Hulu Plus Announced

This past Tuesday, Hulu unveiled a new premium streaming service called Hulu Plus. This $9.99/mo. subscription plan offers users an extensive library of high definition content from Hulu’s existing collection in addition to a wealth of new exclusive content. Among the most intriguing features of the new program is the ability to stream all episodes of a given television season. Unlike studio websites, where only a selection of recent episodes are available to watch, Hulu Plus will enable viewers to jump into a season at any point. Featuring the most popular shows from ABC, FOX, and NBC, Hulu Plus also includes a back catalog of complete series such as: The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Law & Order: SVU.

In addition to streaming on your Mac, Hulu Plus will also be compatible with iOS devices over Wi-Fi and 3G. The service will also work with internet enabled televisions, select blu-ray players, and game consoles. Though the service is currently in an exclusive preview phase, an invite can be requested here. A Hulu Plus app has also been released in the App Store.

With all of its content on demand and in 720p HD, Hulu Plus seems like a great alternative to traditional cable. Pitted against other similarly priced streaming services such as Netflix, it will be interesting to see whether or not it takes off. So far the only issue raised against the service is that it is slated to be ad-supported. While the ads will likely be short and concise like standard Hulu, their inclusion on top of a montly fee may turn some users off. For more information on Hulu Plus including a complete listing of shows initially available click here