Hulu announced the launch of a new subscription service
in Japan, a move that marks the first international expansion for the company.

 

Starting at launch and in the weeks following, Hulu’s
service will offer entertainment fans in Japan unlimited instant access to
hundreds of premium feature films like Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon,
Men in Black, Troy, and As Good As It Gets and more; and thousands of episodes
from previous seasons of TV shows including 24, Bones, Criminal Minds,
Desperate Housewives, Fringe, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Heroes, LOST, NCIS,
Private Practice, Prison Break and Ugly Betty and more.

 

Subscribers will be able to instantly access these shows
and movies on demand on a wide variety of internet connected devices including
connected TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones, without advertising, for ¥1,480
per month.

 

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.

 

For the launch of the subscription service in Japan, Hulu
has secured licensing deals with top film studios and TV networks including
CBS, NBCUniversal International Television Distribution, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company (Japan) featuring
content from Disney/ABC Television Group and The Walt Disney Studios, and
Warner Bros. Additional content will be rapidly and continually added to the
service, including Japanese-produced content and content from across the Asian
region.

 

With the launch of Hulu in Japan, subscribers will be
able to instantly watch thousands of U.S. TV episodes and hundreds of feature
films on internet connected living room devices including TVs, Blu-ray players,
and gaming and entertainment consoles, as well as PCs, tablets, and
smartphones.

 

Like the U.S. service, the Hulu service in Japan is
simple and easy to use. 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.

 

For the launch, Hulu has entered into an exclusive mobile
marketing partnership with Japan’s largest mobile network, NTT Docomo. Details
of this relationship will be unveiled shortly.

 

Subscribers in Japan will be able to use Hulu on any
mobile carrier or internet service provider on supported devices. There are no
long-term contract and no minimum subscription commitments.

 

VIZIO recently announced that the new VIZIO 8″
Tablet with WiFi will support
the Hulu Plus subscription service.  

 

The app will bring the extensive library of TV and film
content from over hundreds of providers and independent creators to
subscribers.

 

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]