Bullish Hulu unveils slate of new programming

Days after announcing strong financial figures and a commitment to investing half a billion dollars in content, Hulu announced its original programming slate for the first half of 2012. The leading over the top (OTT) service provider grew its business 60% compared with 2010 resulting in around $420 million in revenue and according to CEO Jason Kilar content was the key driver for growth with the service’s basic package content offering growing approximately 40% compared with a year earlier and the Hulu Plus’ content offering grew more than 105%.  Going forward, Hulu expects subscription services to account for more than half of its overall business later this year. The new roster will include first original scripted series, “Battleground” Executive Produced by JD Walsh, Hagai Shaham and Marc Webb; and the second season of Morgan Spurlock’s Hulu-oriented “A Day in the Life”. Going forward towards the end of the year, summer, Hulu audiences will get exclusive access to acclaimed writer/director Richard Linklater’s first episodic documentary series, “Up to Speed.” All three shows will be available exclusively on the free, ad-supported Hulu service and the Hulu Plus subscription service. “JD Walsh, Morgan Spurlock and Richard Linklater are each smart and distinctive storytellers with very specific points of view. Their creative chops are what make for great TV – each have that certain something that makes viewers not just love their shows but also tell their friends to go and watch them. Couple this extraordinary storytelling with the Hulu platform – which has proven to be an efficient way of connecting engaged audiences with shows they truly love – and it pays off in a big way for creators, viewers and advertisers alike,” said Andy Forssell, Hulu’s senior vice president of content.