Roku Offers Hulu Plus

28 Sep, 2010 By: Erik Gruenwedel

Media player manufacturer Roku Inc. Sept. 28 said it will offer device owners access to subscription-based Hulu Plus beginning this fall. Separately, TiVo Inc. said it will offer Hulu Plus on its broadband digital video recorders.

Hulu.com, which offers ad-supported repurposed TV programming online and is owned by The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and NBC Universal, earlier this year bowed Hulu Plus for $9.99 per month. The subscription service represents a more aggressive approach (during an advertising downturn) by Hulu to generate incremental revenue for content holders, notably its major media company owners.

Through Hulu Plus, Roku users can watch episodes from more than 45 ABC, Fox and NBC shows, including Emmy winners “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Glee,” “Family Guy,” “The Office” and “30 Rock.” In addition, subscribers can watch full series runs and numerous back seasons of dozens of classic shows, including “The X-Files,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Arrested Development,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Miami Vice,” “Ugly Betty,” “Quantum Leap,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Roswell” and “Ally McBeal.”

“Hulu continues to be an amazing innovator in online entertainment, and Roku is an ideal platform to bring their content back to the living room and high-definition televisions where it is best viewed,” said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Saratoga, Calif.-based Roku.

Indeed, CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves, whose company operates Hulu rival TV.com, last week said he would consider offering content to Hulu Plus. Moonves said the subscription service was superior to Hulu.com and re-branded Apple TV — calling the latter’s 99-cent episodic TV program pricing insufficient.

Roku helped usher in the streaming market with the launch the “Roku Netflix Player” in 2008. The company, which recently shipped its 1 millionth player, dropped unit prices and bowed the XDS model featuring dual-band Wireless-N technology and USB playback.

Separately, Ooyala, a Mountain View, Calif.-based video platform, said it signed a deal with Roku to help third-party content owners develop customized Roku channels.