Hulu

Hulu is an American <a href="/facts/Subscription_business_model/CNForGLH">subscription</a> <a href="/facts/Streaming_media/4rPhSq0Y">streaming media</a> service owned by <a href="/facts/Disney_Streaming/3pMSS4Ed">Disney Streaming</a>, a subsidiary of the <a href="/facts/Disney_Entertainment/e2fH9Acy">Disney Entertainment</a> segment of <a href="/facts/The_Walt_Disney_Company/R8kCbAVc">the Walt Disney Company</a>. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as a <a href="/facts/Joint_venture/f2Fv8QqA">joint venture</a> between <a href="/facts/News_Corporation/SBPAySd1">News Corporation</a> (later <a href="/facts/21st_Century_Fox/e97txeb3">21st Century Fox</a>) and <a href="/facts/NBCUniversal/s4QPPX62">NBC Universal</a>, which was later <a href="/facts/Acquisition_of_NBC_Universal_by_Comcast/hcrMIYKS">bought by</a> <a href="/facts/Comcast/5osy4Q0h">Comcast</a>. Many companies like <a href="/facts/AT%2526T/y3Lo9uhk">AT&T</a>'s <a href="/facts/WarnerMedia/MvXvu3lU">WarnerMedia</a>, <a href="/facts/Providence_Equity/Uy9a63UN">Providence Equity</a>, and the Walt Disney Company bought stakes in the service. Hulu served as an aggregation of recent episodes of television series from the respective <a href="/facts/Television_broadcaster/xq32nKxz">television broadcasting</a> by its owners. In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially <a href="/facts/Brand/hP6SnDWU">branded</a> as "Hulu Plus," which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and un-delayed access to new episodes. In 2017, the company launched Hulu with Live TV—an <a href="/facts/Over-the-top_media_service/pVfcCWfe">over-the-top</a> streaming television service offering access to <a href="/facts/Broadcast_programming/fXlDQcTE">broadcast television</a> channels. Hulu is one of the <a href="/facts/List_of_streaming_media_services/BCQ2rPle">most-subscribed video on demand</a> <a href="/facts/Streaming_media/4rPhSq0Y">streaming media</a> service, with 51 million paid memberships.
In 2011, Hulu launched <a href="/facts/Hulu_Japan/BwmrwW72">its services in Japan</a>, marking its first and only international expansion. Three years later in 2014, Hulu Japan was acquired by <a href="/facts/Nippon_TV/c1yYfQBA">Nippon TV</a> and spun off from its American counterpart. Since February 2021, Hulu's original content has since been distributed outside of the U.S. via <a href="/facts/Disney%252B/oKWuzTvQ">Disney+</a> under the <a href="/facts/Star_(Disney%252B)/P2mVsJXV">Star</a> brand. In 2019, Disney acquired a majority stake in Hulu as part of its <a href="/facts/Acquisition_of_21st_Century_Fox_by_Disney/PgfxPfxU">acquisition of 21st Century Fox</a>, and subsequently acquired the remaining stakes held by AT&T and Comcast in 2019 and 2023, respectively, giving it full ownership, with Disney paying Comcast an extra $438.7 million in addition to the minimum floor price for their remaining stake of Hulu, closing on or before July 24, 2025. After the acquisition, Disney <a href="/facts/Soft_launch/juRJ71eH">soft launched</a> an integration of Hulu into Disney+ as a content hub in December 2023, allowing subscribers of both services to access Hulu content from within the Disney+ app. Hulu is one of the three streaming services in the Disney Bundle, alongside Disney+ and <a href="/facts/ESPN%252B/QTJLjoDY">ESPN+</a>.
On January 6, 2025, Disney began its acquisition of a 70% stake in <a href="/facts/FuboTV/uLbTUqAD">FuboTV</a>, with the latter merging with Hulu's Live TV service. The combined company will remain publicly traded on the <a href="/facts/New_York_Stock_Exchange/XgSV32lk">New York Stock Exchange</a>, but will be controlled by Disney executives. As part of the deal, Fubo settled a lawsuit against <a href="/facts/ESPN_Inc./Rr2IfGYp">ESPN Inc.</a> (majority-owned by Disney), <a href="/facts/Fox_Corporation/QPIXjjbN">Fox Corporation</a> (21CF's successor), and <a href="/facts/Warner_Bros._Discovery/0rV6EadW">Warner Bros. Discovery</a> (WarnerMedia's successor after its merger with <a href="/facts/Discovery%2c_Inc./6y0aeRqm">Discovery, Inc.</a>) over a joint venture known as <a href="/facts/Venu_Sports/tk5FN5RE">Venu Sports</a>, with Fubo being granted a preliminary injunction to stop its launch in August 2024. The merger will take 12 to 18 months according to Disney and Fubo. Venu Sports was discontinued a few days later.

Hulu open-in-new

Hulu