Hulu has inked a deal with Yahoo to provide free, ad-supported episodes of a range of TV shows. But Hulu also said Monday it will end free streaming service on its own platform as it is moving that to an all-subscription model. As part of its expanded distribution deal with Yahoo, which is launching Yahoo View, a new ad-supported TV streaming site with five most recent episodes of shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox among other networks.
From an article on The Hollywood Reporter:Most of Hulu’s free content has been fairly limited, restricted to what’s known as the “rolling five,” or the five most recent episodes of a current show — content that typically becomes available eight days after it airs and is usually also available for free on broadcast networks’ websites. For example, recent episodes of shows like America’s Got Talent, South Park and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are currently available for free, while Hulu’s slate of originals and high-profile exclusives remain behind the paywall. […] Yahoo is launching the TV site a half-year after shuttering Yahoo Screen, the video service that offered up ad-supported episodes of original TV shows like Community, live streaming concerts and other clips. With View, however, Yahoo is focusing specifically on providing a destination for television to its audience, many of whom are still driven to Yahoo products via its highly trafficked homepage.