Hulu passes 20 million subscribers, says offline downloads on the way

Following an event it hosted the previous day in New York, Hulu announced on Tuesday, May 1 that its service has surpassed 20 million subscribers. This number includes those who subscribe to its on-demand service as well as subscribers to Hulu with Live TV. Alongside this good news, Hulu also had plenty to say that will have viewers excited.

Netflix has supported offline viewing for some time now, making it much easier for mobile users who want to watch a movie or TV show somewhere without solid internet access to do so. In the announcement, Hulu stated that it plans to offer the ability to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing as well. The approach it takes will be slightly different though.

Unlike Netflix, Hulu has subscription tiers that include ads. If you’re paying for one of these subscriptions, you’ll still see ads offline. So while you’ll be able to watch offline, you can also expect to see more targeted advertising. As Hulu’s senior vice president of advertising sales, Peter Naylor, says, “With downloadable content, we’re offering brands more ways to connect with engaged viewers who love the experience of watching television, wherever they may be.”

Hulu says that the ability to download shows and movies to watch offline will come to the service “during the 2018-19 upfront season.”

The company also announced several new content deals, one of which is a big grab for the company. In what it calls its largest “kids & family” deal to date, Hulu has inked a deal with DreamWorks Animation, which you likely know best for the Shrek franchise and its spinoffs. Indeed, in coming years, Hulu will add Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale, and others. In the future, Hulu will be the exclusive streaming home for upcoming films like How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The Boss Baby 2 and Trolls 2.

Hulu also announced several renewals and new series. Following the premier of its second season last week, The Handmaid’s Tale is being renewed for a third season, which should come as no surprise. The company also announced new series like horror anthology series Into The Dark, the J.J. Abrams and Stephen King collaboration Castle Rock, Ramy, a comedy series based on the life of comedian Ramy Youseff, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, a limited series based on the 1994 film of the same name written and executive produced by Mindy Kaling and Matt Warburton.