Those who thought it was too outrageous to pay $10 a month for a premium video service that still bombarded them with commercials…will still probably have a problem with Hulu Plus, but at least it’s only $8 now.
Hulu Plus, which just recently came out of its “invitation-only” beta phase, is now more in line with the pricing option of Netflix, its biggest competitor in the subscription-based video streaming market.
“Though the service has only been in preview for part of this year, Hulu Plus is already accounting for a material percentage of Hulu’s overall business. But we’re even more excited about where we plan to take the service in the months and years to come,” wrote Hulu CEO Jason Kila in a blog post.
Kilar also said anyone who was just billed at the $9.99 rate should be receiving a credit to their account soon. Additionally, users who haven’t signed up yet can now get a free week to try out the premium service.
So as not to make early adopters feel as though they got cheated, anyone who’s currently a subscriber to Hulu Plus will also get a free week credited to their account.
It all signifies that the company is in full subscriber-growth mode, fresh out of its preview status. Hulu Plus is now available on Sony and Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players, the PS3, iPhones, other Internet-connected TVs, and set-top media boxes. That’s the main draw for the service, since viewers are still uneasy about watching significant amounts of full-length TV content on their computer.
Meanwhile, the free Hulu.com service remains unchanged, just as Hulu promised up front.
