Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Hulu Adds (Mostly) Ad-Free Subscription Service

Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins chalked up the exceptions to rights held by studios on select series. “They have other commitments that they couldn’t free them up for a complete commercial-free offering,” he said, adding that the service will clearly delineate the exceptions to users before they stream those series.

Other series that will have pre-roll include four ABC series: “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Agents of SHIELD,” and an NBC series, “Grimm.”

Hulu is making the move in response to subscriber complaints voiced in various forms of consumer research about having to pay yet still watch ads. Earlier this month, a Parks Associates survey found that half of Hulu subscribers have canceled service over the past 12 months, compared to just 9% for Netflix over the same span.

The new subscription option brings Hulu in line with its commercial-free rivals Netflix, which remains several dollars cheaper than Hulu depending on which rate its own subscribers pay, and Amazon Prime, which charges $99 per year for access to its content library in addition to free two-day shipping.

From the article "Hulu Adds (Mostly) Ad-Free Subscription Service" by Andrew Wallenstein. 

Previously In The News

4 Key Business and Lifestyle Trends Transforming Customer Demand

A study from Parks Associates found that “one-third of smart device owners in U.S. broadband households have increased usage of their devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 46% of smart door...

How Do Consumers Research Smart Home Gear?

Parks Associates research reveals manufacturer websites are No. 1 source for researching smart home equipment. Integrator websites are No. 2. Those are the results from new smart home research by P...

Philips SmartSleep Snoring Relief Band for Better Sleep

According to Philips and a Park Associates survey [1], about 40 percent of people in the US alone report difficulty in maintaining a sufficient amount of sleep consistently and according to the Britis...

Recent IoT Research Says Broadband Households Care More About Cybersecurity Than Ever Before

Simply installing security systems in smarthomes is no longer enough, and security integrators may want to consider bolstering cybersecurity measures when installing residential systems. This swift...