Hulu Plus has – at least to some degree – heard and acknowledged its critics. This morning, an announcement indicated that the service’s content library is growing and its price is shrinking as it launches out of preview. Also, as a sort of bonus, Hulu Plus is becoming available on Roku.
The price-related announcement has the most potential to change things for Hulu Plus. Critics pointed out from the start that Netflix only cost $8.99 per month, which made Hulu Plus’s $9.99 asking price look high. Now Hulu will just charge $7.99 per month, though, and so early adopters don’t feel cheated, it’ll apply a credit for the difference to their accounts.
As for the matter of content, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar wrote on the Hulu Blog, "With this launch, we are proud to offer our users the only subscription service with the full current season of hit TV shows like Glee, Modern Family, The Office, House, 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, and more, with minimal ad-load, across computers, TVs, mobile phones, and tablets."
Then, after noting that Hulu Plus is available to around 50 million people thanks to its device partnerships, Kilar added, "Today, Hulu Plus launches on Roku."
Not a bad collection of proclamations, right? Kilar even capped off the blog post by mentioning some freebies. First, a one-week free trial is available to new subscribers (and again, early adopters will receive a credit). Second, current subscribers and people they invite through a referral program will each get two free weeks of Hulu Plus.
Unfortunately, users will still see ads, and Netflix’s selection remains better in many ways. But it’s at least true that Hulu Plus has never looked more attractive.
