Hulu has confirmed plans to offer live TV content on its platform, according to The Wall Street Journal. “our viewers will be able to enjoy live sports, news and events . . . in real time without a traditional cable or satellite subscription,” WSJ reports that Hulu Chief Executive Mike Hopkins said, while speaking at Madison Square Garden during an advertising presentation.
Hulu has found that most of its subscribers prefer opting for a lower-priced, advertising supported model, rather than paying more for an ad-free experience, according to WSJ. The ability to offer live TV, supported by the same advertising model currently in place with conventional TV, as well on-demand content, could be what cord cutters have been searching for.
In a press release, Hulu also announced two tools designed to bring advertisers to its platform. The first are interactive advertising units for “connected” TVs, made out of a partnership with BrightLine, and the second is a collaboration with Nielsen to capture OTT viewing measurements for living room devices.
“Hulu offers brands the most effective way to reach the streaming audience, at scale, in the living room,” Hulu Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales Peter Naylor said. “The partnerships we’ve announced today with Nielsen, Millward Brown and BrightLine point to the future of television and everything that's possible in a connected TV environment -- and we are happy to be leading the way in both creativity and measurement.”
Hulu is also partnering with a market research firm, Millward Brown, to provide “studies, research papers and stats including brand affinity metrics for marketers and advertisers.”
Hulu is facing some heated competition, however, and will have to compete for live TV subscribers against services such as a Sling TV (Dish), PlayStation Vue and even skinny bundles offered by cable providers such as Comcast.
Hulu’s new service will premiere sometime in the first quarter of 2017, and licensing agreements with Fox and Disney are both rumored to be nearing completion. This means Hulu’s live TV service could offer channels such as ABC, the Disney Channel, ESPN, Fox News, FX and Fox, right off the bat, with the possibility of even more broadcasts in the future.
