Hulu Inks Multi-Year Deal With Epix, Netflix Focuses on Originals
Consumers' perception is that Netflix has a stronger movie library while Hulu has a stronger TV library, but today's news will have many taking a second look at Hulu for movies. Hulu announced that it has signed a multi-year deal with premium movie service Epix that will bring thousands of new and classic movies to the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service.
The agreement takes effect on October 1, and includes titles from Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount. Subscribers will get immediate access to Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek: Into Darkness, World War Z, Wolf of Wall Street, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and Robocop, among others. Hulu will gain titles from the James Bond, Rocky, Star Trek, Paranormal Activity, Beverly Hills Cop, and Friday the Thirteenth franchises. In the coming months, Hulu subscribers will be able to stream Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Interstellar, Selma, Top Five and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
Hulu did not disclose the terms of the deal.
Netflix released its own announcement saying that it chose to let the Epix deal expire, and that the included titles were already "widely available on cable and other subscription platforms." It added that it's building up a slate of original content by working with Brad Pitt, Judd Apatow, Angelina Jolie, and others. Also, Netflix will begin streaming titles from The Walt Disney Company (including Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel) in 2016, the result of a deal signed in December 2012.
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