Fans of such Hulu programs as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its re-boot of “Veronica Mars” can now take those shows with then when they are away from their home networks or internet connections.
Hulu has finally joined the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in that the Disney-owned streaming TV service is now letting its subscribers download shows and movies to watch offline. Hulu said individuals will be able to download up to 25 shows, and have 30 days to watch those shows before having to download the programs again.
Hulu has approximately 85,000 titles in its streaming video library. Videos will come with an icon indicating they are available for downloading, and Hulu also has a section of videos called “See What’s Downloadable” to make it easy to find such videos.
There are two catches, however.
For now, the downloadable option is available only for Apple iOS devices, but Hulu said the feature will soon come to Android mobile devices.
Also, the feature is only being offered to subscribers of Hulu’s $12.99-a-month ad-free option. Hulu didn’t say if it had plans to eventually offer the downloadable show feature to customers who subscribe to its $5.99 a month subscription plan that includes advertisements.
Hulu’s downloadable show option comes as things are about to heat up in the streaming TV market. Apple is set to launch its $4.99-a-month Apple TV+ service on Nov. 1, and Disney will roll out its Disney+ streaming service for $6.99 a month on Nov. 12. Disney is also going to offer a bundled package of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, with ads, for $12.99 a month.
