Number-three SVOD service Hulu, ever talented at shaping itself to meet market changes, is reshaping itself yet again, taking the "Plus" out of its name in an apparent effort to decrease confusion between its subscription and free services.
How much the rebrand will clear up consumer confusion is unclear. As DSLReports notes, "The biggest complaint about Hulu Plus has been the fact that users pay money, yet are still forced to watch a rotating crop of a limited pool of ads, something that quickly gets redundant."
Hulu has been building its cachet in recent months through some pivotal strategies. The provider has been partnering with pay-TV providers, such as mid-sized operator Suddenlink and large-scale carrier provider AT&T (NYSE: T), to make its service available through the operators' set-top boxes. Deals like that have helped Hulu increase its subscription base by 50 percent in the past year, to 9 million subs.
It has also scored a number of exclusivity deals for previously broadcast content, including CBS shows like CSI, Seinfeld, and the new spinoff of The Walking Dead.
And it's also undertaking its own foray into original content, announcing a number of new series to premier in the 2015-16 time frame.
For more:
- DSLReports has this story
- Film School Rejects has this story
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