AT&T customers to get free access to Hulu
On Wednesday, AT&T announced it has reached a deal to provide its customers with free access to Hulu, the streaming service with a large catalog of both current and previous episodes of TV shows from ABC, NBC, Fox, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, FX, Nickelodeon and MTV. According to the press release, the Hulu content will be made available later this year.
Under the deal, AT&T customers will be able to stream Hulu's offerings on a dedicated AT&T website, as well as AT&T built mobile apps. Furthermore AT&T and Hulu are working together to create a forthcoming Hulu app for smart TVs.
Currently, a monthly subscription to Hulu costs $8 and comes with some video advertising. Hulu is available on desktop, as well as on a bevy of mobile and TV apps on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Roku and Xbox.
It remains unclear whether there will be any limitations on which TV shows or episodes will be made available on this free AT&T-enabled tier, or if only certain AT&T customers will qualify for a Hulu subscription with their phone plan.
The story behind the story: With Google's announcement that it will launch its own cell phone service, and with Facebook looking to become a communications utility for over a billion people, it's no surprise that wireless carriers feel that their core businesses are under siege.
Earlier this week AT&T's biggest rival, Verizon, announced it was acquiring AOL as a way to boost its digital and video offerings. Similarly, AT&T is bringing Hulu content to its customers to keep them glued to their screens. Last month Time reported that AT&T was going to spend $500 million to create its own video streaming service to "crush Netflix and Hulu." You know what they say: keep your enemies close.