The video portal Hulu is an internet platform with a chargeable video-on-demand service with compulsory registration. TV series, feature films and trailers from the American media groups NBC, FOX, ABC and other providers are streamed in Flash video format. Hulu.com is a joint venture of NBC Universal, Fox Entertainment Group, Time Warner and Disney-ABC Television Group and is currently only available to users with a US IP address.
In addition to the browser-based platform, the Flash-based Hulu Desktop software also exists.
In 2009, Chase Carey, Vice President of News Corporation, stated that Hulu would soon have to introduce a payment model. On November 17, 2010, Hulu Plus, an additional payment service, was introduced that provides users with more content from existing TV series. Hulu Plus is available on several platforms: Apple TV, Blu-ray players, smart TVs, smartphones and tablets, consoles (Microsoft: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Nintendo: 3DS, Wii, Nintendo Switch, Sony: PlayStation 3 and 4), Roku Streaming Player and WD TV Media Player.
In the summer of 2011, it became known that the current owners wanted to sell the platform and are therefore in talks with Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. The sale process was halted in the autumn of 2011, partly because Hulu was unable to offer long-term rights to use the video content and the price offered was too low for the owners. The sale process was stopped in the autumn of 2011.
Hulu’s free service was discontinued at the end of 2016.