After the August 30 statement by Netflix saying they would not be renewing their contract with Epix, Hulu decided to jump in, later in the day. Epix is a popular movie company and joint venture between three different studios. Those studios are Lions Gate, MGM, and Paramount Pictures. In a blogpost, Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, stated though the movies Epix brings to the table are popular, they were not under exclusive contract to Netflix and widely available on other platforms. He also stated ” Through our original films and some innovative licensing arrangements with the movie studios, we are aiming to build a better movie experience for you.”
Hulu was glad take advantage of the hole left by Netflix and quickly signed a deal with Epix. The terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed, but beginning Oct 1st, Hulu will carry the Epix line of movies and signed an agreement for multiple years. With high profile movies like Hunger Games: Catching Fire, World War Z, and Transformers: Age of Extinction, it is clear Hulu does not see exclusivity as a problem.
Hulu is making a serious effort to compete with Netflix, even though they are not available outside the US yet. Unlike Netflix, Hulu allows visitors to the site to watch certain episodes of certain shows and certain movies for free (they are supported by ads). The rest require a subscription. Some of those shows include the NBC classic show Seinfeld, and Comedy Central’s popular show, South Park. It has been reported that Hulu paid between 700k and 1 million per episode for Seinfeld, and 80 million for the rights to South Park. There are other shows and movies that Hulu is willing to spend the money on, and with the addition of so many blockbuster movies becoming available in October, they could definitely give Netflix a run for their money.
