Hulu took the stage for its NewFront presentation Wednesday with a landmark streaming deal for two of the most popular series on television.
First is the show about nothing, Seinfeld. Through a deal with Sony Pictures Television, Hulu announced that it has acquired exclusive SVOD rights to every episode of the show. All nine seasons will be available on the platform this June.
Next, Hulu’s deal with AMC grants the streaming site access to all future programming from the network group, including cable ratings hit The Walking Dead, as well as its upcoming spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead.
It also includes the other channels under AMC Networks umbrella, IFC, BBC America, SundanceTV and WE tv. Under the agreement, future AMC Networks series will come to Hulu following their full season runs on air.
“AMC Networks has been the original home of some of the most popular shows in the history of online streaming,” said Ed Carroll, COO at AMC Networks, “and we are excited about this new partnership with Hulu, a growing company that has created a network-branded environment for content in a highly competitive space.”
Hulu also boasted a 50 percent boost in its subscriber base over the past year and further explain its recent deal with Cablevision, which makes the cable provider the first one of its kind to offer the service.
Its growing originals slate includes James Franco’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel 11/22/63, Billy Eichner’s Difficult People, new comedy Casual, the family drama The Way and RocketJump: The Show.
The new slate will begin to roll out this summer, continuing with premieres throughout 2016.
“Every category of measurement including hours watched and hours streamed is up dramatically year over year. With additional marketing spend, bigger content acquisitions and a new slate of premium originals, the Hulu drumbeat will only continue to grow louder and louder,” said Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins.
YouTube, with a presentation hosted by Grace Helbig with appearances from author John Green, touted its active audience among the 18-49 demographic. The site shared few announcements, instead focusing on the level of engagement of its fans across the many content creators on its platform.
Refinery29 also presented its upcoming lineup at Wednesday’s NewFronts, which includes new shows from Lena Dunham, Lisa Kurdow and Planned Parenthood.
Targeting millennial women, Refinery29 added Her Shorts, a short film from Dunham and Planned Parenthood with personal stories of women’s health issues. S*!tty Boyfriends, from Kudrow and Web Therapy’s Dan Bucatinsky, is a story about one woman trying to find love with some help from her Auntie Katie.
Dark comedy The Skinny is about a feminist comedian in Los Angeles, and Throwback works with production company World of Wonder to take today’s talent and make them over to look like famous women from other eras, including Cher, Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick.
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