AT&T Tuesday said that it has formed a partnership with Hulu to offer the online streaming service’s content through AT&T’s apps.
As worded in a press release, the partnership appears a bit obtuse, promising a kind of merging of Hulu’s content through AT&T’s suite of apps, however redundant that functionality may be given Hulu’s existing tablet, smartphone and smart TV software.
From the press release:
“AT&T customers will be able to browse Hulu programs and select the shows they want to watch through an AT&T app for mobile device viewing or an AT&T website for Internet viewing. Combined with a leading TV Everywhere catalog, AT&T customers subscribing to Hulu will have one of the best selections available of current and past season full episodes. AT&T and Hulu also are exploring the possibility of bringing a Hulu app to TV.”
When asked for clarification, an AT&T spokesperson reiterated to some extent what was said in the press release.
“This will be available to all AT&T customers in the future,” Kuriko Wong said. “Customers subscribing to Hulu through AT&T will have access to all existing Hulu apps. They will also be able to browse and search for Hulu content from within the AT&T apps. Combined with AT&T’s existing VOD catalog, customers will be able to see all episodes of their favorite shows in one place, both current and past seasons.”
It’s likely the agreement will drive more subscriptions for Hulu, as AT&T subscribers will be able to sign up for Hulu’s service right through the company’s set-top boxes an on their mobile devices.
AT&T says the fruits of the partnership will be available to its customers later this year.
Back in July of 2013, AT&T and Chernin Group reportedly participated in a bidding war for Hulu but came up empty handed.
News of today’s partnership with Hulu comes as both AT&T and Verizon continue to shore up positions in the content space. AT&T is awaiting on regulatory approval of its $49 billion acquisition of DirecTV, while Verizon just this week announced that it has agreed to buy AOL.
