DRM News

Hulu, an Internet TV service co-owned by New Corp., NBC Universal & Walt Disney Co., is launching a test run of a subscription service that will run alongside their standard free offering.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new service will be called Hulu Plus. For $10 a month, chosen Beta users will get access to content beyond that offered on the free Hulu service, as well as the ability to watch programming on other devices like Apple’s iPad.

There is no time given for when the Beta period might end and Hulu Plus would become available to anyone to subscribe to. Hulu’s traffic has increased enormously since first launching at the end of 2007, and it has become a profitable entity.

If this idea takes off, it could have widespread effects on the television industry since the many networks not affiliated with Hulu would likely look to either join up or set up their own web subscription services for viewers.

Currently, video on Hulu is largely limited and viewable only within the US market.