INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
In response to the COVID-10 outbreak, Hulu is adding a free, live news stream to its app for customers who only subscribe to its on-demand
service, not its live TV add-on
The news coverage is provided in partnership with ABC News Live, and brings live news 24/7 to Hulu on-demSubscribers as part of their
existing subscription.
This includes those who pay for Hulu alone as well as those who pay for the newer Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle
subscription, the company noted
And it will be available to both tiers of Hulu on-demand service, including the ad-supported and Hulu No Ads plan.
The live stream will also
be featured in the &Hulu Picks& section for easy access and will be available across living room and mobile devices, as well as popular game
consoles.
Hulu Live TV customers, meanwhile, already have a number of live TV news channels they can watch as a part of their subscription
But Hulu on-demand service is far larger, with 27.2 million paid subscribers, compared with just 3.2 million for Live TV.
Beginning today,
@ABCNewsLive is available to stream for @Hulu on-demSubscribers
Watch the latest news and live events, 24/7: https://t.co/jQRzimY94U
mdash; ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) March 20, 2020
Health
organizations and political leaders have urged Americans to get their news from trusted sources during the COVID-19 crisis — not from
social media, where misinformation spreads more quickly than tech companies can moderate or remove
(When and if they try to do so.)
Meanwhile, the uncertainty around the coronavirus outbreak has led to a significant number of online
rumors, hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and snake oil cures
Earlier this week, for example, a fake news report of a national quarantine spread so quickly that the National Security Council had to post
a statement to assure Americans the news was untrue.
The addition of live news for Hulu arrives at a time when a growing number of United
States consumers have cut the cord with traditional pay TV or chose to never sign up in the first place
In Hulu case, the company says close to half its customers fall into one of those two buckets.
More than 45 percent of Hulu viewers have
either cut the cord or never had cable, and may not have access to live, televised news to receive critical information during times of
national crisis,& the company said, in an announcement
&With this live stream, we aim to keep our viewers informed during this unprecedented time when having access to information is vital to our
communities,& Hulu said.
In addition, fewer United States consumers today subscribe to a daily newspaper than in generations prior
Instead, much of our &TV viewing& is now taking place in on-demand apps like Netflix and Hulu, and our news is gathered in bits and pieces
online.
Hulu isn''t the first streaming provider to add free live news to its service as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak
This week, Sling TV launched free streaming that included live news from ABC News Live, as well.
Of course, you don''t need to be a Hulu
subscriber to watch ABC News Live
The news service streams online and through the ABC News app for free
But integration into major streaming apps like Hulu will make the service more accessible and more visible, as it won''t require people to
seek out a separate app just to watch.
