Hulu said that it has added nine Fox affiliates to its virtual pay-TV service.
The Big Media-owned streaming company said it now has deals with more than 290 local broadcast stations. It has more than two stations locked in for 80% of U.S. TV households.
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This level of infiltration puts Hulu high atop the leaderboard in a key race in the competitive vMVPD market. With virtual operators offering basically the same selection of top cable channels in their skinny bundles, the service that has the most locals in any given market has a big advantage.
Hulu is among the leaders race. AT&T’s DirecTV Now said it had surpassed 200 locals locked up at the end of August. According to Cord Cutter News, Sony PlayStation Vue is up to 186 locals in 115 U.S. TV markets as of this week.
The Fox affiliates being added to Hulu Live include KBFX-TV in Bakersfield, California; KUQI-TV in Corpus Christi, Texas; WDKY-TV in Lexington, Kentucky; WOLF-TV in Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pennsylvania; WTGS-TV in Savannah, Georgia; WTTE-TV in Columbus, Ohio; WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee; WUHF-TV in Rochester, New York; and WUTV-TV in Buffalo, New York.
Hulu has a particularly strong lineup of local CBS and Fox affiliates, but it has locked in no ABC locals beyond its deal for ABC/Disney owned and operated stations.