Photo of Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina in 'The Mindy Project,' by Michael Becker
As Hulu takes further steps to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon, the streaming service revealed Wednesday it will begin offering an ad-free option.
Until now, Hulu had largely been an exception in the streaming content battles, having capped its offerings at $7.99 for limited commercials as an alternative to its free, ad-supported version.
“You can split people into two categories: ad avoiders and ad acceptors,” Hulu chief Mike Hopkins said in a statement. “There are clearly people who just are not going to buy Hulu because there are ads. We think we can bring them back into the fold with new content and this new choice.”
The move comes as Hulu acquired streaming rights to Seinfeld earlier this year. The new season of The Mindy Project is also expected to premiere later this fall.
According to Hulu, the ad-free edition of its service, which is available now, will cost $11.99. By contrast, Netflix's basic streaming plan, which has never included ads, costs users $7.99.
It's worth noting that due to streaming rights, a number of television series will not be included in Hulu's new plan: Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon A Time, Scandal, New Girl and How To Get Away With Murder are among them.