Fox Entertainment and streaming service Hulu, owned by Disney, have strengthened their partnership with a new multiyear content deal valued at more than $1.5 billion.
According to Deadline, what this means for the average Hulu user is that the agreement secures in-season streaming rights for Fox’s programming slate. It will also expand its multiplatform marketing arrangement, offering a nod at how streaming has reshaped the ad-buying market.
Sources confirm the deal will run through 2029, replacing the previous agreement unveiled in January 2023. This renewal solidifies Hulu as a key streaming partner for Fox. In short, people who enjoy Fox’s original programming will see Hulu as the service of choice for the foreseeable future. Of course, this includes Fox’s animated programming which has become stable background noise for many households over the years.
It is easy now to see how Disney-produced animated series have become a critical element of this agreement. It will ensure that popular staples including The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers – all produced by 20th Television Animation – will likely remain on Fox, where they air first before dropping on Hulu.
Shows like Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers represent more than just high viewership numbers; they are an important factor in subscriber retention and growth. They appeal to diverse age demographics, from younger audiences discovering them for the first time to longtime fans who have followed the series for years.
When you combine this with Hulu’s extensive back catalogs of these shows, you allow fans to binge entire seasons or revisit their favorite episodes which makes perfect sense for the streaming service. Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade praised the partnership.
“Our friends at Hulu and Disney Entertainment are exceptional partners, together driving ongoing mutual growth and strong results. Through our new agreement, we look forward to expanding on this impressive track record and collaboratively shaping the future of television in today’s shifting media landscape,” he said.
Hulu General Manager Lauren Tempest echoed the sentiment, emphasizing Hulu’s role as the “next-day streaming home for current Fox hits” and its ability to offer “scripted, unscripted, and animated series” to subscribers. “Our collective marketing efforts,” she added, “have generated impressive results and helped viewers successfully find the shows they want to watch when they want to watch them.”
The deal includes provisions for shared marketing costs, with shows promoted as airing on Fox Live and available via Hulu on-demand. This collaborative marketing strategy aims to maximize audience engagement across platforms and marketing campaigns.
They will likely focus then on the ‘middle-of-the-funnel‘ audience segments – i.e., people familiar with Fox programming, yet not avid viewers (yet). It seems that with this new partnership, Hulu and Fox will be working together, leveraging the animated show category to each other’s benefit to reach audiences across platforms.
Combining this with the three-in-one bundle of Max, Hulu, and Disney Plus in an ad-free tier, it’s likely that these partners are hoping to push for consistent long-term growth utilizing all party’s catalogs of content.
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