Apple launches Hulu Plus on Apple TV

“Apple on Tuesday quietly updated the Apple TV set-top box, adding a new application for the Hulu Plus streaming video service,” AppleInsider reports.

“The subscription service appeared on users’ Apple TV home screens on Tuesday without the need for a software update,” AppleInsider reports. “Those who subscribe to the Hulu Plus service can log in to access their account, while new users are offered a free one-week trial.”

AppleInsider reports, “Hulu Plus joins Netflix, MLB.TV, the NBA, NHL, Vimeo, YouTube, and WSJ Live as third-party content providers available on the Apple TV. They join Apple’s own iTunes content available for sale or rental.”

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lava_Head_UK” for the heads up.]

26 Comments

  1. Could this have been a concession to get or keep content in the iTunes Store? I would not think that Apple would ad an other outlet to view TV shows without something in return. Of course Apple may have just been trying to give Netflix some competition in the streaming market or just responding to user requests, but I doubt it.

  2. About time…now all we need is Amazon Prime Instant (not purchases/rentals) and this will be competitive with Roku for users with the 3 major streaming subscriptions.

  3. In the UK could do with BBC iPlayer, 4oD, etc. that appear on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, generic streaming devices, set-top boxes, Smart TVs, and Blu-ray players.

    Would’ve been good to watch the BBC’s 24 live Olympic streams via Apple TV.

  4. Honestly, I dropped cable because I was getting what I wanted from iTunes and Netflix, and here’s the important thing, without commercials. I don’t see the point in paying to watch commercial. Ads were originally there to support television programming that was broadcast for free, but if I’m paying to watch, I don’t want to see ads.

    1. Hulu has ads?
      I was all excited until I read that.
      During the Olympic opening ceremonies our DVRing buddies could skip through them, but the interruptions came every flippin 5 minutes.
      I thing we’ll pass on Hulu.

      1. I’m just the opposite. I watch a great deal of TV and buying individual episodes costs me six times as much as it does to just watch shows on my DVR. I would stick with a cable DVR, but they are still wedded to competing in prime time live even if the content itself is pre-recorded.

        Dish Network’s Hopper box would address my needs well because of its multiple tuners (5+) while maintaining the discovery aspect of the LIVE TV schedule.

        The only downside to Hulu+ is that the ads can’t be skipped. But I tolerate this because of the convenience of taking all the shows I want to watch with me wherever I go without haviing t wait a year or more for them to come to Netflix (if they ever do).

        HBO Go away from a cable subscription and a fiber optic broadband are the last two pieces of the puzzle for me to cut the cord for good.

        For the time being though, cable TV bundled with 40Mbps is the better deal per hour of TV.

        Side Note: An HDMI cable, DLNA, WiDi, AirPlay, or AirParrot, can give you the Web Only Hulu+ content on your Apple TV if you really need it to.

    1. Officially, Hulu is available only in the USA and Japan in any format. If it’s not available online via your PC or Mac in Canada, I doubt it will appear on Apple TV in Canada. BTW Hulu is not yet available on Apple TV here in Japan. Online, Xbox 360 and PS3, yes, but Apple TV, no.

      I hope you get Hulu soon. If you haven’t already, try a service like Hidemyass to access Hulu and other global entertainment.

  5. Great. It was fun to sign up for Hulu plus through the apple TV, and I only had to enter my security code rather than tons of info. Now, if I could just remove or even just hide the sports things on there, it would be so much better.

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