Recently, Hulu has made a number of changes to their popular streaming service. When they transferred their free service to yahoo, it opened them up to better compete with their competitors. Now, Hulu has made another big move by adding a quite a few new channels. By forming agreements with 21st Century Fox and Disney, they gain access to ABC, Fox Networks, ESPN, Nat Geo, and Disney channels. Those follow other agreements for TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, Boomerang, and Turner Classic Movies available as well. A total of more than 35 networks will be active when Hulu launches their new service in 2017.
Unfortunately, getting that kind of access comes with a price. Though it is not been officially announced yet, it is likely that the cost for the service will be $40 a month. That price is similar to Hulu’s competitors like Sling TV, Playstation Vue, and even the up and coming DirecTV Now. Instead of individual streaming channels, Hulu offers many different well known ones. It matches the trend of providing a wide range of options to cord-cutters.
Even at $40 a month, cord-cutters will agree that the prices are better than paying the over inflated cable or satellite rates. The question is, which service will the average cord-cutter use? They hope it is them, and they are doing whatever they can to help themselves. A good way to compete for business is to have great original programming. Fortunately for Hulu, they have it. They have worked hard lately to attract cord-cutters. Shows like 11.22.63 and the Mindy Project are popular, but they have a long way to go. Surely, more Hulu original shows will be in the works when the new service launches.
As you can see, there is a lot to look forward to for the future. If you believe that competition is good, Hulu’s re-launch of their service will help lead to more options in the future. It definitely provides cord-cutters with a way to enjoy some of their favorite programming without having to purchase each individual channel. If you do the math, more than 35 channels for $40 is a good deal. Of course, Hulu will only be available in the US and US territories because of licensing regulations. However, if you are traveling abroad or you live outside the US, you can still enjoy Hulu when it re-launches. You can watch it or any of the other streaming services by using a good Smart DNS service.
