Fox Renews Hulu Streaming Deal for In-Season Episodes

Fox Corp.’s Fox Entertainment and Disney’s Hulu announced a multiyear content deal renewal, encompassing in-season streaming rights for Fox’s primetime shows.

The pact also includes “an extensive multiplatform strategic marketing alliance,” the companies said. That will feature joint Fox and Hulu branding across all Fox-owned and “external marketing touchpoints” to “align live and on-demand viewing messaging of Fox content.”

Under the terms of the agreement, all Fox primetime entertainment programming — including “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” 9-1-1,” “The Cleaning Lady,” “The Masked Singer” and “Next Level Chef” — will continue to stream on Hulu the next day following linear telecast. The renewal comes after after Fox Entertainment and Hulu entered into a program output deal, announced last February, which lets Hulu stream all out-of-season episodes of key Fox unscripted and animated programs.

The deal solidifies Hulu as Fox’s primary subscription-streaming outlet, as Fox Corp. does not have a horse in the subscription VOD race (while Fox Entertainment owns Tubi, a free, ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, service).

Meanwhile, Fox’s renewal with Hulu comes after NBCUniversal last year pulled back next-day streaming rights to in-season TV shows across its broadcast and cable nets — to put those on Peacock — and reclaimed additional content for Peacock.

“Our long-standing, valued partnership with Hulu consistently generates impressive results and creates an important pathway for our scripted, unscripted and animated series to maximize viewer reach,” Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment, said in announcing the deal. “Under this new deal, Fox solidifies its longer-term streaming strategy, while harnessing the power and strength of both Hulu and Fox to better serve our audiences and bring visibility to premium content across our streaming and linear platforms.”

“Continuing to be the next-day streaming home for current Fox hits, along with out-of-season episodes of well-loved Fox titles, reinforces Hulu’s unique position in the streaming space — as the only SVOD service to carry next-day series from multiple broadcast networks,” Hulu president Joe Earley said in a prepared statement. “Fox has always been a great partner, but now Rob and his teams are leveling-up our relationship with their new marketing commitments, helping viewers understand where they can watch all of these shows.”

Fox series produced by Disney Television Studios include “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Lone Star” and “The Resident,” as well as perennial animated favorites “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Great North. Fox Alternative Entertainment produces unscripted hit series “The Masked Singer,” as well as “I Can See Your Voice,” “Name That Tune,” Domino Masters” and, in association with Studio Ramsay Global, “Next Level Chef” and upcoming series “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.”

Fox Entertainment Studios produces mid-season single-camera comedy “Animal Control,” while the animated comedies “HouseBroken” and Dan Harmon’s “Krapopolis,” and “Grimsburg,” starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm, are produced by its Bento Box Entertainment division.

Other Fox programming includes dramas “The Cleaning Lady” (Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment), “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” (Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment) and “Accused” (Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment, All3Media America); comedies “Call Me Kat” (That’s Wonderful Productions, Sad Clown Productions, BBC Studios, Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment) and “Welcome to Flatch” (Lionsgate, BBC Studios and Fox Entertainment).

Unscripted series on Fox broadcast include “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” (Minnow Films) and “Lego Masters” (Endemol Shine North America, Tuesday’s Child and Plan B Entertainment), “MasterChef” and “MasterChef Junior” (Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato), “Hell’s Kitchen” (ITV Entertainment and A. Smith & Co.), “Beat Shazam” (Apploff Entertainment, MGM Television, BiggerStage and Shazam) and the upcoming dating series “Farmer Wants a Wife” (Eureka Productions).