In order to personalize the entertainment watching experience, Hulu has decided to open up user profiles on each paying account as of December 8, 2016. Each account is allowed up to six user profiles. Not only is every account taste being refined according to viewing history and queued shows, but each participating member of a family or group of friends on an account will have target taste recommendations after each user gives Hulu questionnaire answers regarding their personal tastes. Children are even allowed to open up a Kids Profile, which gives suggestions that are family-friendly; good news for parents justifiably worried about their children wandering into the forest of mature content entertainment. This means no access to search, account recommendations, or Watchlist for young viewers.

Hulu’s new change is nothing new and shiny to those who use Netflix instead, which has had multiple viewer accounts since 2013; it can simply be viewed as catching up. However, as mentioned on TechHive.com, this definitely promotes Hulu as a premium streaming site that really refines the customer’s viewing and reviewing experience, and makes site navigation and organization more efficient. More simply put, it gives a viewer what they want, faster; not all people watch The Crown, not all people watch American Horror Story, and not all people watch Curious George; it frees viewers up from other account viewers’ suggestions or different tastes.

A few setbacks that come with the new feature are the fact that one account can have multiple profiles, but only one can stream at a given time, and that Hulu profiles are not available on television or mobile devices, just Hulu.com. Hulu is working on launching availability on mobile devices, but must first know how well account profiles succeed among viewers who watch via computer, which is likely to be Hulu’s largest consumer group if divided up by viewing device. Honestly, it’s surprising that Hulu hasn’t added profile options before now.

How do you use your family’s viewer profiles? Do you think this will help those of you using Hulu with their current interface?

– Kelly Gatewood

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