Hulu streaming to hit Japan

Online streaming giant Hulu is set to make its first move outside the US as it plans to offer film and TV streaming services in Japan. Hulu has always aimed to expand globally, as stated in its official blog.

“We recognize that entertainment fans beyond the US have the same desires as those on our home shores: find and watch the world’s premium content when, how, and where they want,” says the blog.

Hulu’s Japanese streaming services, much like its offerings in the US, will be subscription based with monthly fees.

Industry watchers have labelled Japan as a country with “an unfulfilled market in respects to premium feature film and TV content.” Japan’s lightning-fast internet infrastructure is the ideal fit for Hulu’s services.

Hulu Japan will launch later this year, with offices already open in Tokyo. Hulu has filled these offices with a dedicated Japanese team who are passionate about the technology and user experience behind the Hulu services.

Earlier this month, Hulu posted statistics saying that it had 875 000 paying subscribers and was on the right path to secure close to half a billion US dollars in revenue by the end of 2011.

Japanese Hulu subscribers can also look forward to enjoying services such as Hulu Plus Premium, a service which allows the user to view film and TV shows on their gaming consoles, mobile phones and tablet devices.

Hulu has been popular in the US since its inception in 2008 thanks to its ability to stream advertisement-free content to TVs and computers.