Hulu explores no ads option

US streaming and catch-up service Hulu is exploring the launch of a ‘no ads Hulu’ service, internally dubbed ‘Noah’.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news. It reported that Hulu is weighing the launch of a premium service that could roll out this autumn and would be priced between US$12 (€11) and US$14.

If Hulu decided to launch at that price point it would be a more expensive option than leading SVOD service Netflix, which now costs US$8.99 a month for new basic subscribers.

Hulu already has a premium service, Hulu Plus, which sits alongside its basic free service, but that still has advertising.

Hulu is owned by Comcast, Disney and Fox. It has about nine million paying subs. Netflix, by comparison, had 42 million US customers at the end of its last reporting period.

Last month Hulu added an option for its customers to access a discounted version of the Showtime OTT package via the Hulu app and hulu.com.