OTT video provider Hulu has made its first venture outside the U.S., launching a new subscription service today in Japan. It allows customers to access movies and TV shows from the company’s online library via connected TVs, PCs, smartphones, tablets and more.
The service in Japan will cost 1,480 Yen (about $19 U.S.) per month, but the first month is free as a trial. Hulu says customers in the Asian nation will be able to watch movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean" and “Men in Black" as well as TV series like “Criminal Minds" and “Grey’s Anatomy."
“Since launching Hulu in 2008 in the U.S., we have been working hard to bring our service to consumers outside our home market and become a global brand. Today, we are taking a first, but important step to make good on our aspiration to serve customers all over the world," said Johannes Larcher, SVP of International for Hulu.
Hulu has content-licensing deals with CBS, NBCUniversal, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Disney and more. The company expects to add more content, including Japanese-produced video and content from throughout Asia.
Like the U.S. service, accounts travel with the user from device to device – seamlessly moving from TV to PC to mobile phone. Subscribers can start watching a show on their phone, and finish watching it on their internet connected TV.
Hulu has an exclusive mobile marketing partnership with NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile network. Subscribers in Japan will be able to use Hulu on any mobile carrier or ISP on supported devices. There is no long-term contract and no minimum subscription commitments.
