US streaming service Hulu is close to a deal to pick up Catch-22, George Clooney’s upcoming limited series version of the Joseph Heller classic.Paramount Television and Anonymous Content are producing the series, which will be sold internationally by Dan Cohen, Paramount Pictures president of worldwide television licensing, and his team.Besides starring in the six-episode series, Clooney – not seen in a major TV role since network drama ER ended its long run in 2009 – will direct Catch-22 with his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov, and will serve as executive producer.He will co-write the script with Luke Davies and David Michod. Clooney is reportedly being paid around $1m an episode on the project.First published in 1961 and filmed for the big screen in 1970, Heller’s satirical novel is the story of a group of US airmen stationed near Italy in the Second World War.The Clooney series is one of a number of new projects from the resurgent Paramount … [Read more...] about George Clooney’s ‘Catch-22’ set for Hulu
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CES: Turner, Hulu Execs Talk M&A, International Expansion
When the Consumer Technology Association first booked Turner CEO John Martin and Hulu CEO Randy Freer for a keynote conversation at CES, only one of the execs had M&A as a talking point. But about a month before the Jan. 10 conversation, Disney announced a $52.4 billion acquisition of Fox assets that would see it become the majority owner of Hulu. When they took the stage on Wednesday afternoon during the second official day of CES, Martin and Freer were peppered with questions about what the merger of AT&T and Time Warner and the acquisition of Fox means for their businesses. "Everybody just wants a little bit of clarity and certainty," said Martin of the transaction involving Turner's parent company, which has been in limbo for 15 months as it awaits regulatory approval. "This can't close fast enough." Freer, meanwhile, appeared unconcerned about what will happen to Hulu after Disney becomes a 60 percent owner. "We get to ignore all the noise," he said. … [Read more...] about CES: Turner, Hulu Execs Talk M&A, International Expansion
Hulu grows to 17 million US subscribers
Hulu has announced that it closed its fiscal year 2017 with more than 17 million total subscribers across its subscription on demand (SVOD) and live TV plans in the US.The streaming service added more than 5 million, a 40% increase, since the company last publicly reported its subscriber total in 2016. Hulu also announced that its total audience grew to 54 million total unique viewers.Hulu expanded its on-demand library in 2017 to more than 75,000 episodes across 1700 titles, which is twice the number of episodes available on Netflix or Amazon. Hulu reports that in December viewers who subscribed to Hulu With Live TV spent more time watching content per day than the average linear TV viewer. At a median age of 31, Hulu viewers are substantially younger than the average 55-year-old broadcast TV viewer.“2017 was a momentous year for Hulu. We took several major steps to become a 21st century direct-to-consumer media company, evolving into both an aggressive SVOD business and a … [Read more...] about Hulu grows to 17 million US subscribers
Hulu Subscriber Base Passes 17 Million
Hulu is already having a banner year. Fresh off of two Golden Globe wins for breakout original The Handmaid's Tale, the streamer reported Tuesday that its subscriber base surpassed 17 million in 2017.That's an increase of 5 million (and 42 percent) from the last reported tally for 2016. The year since has seen the platform — a joint venture between 21th Century Fox (for now), The Walt Disney Company, Comcast and Time Warner — add a live television component and a flagship series in Handmaid's Tale.“2017 was a momentous year for Hulu," Hulu CEO Randy Freer said in a statement. "We took several major steps to become a 21st century direct-to-consumer media company, evolving into both an aggressive SVOD business and a formidable new live TV provider. The year ahead is going to be even bigger, as the company invests more in content — live, library and original — as well as technology and data to make Hulu the leading pay TV choice for consumers.”Hulu's … [Read more...] about Hulu Subscriber Base Passes 17 Million
Gimlet Media Taps Hulu Veteran Jenny Wall as CMO
Podcasting startup Gimlet Media has appointed Hulu veteran Jenny Wall as its first chief marketing officer. In her new role, Wall will oversee all marketing and audience growth for the company behind the podcasts Reply All, Homecoming and StartUp. Wall, citing the growth in the podcasting industry in recent years, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Gimlet "has the potential to be the HBO of audio." The three-year-old company has produced more than a dozen podcasts, but has to date relied primarily on word of mouth to grow its audience. Now, Wall will seek to build the brand name. Wall will bring to Gimlet several years of experience working at HBO, Netflix and, most recently, Hulu. At Hulu, she served as senior vp and head of marketing, overseeing marketing, promotion and creativity for the company and its shows, including The Handmaid's Tale. She left Hulu in May. While she was at Hulu, the company underwent a dramatic transformation, dropping its free tier and … [Read more...] about Gimlet Media Taps Hulu Veteran Jenny Wall as CMO