Draw is coming to the platform. From writer/director Nancy Hower and writer/star John Lehr, the show is set in 1875 and features a Harvard-educated sheriff on his quest to introduce the emerging science of forensics to an unruly Kansas town. Quick Draw heads to Hulu and Hulu Plus this summer.

Also coming to Hulu and Hulu Plus is East Los High, set in an inner-city school in East L.A. The show features the themes of dance, sex, romance and mystery and has an all-Latino cast, director, writers and creators.

These two join the nine other Hulu originals and exclusives debuting this summer: The Awesomes, Behind the Mask, The Wrong Mans, Mother Up!, season two of Pramface, season two of Prisoners of War, season four of The Only Way is Essex, season two of Braquo and Moone Boy. Hulu and Hulu Plus are also home to daily half-hour episodes of All My Children and One Life to Live.