As expected, Hulu presented four new original programs to advertisers during their upfront presentation on Thursday. Included in the collection is a superhero series starring “Saturday Night Live’s” Seth Meyers and Danny Leiner (“Freaks and Geeks”), with animation provided by Bento Box (“Bob’s Burgers”). These are in addition to “Battleground,” “Up to Speed,” and “A Day in the Life,” shows that everyone on the planet already seems to know about. From the looks of things, it would appear that Hulu is off to a promising start.
In addition to announcing new content, Hulu also provided some interesting statistics regarding revenue and subscriptions. Thanks to advertising and those individuals who pay for the premium service, Hulu generated $420 million in revenue over the course of 2011. If that’s not impressive enough, the company claims to have 40,000 hours of content available to its customers, a number that’s spread across nearly 50,000 television episodes and 1,900 television series. This, of course, doesn’t include all of the content they plan to add in the very near future.
Take a look at latest batch of original shows headed to the site:
We Got Next (2012): Four unlikely friends butt heads on the pick-up basketball court and on the sidelines of everyday life. Starring: Kenya Barris (THE GAME, ARE WE THERE YET?, AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL), Hale Rothstein (THE GAME, EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS), Danny Leiner (THE OFFICE, MODERN FAMILY, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, FREAKS AND GEEKS, HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE, DUDE WHERE’S MY CAR?
The Awesomes (2013): An unassuming superhero and his cohorts battle diabolical villains, the ever-present paparazzi, and a less-than-ideal reputation as second-class crime fighters. Starring: Seth Meyers (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE), Michael Shoemaker (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON) and animation studio Bento Box (BOB’S BURGERS, ALLEN GREGORY).
Don’t Quit Your Daydream: A cast of famous musicians travel across America in search of could-have-been musical artists to collaborate on a new song giving them a second-chance at stardom. Based on an award-winning documentary by Adrian Grenier and John Loar. Starring: Adrian Grenier; Produced by Virgin
Flow: When Ed Dante, a hard-working kid from the wrong side of the tracks is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he begins an epic quest to deliver true justice. To achieve his goal, he must discover the mysteries of an ancient art, uncover hidden worlds and become a hero to a generation. Starring: Michael “Dooma” Wendschuh (show creator, co-founder and president of sekretagent studios: ASSASSIN’S CREED II (2009), ARMY OF TWO (2008), ASSASSIN’S CREED (2007); David Belle (Founder of Parkour); Produced by Agility Studios (producers of The LXD) and the Shine Group (WHO KNEW? IT’S EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS, APPETITE FOR LIFE)
Another interesting stat revealed during the upfront is that Hulu now accounts for roughly 20% of online video marketplace consumption. If you’re talking premium content, then the company snags an astounding 40%. That’s pretty impressive given that they’re up against Netflix, who is also trying their hand at original content.