Hulu has rolled out a new pricing promotion that lowers the cost for its entry-level tier that includes limited commercials from $7.99 per month to $5.99 for the first year of service.
The offer is good until Jan. 9, 2018, but it only applies to new and returning members. After the first year of the promotional $5.99-per-month price, the price per month reverts back to the standard $7.99 rate. Hulu launched an identical promotion in September last year as well.
Perhaps coincidentally, Hulu’s pricing promotion is kicking in right around the time when Netflix has confirmed that its prices will be going up again soon. The company confirmed last week that the cost of its standard service is going up from $9.99 to $10.99 per month, and the price of its premium tier from $11.99 to $13.99 per month.
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Hulu’s pricing promotion appears to be another facet of the company strategy to grow its subscriber base. In addition, the company recently scored an original series breakthrough with “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which was popular with viewers and awards shows alike.
Ben Smith, head of experience at Hulu, recently told the Hollywood Reporter that Hulu’s average daily sign-ups rose 98% since March, and that the growth is representative of the change in perception which Hulu has undergone in the past few years.
"'Handmaid's Tale' was fabulous in and of itself, but what it also did was open up a conversation about everything else that is on Hulu," Smith told the publication.