LOS ANGELES — Online video site Hulu, under pressure from its media-company parents to generate a bigger profit, launched a subscription service Tuesday with complete access to back episodes of popular TV shows.
For $9.99 a month, subscribers can get the entire current season of “Glee,” “House” and other shows from ABC, Fox and NBC, as well as all the past seasons of several series. The popular, ad-supported website will continue to have a few recent episodes for free online.
In a surprise move, however, paying subscribers will get the same number of ads as users of the free website.
Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar said keeping ads was necessary to ensure a low subscription price. “Certainly, there was an opportunity for us to offer an ad-free service at a higher price,” he said. “But we heard loud and clear from consumers that they would prefer to have a lower price.”
The new pay site initially is available by invitation only on computers and through special applications designed for Apple’s iPad and iPhones and certain Samsung Blu-ray players and TVs.
The move should be a boon to Hulu’s parents: News Corp., NBC Universal, Walt Disney Co. and Providence Equity Partners.
