American streaming service Hulu could start popping up all over the world in 2021, with majority owner Disney confirming it expects to expand the service to more markets next year.
While Disney has yet to provide specifics - it's still prioritising the global launch of Disney+ before focusing on Hulu - it wouldn't be surprising to see Australia as an early launch market. We were one of the first countries where you could subscribe to Disney+, so it would make sense to see Hulu pop up here sooner rather than later.
There is of course the question of how many streaming services is too many. Presently, there are six major subscription streaming services operating in Australia: Netflix, Stan, Foxtel Now, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+.
In addition to this, there a couple of more niche offerings like Kayo, Hayu, and 10 All Access. It's a very different world from when you were ostensibly choosing between Netflix and Stan (or just subscribing to both). A world that can quickly get very expensive if you're trying to keep up with shows across multiple services.
Hulu's key point of difference - at least as it exists in the US market today - is that it tends to offer current TV episodes almost immediately after they're broadcast. For comparison, you might have to wait a year or so for a season of TV to hit Netflix after it airs on commercial TV. Otherwise, Hulu hasn't really invested in original content to the same extent as Netflix, or tied up large numbers of exclusivity agreements. In some ways, it's a catch up service you subscribe to.
It's unclear what Hulu would like in the Australian market. Netflix already fast tracks episodes of network television shows like The Good Place and Rick & Morty. Popular shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, and How I Met Your Mother are already easy enough to watch locally.
Of course, Disney being the behemoth it is, could always throw fistfuls of cash at the problem and snap up a couple of tent-pole exclusives - shows beloved enough to want available on tap. Or it could focus on volume and make Hulu THE destination to subscribe to. For example, right now, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is on Netflix, How I Met Your Mother on Stan, and Modern Family on Foxtel Now. A service with all those programs in one spot could be awfully compelling.
Disney+ is also a perfect Trojan horse for Hulu. In the US, you can bundle Disney+ and Hulu to save a bit of cash each month. Disney+ has already already racked up 28.6 million subscribers across the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. While it's not clear how many of those are based in Australia, Disney could easily alert every subscriber about the local Hulu launch in-app or via email. That's a huge number of potential customers you can easily reach. And with the ever-growing number of streaming services, saving a couple of bucks a month could be pretty appealing.
The more streaming services available to us, the less feasible it becomes to "have it all". And there's potentially more on the horizon: HBO Max could also be coming to Australia in a year or two.
It's a problem with a few possible outcomes. We could see customers become flakier, subscribe for a month to catch up on the shows they want to watch, cancel, and move to the next service. We could see an increase in piracy, with customers picking a favourite service or two, and torrenting anything that's not available.
Or we could see services die. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are safe enough give the size of companies behind them, but local offering like Foxtel Now and Stan are at greater risk. They don't have international backing in the same way, they can't just continually throw money at the problem, and can't offset losses in one market with gains in another. While no one really loves Foxtel, it, along with Stan, both invest in original Australian content. And no matter how feel about either company, it genuinely would be a shame to see to less homegrown content in the world.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see just how many streaming services the local market can bare. My bet? There'll be tears sooner than later.
Alex Choros
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