Hulu to add new Nickelodeon episodes after 21 days
LOS ANGELES -- Online video streaming service Hulu said Tuesday that it will start allowing its paying subscribers to watch the most recent episodes of Nickelodeon shows such as "iCarly" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" 21 days after they first run on television.
The deal is for new subscribers and for the more than 2 million people who already pay $8 a month for Hulu Plus. The arrangement extends an ongoing deal between Hulu and Viacom Inc., which owns channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and BET.
Hulu Plus subscribers will be able to watch the five most-recent episodes from several Nickelodeon shows after the three-week delay.
The deal is meant to encourage viewers to catch up on episodes they missed from their favorite shows but then go back to watching the live telecasts. Live viewing helps boost audience ratings and advertising revenue for network owners.
The new deal stretches into 2014.
In addition to new Nickelodeon shows, Hulu Plus will carry series such as "Ninas Mal" from Viacom's bilingual Spanish-English network, Tr3s, over the next few months.
Hulu is owned by The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp., the parents of broadcast networks ABC, Fox and NBC.