Hulu is set to end its free TV streaming tier and will become a subscription-only service going forward in the next few days.
The move comes as the streaming service continued to move away from the ad-supported free service, putting greater emphasis on its paid offerings, including the ad-free subscription tier launched last year.
Hulu’s free content will now only be available through its distribution partners, including Comcast. The service has also expanded its distribution deal with Yahoo, which will host the ad-supported content on its new streaming hub, Yahoo View.
The new service, launched on Monday, will be the new home to the TV content previously available via Hulu’s free tier, including the last five episodes of shows from ABC, NBC, Fox and other networks (8 days after original broadcast) as well as day-after clips and full seasons of anime and Korean drama.
“Video is an important part of Yahoo’s strategy and we’re committed to delivering the best digital video content to our users. To date, we’ve streamed amazing experiences across sports, finance, and news,” said Phil Lynch, Vice President and Head of Media Partnerships, in a statement.
“This partnership with Hulu is a natural extension of that strategy, bringing the best of TV & entertainment content to our lifestyle vertical.”