{"id":338781,"date":"2017-04-20T01:06:45","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T17:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1478597"},"modified":"2017-04-20T01:06:45","modified_gmt":"2017-04-19T17:06:45","slug":"hulus-live-tv-service-to-launch-by-mid-may-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/hulus-live-tv-service-to-launch-by-mid-may-sources-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Hulu\u2019s live TV service to launch by mid-May, sources say"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Hulu has publicly said that its new\u00a0live TV streaming service<\/a>\u00a0will launch sometime this spring, but the company is now telling staff internally that the launch date being targeted is the first week of May, sources tell TechCrunch. The launch will additionally coincide with the arrival\u00a0of Hulu\u2019s new user experience,\u00a0shown off<\/a> earlier this year at CES.<\/p>\n

However, we understand that the \u201cfirst week of May\u201d is definitely\u00a0considered a rolling target. Hulu doesn\u2019t have<\/em> to launch then, and may choose to push it back further in the month.<\/p>\n

Despite\u00a0the internal communication \u2013 which we\u2019ve seen \u2013 claiming the \u201cfirst week of\u00a0May\u201d launch, we\u2019ve also heard that the chatter among employees\u00a0is that consumers will likely get the service around mid-May. In addition, other sources\u00a0familiar with Hulu\u2019s\u00a0launch plans have confirmed that mid-May is just as likely as earlier in the month. It could even end up being the third week.<\/p>\n

In other words, \u201cmid-May\u201d doesn\u2019t translate to\u00a0a May 15th launch.<\/p>\n

However, the\u00a0month of May \u2013 in general \u2013 is definitely a go. That could be what many were guessing already given that \u00a0the publicly promised time frame\u00a0\u201cspring\u201d sounds like an April or May launch. But spring actually ends on June 21st here in the U.S., even though many people think of June as being summer.<\/p>\n

Hulu currently has a beta test underway, which is likely contributing to the launch date flexibility, we\u2019d wager. Like all betas, the goal is to solicit feedback from early users as well as\u00a0identify bugs, ahead of a public debut. Hulu could end up needing a little extra time to make changes as a result of beta feedback, which could push the date back from the first week to even the third.<\/p>\n

At launch, Hulu will roll out a\u00a0new look and feel that involves a more streamlined design that also focuses more on personalized recommendations instead of an onscreen TV Guide. For live TV subscribers, Hulu\u2019s suggestions will offer a mix of live TV and on-demand content. These\u00a0will be informed by both explicit actions \u2013 including telling Hulu about your interest when you launch the app for the first time \u2013 as well as implicit actions \u2013 like your browsing and viewing behavior.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0the addition of live streaming television is the most anticipated aspect to the launch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hulu today already offers a robust on-demand library of licensed content from network and studio partners, including\u00a0TV shows, movies and its own original programming. You can choose to watch Hulu with ads, or ditch them for a few dollars more per month.<\/p>\n

Its new live TV service will be an expansion on that, combining live broadcast TV, live broadcast TV\u00a0on-demand content, plus Hulu\u2019s\u00a0licensed on-demand content and own original programming, all under one roof. You can think of it as something more akin to a mashup of Netflix and Sling, rather than just a competitor to Sling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hulu hasn\u2019t officially confirmed pricing for its live TV service, having only said that it would be available for \u201cunder $40\u201d per month. However, we heard from sources that it\u2019s a $39.99 per month price point<\/a> that Hulu is considering for its launch. The company is still trying to lower that further, but this is the number that\u2019s floating around internally.<\/p>\n

Also not entirely set in stone are prices for the\u00a0upgrade add-ons, like unlimited streaming, a cloud DVR or a bundle of both. Sources familiar with the matter at Hulu confirmed earlier that an \u201cunder $20\u201d bundle combining both unlimited streams and a cloud\u00a0DVR was in the works. The core service will also offer some recording time \u2013 we\u2019ve heard 50 hours \u2013 but users would not be able to fast-forward through ads or access expanded storage (up to 200 hours) if they didn\u2019t upgrade to the DVR feature. (The DVR may\u00a0be sold separately at $14.99, we\u2019ve also heard. But we understand this pricing is not finalized, either.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The cloud DVR will work like most \u2013 that is, \u201cfirst in, first out,\u201d when it comes to deleting old content to make room for newer recordings. It will also only record new episodes \u2013 not reruns \u2013 by default. However, users can explicitly tell it to record all episodes, or a specific rerun if they choose.<\/p>\n

The lineup for Hulu\u2019s live TV service is comparable, generally speaking, to\u00a0rival streaming TV services\u00a0like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, and DirectTV Now. Of course, there are variations between these offerings, but unless there\u2019s a particular network or TV show you just can\u2019t live without \u2013 and isn\u2019t\u00a0ever coming\u00a0to Netflix \u2013 many viewers may make channel lineup a secondary concern over things like price, experience, performance, and cross-platform support.<\/p>\n

Hulu has already publicly confirmed<\/a> that\u00a0it has deals with CBS, 21st Century Fox, and Disney which, combined, add 40 networks to its\u00a0service, including broadcast networks CBS, ABC, and Fox.<\/p>\n

It also has ESPN and Fox Sports, and other regional sports networks in several national markets, as well as host of cable TV stations, like\u00a0A&E, History, Lifetime, LMN, FYI, Viceland,\u00a0Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, FreeForm, Fox News, Fox Business, Freeform, FX, FXX, FXM, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild,\u00a0TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, Boomerang, Pop and Turner Classic Movies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hulu has not announced a launch date, but the messaging to staff is one of getting them ready for an early May launch.<\/p>\n

Specifically, one internal employee communication stated that the new live TV service (code named Curiosity) and the new user experience (code named Bowie) will be released \u201cduring the first week of May.\u201d However, other sources said that \u201cfirst week\u201d could\u00a0turn into mid-May.<\/p>\n

Employees were told the timing is confidential \u2013 and not to share it outside the company (oops!). It was being shared internally as part of Hulu\u2019s launch readiness planning, which includes standard prep work\u00a0like staff training, mock customer calls, getting staff familiar with the offerings, internal testing (dogfooding) and other agenda items.<\/p>\n

Hulu declined to\u00a0comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Hulu has publicly said that its new\u00a0live TV streaming service\u00a0will launch sometime this spring, but the company is now telling staff internally that the launch date being targeted is the first week of May, sources tell TechCrunch. The launch will additionally coincide with the arrival\u00a0of Hulu’s new user experience,\u00a0shown off earlier this year at CES. However, we understand that… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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