Hulu Could Begin Testing Subscription Service This Month

Hulu Could Begin Testing Subscription Service This Month

Online video site Hulu could begin testing a paid subscription service as early as later this month, according to people briefed on the plans, a high-profile test of whether consumers will pay to watch television shows online.

The popular video site is working to finalize agreements with content owners and hoping to wrap them up in the coming days, these people said.

The service, which is being referred to as Hulu Plus, marks a new effort from the Web venture to address the shifting Web strategies of its three big-media owners, General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, News Corp. and Walt Disney Co.

The service would initially be a “preview,” available only to invited users, said the people briefed on the matter. Those users would pay a monthly fee of around $10 for access to additional content on top of Hulu’s free offerings, and also get the ability to watch Hulu on Apple Inc.’s iPad and possibly other devices, said one of these people.

This person cautioned that the timing could be pushed back and some details could change.

Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal.