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The 'plus' in Hulu Plus: 3,564 incremental episodes



Comprehensive census shows ABC, FOX and NBC account for majority of Hulu Plus full-episode additions



GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO., Aug. 25, 2010 – A just-completed analysis of television content made available from Hulu's new monthly subscription service, Hulu Plus, shows the $9.99-per-month online video service is offering 3,564 full-length TV show episodes that are not available from the free Hulu.com platform. Two-thirds of the added episodes are drawn from prime time schedules of the broadcast TV networks associated with Hulu's owners Walt Disney Co. (ABC), NBC Universal (NBC) and News Corp. (FOX).



Hulu Plus, which is relying on deeper content, more high-definition video and mobile device extensions to attract subscribers, has amassed a considerable video offering in each of those categories within the first 60 days of its introduction to a controlled population of users. According to a title-by-title count of Hulu Plus television content conducted by One Touch Intelligence from Aug. 12-17, Hulu Plus offered:



991 TV series, most of which also are offered by the mainstay Hulu.com site, but with fewer episodes available. Among the handful of notable shows available exclusively from Hulu Plus (and absent from Hulu.com) are ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter" and "Modern Family," FOX's "Master Chef" and "Prison Break," and the NBC shows "The Biggest Loser," "My Name is Earl" and "Law and Order."



28,418 full-length TV episodes, representing 3,564 episodes beyond the 24,854 that are available from Hulu.com. Of those incremental episodes offered by Hulu Plus, 2,349, or 66 percent, reflect programs originally televised by the national broadcast television networks associated with Hulu's co-owners.



"Our initial Hulu Plus census offers a quantitative, title-by-title view of how Hulu is living up to its stated value proposition, which revolves around offering users access to a deeper content inventory and extending availability to new devices," said Stewart Schley, One Touch Intelligence senior director for Industry Intelligence and the author of One Touch Intelligence's VIDEOTRAK®, a monthly report on Internet video. "The unresolved question is whether these incremental content enhancements are enough to compel Hulu users to begin paying for a companion subscription service."