A marriage of video streaming and video gaming is in the works.
Nintendo Switch is partnering with Hulu in an attempt to have the video-streaming company be available to game console owners. The deal, which was announced last Thursday, would allow subscribers of Hulu to watch its programs from their Nintendo Switch consoles. Those who already have the console would only need to download Hulu and subscribe to the streaming service to access its library of content.
Richard Irving, Hulu's vice president of product, wrote in a blog post, "We are proud to announce that Hulu is the first U.S. streaming entertainment service to debut on Nintendo Switch... Hulu subscribers will now be able to use their Nintendo Switch to stream all of their favorite TV whether they're at home or on the go."
Hulu will be making its live TV and on-demand content programming available for the Nintendo Switch. However, this will be available in different payment packages. For Hulu's on-demand programming, users will have to shell out $8 monthly. Adding its live TV package will have users paying for $40 per month for the entire content of Hulu.
This is a big milestone for Hulu as it enters Nintendo's video console market. Nintendo Switch has been introduced as a gaming-first or gaming-only device since its launch last year. Other video game consoles like Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One comes with its own choices of streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video and Hulu. The latest consoles have transformed from mere gaming units into devices that can stream video and music.
Partnering with Hulu allows Nintendo to make its Switch more than just a gaming device. It opens the possibility of Nintendo Switch users making their gaming units into Hulu's streaming device when there are no other options available.
While Hulu is slowly gaining momentum in the streaming wars, its popularity is still far from that of its competitors like Netflix and YouTube. What Hulu needs to do now is take advantage of their exclusive partnership with Nintendo Switch before their competitors get to Nintendo as well.
