Hulu appears to be benefiting from consumers’ desires to unbundle, cut cords, and go mobile.
The video streaming service — owned by television networks — revealed that its paid subscribers increased 50 percent to nearly nine million in the past year. Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins also said more subscribers are watching more streams: total streams have increased 77 percent and hours watched are up 83 percent, both in the first three months of this year compared to last year. Viewers are streaming 30 percent more content, overall.
In reporting the stats, the industry’s Broadcasting and Cable also said Hulu is now, simply, just “Hulu.” “We’re going to be Hulu minus the Plus,” Hopkins said, trying to eliminate consumer confusion over two brands for its free and $8-per-month paid services.
While nine million is a lot of growth for Hulu, it still pales to Netflix’ paid subscriber count estimated at more than 40 million in the U.S.
