Hulu is finally bringing its newly revamped user interface and livestreaming TV service to Roku devices, plugging a considerable hole in device compatibility.
For now, the update will be available for Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 3, Roku 4, along with the Roku Express, Premiere and Ultra models, and Roku TV devices. More support for other Roku devices is coming soon.
Hulu has been rapidly adding device support for its new UI and live TV streaming service. Last week, the company rolled out the new UI for PlayStation 3 and 4. That followed the company adding support for the Xbox 360 as well as a web browser version for Macs and PCs.
“To date, we’ve offered Hulu with Live TV on multiple living room and mobile devices, but we know many of you have asked to access our service on your laptops and computers as well. So rather than wait until we’ve finalized our new web experience, we’re opening up a basic version to Hulu’s live TV plan subscribers so they can stream live TV via their browsers,” said Ben Smith, Hulu’s head of experience, in a product update.
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But Roku was noticeably missing from the device list—until now that is. Earlier this year, Roku revealed that it now has 15 million monthly active accounts, up 47% annually. During the first half of 2017, Roku said its users streamed nearly 7 billion hours of content, up 61% annually.
But it’s likely that Hulu is building toward adding the service to all other streaming platforms. When the company added Amazon’s devices to the list earlier this year, it indicated that the limited device compatibility early on was simply due to the research and development process.
“When we first introduced the new Hulu experience and Hulu with Live TV (beta) in May, we launched on five platforms—Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android mobile devices, and Chromecast,” said Richard Irving, head of product for Hulu, on the company's blog. “Focusing on a handful of devices allowed us to learn a lot from our viewers on those devices and make many improvements over the past few weeks. Now, we’re excited to bring the brand-new Hulu to even more TV fans.”