Many Hulu titles have been out of reach for those not residing in the US, but that could be about to change as the platform prepares to roll out on an international scale.
Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the news during the recent earnings call with investors, as the company has full control of Hulu after acquiring 21st Century Fox and doing a deal with NBCU.
The moves have meant that Hulu has begun streamlining its operations and making plans to go global.
Recent news indicating the beginning of this reshuffle was seen with Hulu CEO Randy Freer departing the company.
Disney is now also making use of its new assets to improve the lineup of original content on Hulu. For example, Hulu will soon become the exclusive platform for new FX Original programming.
Hulu subscribers will also be able to stream current FX shows and back seasons for most of its current and library series.
Other content which will appeal for international subscribers include the titles which were deemed not to meet the family friendly guidelines for being added to Disney+, with the R-rated Marvel movies being a prime example.
Disney has reported that Hulu has benefited from demand for its Disney+ service, as the bundle deal combining Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 per month has helped to lower churn rates.
Iger said of the Hulu expansion that the Disney+ launches would come first: ‘We feel that we need to concentrate on those launches, in the marketing and the creation of product for those and then come in with Hulu right after or soon after that.
‘So we don’t have specifics, except we do plan to begin rolling Hulu out, I’d say probably in 2021 — internationally that is — after the Disney Plus launch.’
