Online video streaming service Hulu is launching its new Hulu Plus service, enabling subscribers to tap into premium content and back episode archives of popular television programs for a $9.99 monthly fee. Now, Hulu Plus is getting support from devices in the living room: Roku set-top boxes and TiVo Premiere have announced they will soon be supporting the service.
“We’re thrilled to be able to provide Hulu Plus subscribers with the most inexpensive device to stream Hulu content to their TVs,” said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood, in a statement (PDF). “Hulu continues to be an amazing innovator in online entertainment, and Roku is an ideal platform to bring their content back to the living room and high definition televisions where it is best viewed.”
Roku was on of the first set-top streaming video players on the market; the current Roku boxes start at $59.99 and offer HD streaming capability. Roku says it will offer Hulu Plus service via subscription to all Roku users “later this fall.”
TiVo is similar vague about when Hulu Plus support will appear—but assures users it will be available to Tivo Premiere customers in the coming months.
Using Hulu Plus with either device will require a separate $9.99 month subscription fee paid to Hulu.
Hulu Plus aims to monetize the Hulu service by providing access to premium content, including every episode of nearly four dozen popular American television shows from ABCGlee, Family Guy, The Office, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Arrested Development, and Ally McBeal. The service is being rolled out now: users interested in subscribing can request an invitation.
