Hulu May Soon Play Advertisements When Videos Are Paused

Hulu is gearing up to test advertisements that play when the viewer pauses a video, a new report claims. The idea reportedly is being explored by both AT&T and Hulu, the latter of which is said to be prepping the change for a 2019 launch. Hulu already shows advertisements to customers who subscribe to the cheaper monthly plan, but the new alleged test may change when customers see them.

Commercial advertisements have become increasingly unpopular among viewers who are gravitating to services like Netflix. Video advertisements have traditionally appeared as random breaks during TV shows, but that could change in the future as multiple companies explore different advertisement strategies.

One of those companies is said to be AT&T, which has its streaming DirecTV NOW product, and Hulu, which offers two subscription tiers: an inexpensive plan with regular commercials and a more expensive plan with limited commercials. Starting next year, a new report claims, that may change, with advertisements appearing whenever the customer pauses the video.

It's unclear at this point whether the pause ads will appear in addition to regular commercial breaks, or if Hulu plans to replace its existing advertisement model with its new plan. The report indicates that pause ads will replace regular commercial breaks, offering a more natural placement — presenting them when the user chooses to stop the content rather than forcing a break.

The method may prove to be an acceptable compromise between traditional commercial breaks, which consumers have grown increasingly weary of, and a lack of advertisements. AT&T is reportedly considering the plan, which means its DirecTV NOW livestreaming television platform may also make the transition to pause advertisements.