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hulu.com
The answer turned out to be simple: Hulu offered a much better selection of content than Netflix. They had more current and older shows, as well as exclusive content that no other streaming service had. Although it took some time for them to catch up to Netflix in terms of viewership, they eventually came out on top.
After Hulu hit the market, many people were unsure about its future because of all of the daunting concerns that investors had. However, Hulu did some really smart things to address all of these concerns and now it is the second most popular streaming service ever! What did they do specifically?
Hulu hoped they could dethrone them by catering to a different audience who wanted to watch entire seasons of shows at once.
First of all, Hulu decided to offer a slightly different streaming model from that of Netflix. They mirrored their platform more closely to that of traditional cable, hoping to dethrone Netflix as the reigning king of binge-worthy content.
Hulu decided to keep their service as a weekly watch instead of an all-in-one package like cable TV. They believed that by keeping people hooked on their shows, they would bring them back time and time again to tune in next week and see what happens on their favorite shows. And this is exactly what happened. Many people who swear by Hulu cite the fact that they are able to watch new episodes of their favorite shows 24 hours after they air on cable TV.
Hulu has been able to find syndications that Netflix either overlooked or was not able to properly cater to with this model. As soon as Netflix began pivoting towards producing more original content, Hulu picked up a lot of network cable syndications - these networks favoring the weekly release model for currently airing programs.
This allowed Hulu to secure very exclusive contracts with the likes of NBC, ABC, and Fox. However, Hulu also began producing their own original content immediately upon launch, accurately predicting that this would be the big push in the coming years of streaming. As a result, Hulu has produced plenty of critically acclaimed and award-winning original movies and TV shows.
As far as what Hulu was able to offer that could convert dedicated Netflix streamers to its fold? In addition to plenty of high-quality original content that couldn't be found on Netflix or anywhere else, and the ability for users to keep up to date with their favorite currently airing sitcoms and dramas, Hulu eventually started offering its own live cable TV streaming service in addition to its basic streaming capabilities.
This was the final large-scale move that would forever differentiate Hulu from Netflix in a major way. For around $50 a month, users could now stream live TV from hundreds of networks, as well as stream their favorite Hulu content on-demand. At the time, no other premium streaming service offered anything of the sort. I know, personally, plenty of people who hopped on the Hulu bandwagon almost immediately once they began offering this service.
People seem to absolutely love the app version of Hulu. Whereas many premium streaming apps do not tend to get very high user ratings, the Hulu app is one of the highest-rated apps in all of the Apple App Store, and it seems to be tenured as an Apple App Store Editor's Choice. With an overall average user rating of 4.7 stars (out of 5) from over 1.2 million individual user reviews, there is no touching Hulu in the world of premium streaming apps!
Why don't we take a look at what the Hulu app has to offer? Let's see what makes it so great.
Design
It's not very common that a premium streaming app is designed in a way that truly makes sense for a premium streaming app. Take the Netflix app, for example, it is very cluttered, and it seems to be built in a layout that would make more sense for a social network than it would for a streaming service. Hulu, on the other hand, knows exactly what it is - a premium streaming service that needs to make comfortable smartphone application of its platform - and it knows exactly how to best highlight its features in a way that makes the most sense for mobile application. In fact, I might go as far as to say that the Hulu app is much better than website of Hulu.
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The app has conveniently separated the home page into clickable sections. Just select what you are looking for and watch the whole page immediately transform. Scroll through a slender menu at the top of the app, choosing either Popular, Drama, Comedy, Documentaries, etc. and simply browse by genre or popularity. From there, it is just a matter of scrolling down until you find the title you are looking for.
The My Stuff section of the app is a great way to keep track of your favorite shows, movies, and TV networks. You can access this cross-platform folder on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. It's easy to stream whatever you have added to your My Stuff list in one place.
Content
The Hulu app grants you access to every show, movie, and network that you have access to - no missing titles or networks. Every movie and show that Hulu has to offer on its website and Smart TV app is also available on the mobile app.
You can add specific additional networks to access exclusive content, such as Showtime, HBO, Cinemax, or STARS. And if you have access to Hulu TV, the app allows you to watch live television while also browsing from a live TV menu.
Pricing and Plans
Hulu probably has more pricing tiers than any other premium streaming service. There are the Hulu basic streaming options, which are $9.99 a month and include ads, and Hulu Premium, which is ad-free. If you want access to live TV, however, you'll have to be willing to drop around $40 per month (which also gets you access to everything else). Similar to Amazon Prime Video, you can add specific channels like HBO and Showtime for various additional fees per month.
That being said, the app itself is completely free to download and use. There is no additional cost to use the app, and it allows you to create up to six different personalized accounts, in case your family and friends will also be using your Hulu password and username.
Suggestions that I have for the Hulu App
Unfortunately, as is the case with many premium streaming apps, there have been reports of closed captioning errors, the rewind feature being off, and some minor sound problems here and there. So my suggestion would be to get rid of these minor bugs in order to create the truly flawless mobile experience that the Hulu app could offer.
Conclusion
Based on ratings alone, the Hulu app might be the best premium streaming app currently on the market. There may be a few glitches here and there, but for what it?s worth, this is quite possibly the best free app you?ll find. If you have a Hulu account, it is a must-have, and if you are considering getting one, I strongly urge you to consider it - especially if you watch a lot of content on your phone or tablet!
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