Providing Market Intelligence for 40 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

Internet connections to Smart TVs grow as streaming options increase

Smart TVs are becoming more of a norm now than ever before as a younger generation of Americans continues to rely more on streaming services than traditional television, according to research from Par...

YouTube Enters "Free TV" Streaming Wars, Adds Access To Nearly 4,000 Free Classic TV Episodes

Consumer adoption of connected TVs continues to skyrocket. Insights from Parks Associates suggest that more than 56% of American households own a “Smart TV.” This is while cable and satellite provider...

Merging Strengths Helps Founders Create Success

COVID-19 restrictions have changed habits, commented Steve Nason, research director at Parks Associates in Marketplace. "Consumers are captive right now, they're in their homes," he said. That's not l...

Tomorrow’s Communities Are Smart And Urban, Where Everything Acts As A Concept

And, looking at more current, household level trends, market research firm Parks Associates forecasts that mobile-only households will decline as fixed broadband networks expand. Mobile-only probably...