Hulu Will Spend About $2.5 Billion On Content This Year

Hulu is set to spend around $2.5 billion on content this year, company CEO Mike Hopkins revealed yesterday at the Paley Center for Media in New York. The company introduced some big changes to the service year with the introduction of its live TV product, and it is also seeing growing success with its original shows like 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'Harlots.'

The figure is a huge one, but in no way does it sit at the top of the pack. Netflix, for example, will have spent around $6 billion this year on content and it recently revealed plans to increase that number to around $7 billion in 2018. Amazon isn't far behind: it is thought to have a content budget sitting around $4.5 billion, though exact figures are less certain.

That puts Hulu in third place, a position that is still pretty great, all things considered. The $2.5 billion is more than double the $1 billion Apple is reportedly dedicating to content next year, though it should be noted that Apple's budget is said to be for original content specifically, whereas Netflix's, for example, is for total content (licensed and original).

Hulu hasn't revealed what it will spend on content next year, nor what percentage of this year's budget has gone to original content versus licensed content. Hulu, though in the top three video services alongside Netflix and Amazon, differs from both in significant ways that can, in some cases, give it an edge. Hulu avoids Netflix's content dumps in favor of weekly episode releases; it also offers live TV.

SOURCE: Variety