Hulu Will Finally Offer Offline Playback, But You’ll Have to Wait ‘a Few Months’
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Scrambling to keep up with Netflix, Hulu’s CEO has announced that an offline viewing mode will come to the streaming service in a few months.
“Yes, it’s definitely on our road map. It’s something that we’re going to be doing in a few months,” CEO Mike Hopkins said to Adweek. “We’re working hard on the technology around that and getting the rights squared away.” Hopkins notably refrained from providing a hard release date or timeframe, however.
Netflix brought offline playback to its platform back in November to the great delight of users. The long-requested feature allows subscribers to download videos for viewing at a later time, enabling offline entertainment and saving precious data for mobile users. It’s especially useful if you have a limited data plan or suffer from spotty internet connection. The move boosted downloads of Netflix’s iOS app, making it the top-grossing iPhone app for a brief period of time in December.
Hulu has similar ambitions in the iOS ecosystem apparently. Not only is the streaming platform unveiling offline viewing, Hulu has also updated its iOS app to include user profiles, allowing families to curate individualized recommendations and watch lists.
Unfortunately, offline viewing will only be available for select titles due to licensing issues. Netflix, for example, does not allow users to download Disney content for later viewing. In all likelihood, the same will be the case for Hulu.
