Users who visit Hulu on their Android powered phone today will receive a slightly different notice than what was previously seen. While the old notification simply told visitors that the content wasn’t available and that the Hulu team was working on bringing the device to your platform, the new message reads “[Hulu]’s not available, but we are working hard to bring out Hulu Plus subscription to Android!” This is paired with an official statement from Hulu’s CEO announcing the upcoming feature.
According to Mashable, Android phones running off OS 2.2 or higher will be able to watch Hulu videos within a few months thanks to a Hulu Plus application. Jason Kilar brought us this announcement and an (incredibly vague) time-frame at a Samsung’s CES press conference, where he showcased the streaming video on a current Galaxy S phone. However, it should be noted that this isn’t a “no holds barred” gateway for video streaming; it’s only available for those who subscribe to the premium version of Hulu.
This subscription costs $7.99 each month (a price drop from the $9.99/month that it cost prior to November of last year) and allows users access to the premium features from all supported platforms. The premium features of Hulu Plus include:
- Access to all episodes of popular shows (rather than the last five episodes, or rotating five episodes in some cases).
- High-definition (720p) video.
- Support for various platforms, including the PS3, iPad, iPhone, Vizio TVs, and your home computer, with several more platforms (including Android, of course) coming in the near future. A full list of supported platforms is located here.
As the currently supported platforms include the iPad and iPhone, it’s a good thing for Google that Hulu’s finally getting on board. Users interested in trying the service can get a one week free trial, although there’s no guarantee this will last through to the Android app release.
