Mr. Hopkins underscored that Hulu was not exiting the advertising business and would continue to invest in targeting technologies that deliver viewers personalized commercials that match their interests. The $4 price differential between the subscription options aims to find a balance high enough to justify the loss in advertising revenue but low enough that people will subscribe.

“Consumers are asking for more choice,” Mr. Hopkins said. “One thing that they really wanted us to do is give them some choice around advertising.”

It has already been a busy year for Hulu, during which it has bolstered its roster of film and television offerings and expanded distribution. Mr. Hopkins started as chief executive in 2013, after its owners — Walt Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast — announced that they were scrapping plans to sell the site and instead investing $750 million into the service.

Recent developments signal that Hulu’s owners think of the site as a defense against the rise of Netflix and Amazon, which have contributed to sharp TV ratings declines, some media industry analysts have said. Building a stronger streaming competitor of their own could help traditional TV companies fight back.

Just this week, for example, Hulu announced that it had landed a streaming deal with the premium cable network Epix to bring films including “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” to the service. (Previously, Epix had an agreement with Netflix. Epix programming is also available on Amazon and cable television.)

That followed Hulu’s streaming deals for televisions hits including “Seinfeld,” “Empire” and “Fargo,” as well as with the networks AMC, FX and Turner. Hulu also has ramped up its investment in original programming, including “11/22/63” from Stephen King and J. J. Abrams, about a time traveler who tries to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy; Amy Poehler’s comedy “Difficult People”; and the next season of the comedy “The Mindy Project.”

Hulu also has struck deals with cable companies such as Cablevision, which resells the service to its customers.

“We knew that we had to make a lot of investments in content so that we could stand apart and make some headway against the competition,” Mr. Hopkins said.