Hulu's upcoming streaming TV service will including content from Fox and Disney, the company said on Tuesday.
The video platform said it signed agreements with 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company to include Fox entertainment, news, sports and non-fiction programming, in addition to Disney/ABC Television Group and ESPN content, on its upcoming service. The over-the-top (OTT) offering, meaning the content is distributed digitally, is slated to launch in 2017.
Hulu previously said in August the service would carry content from Time Warner's Turner networks, which include Cartoon Network, CNN and TBS.
"We're building a service that offers subscribers the most sought-after programming on television — and channels from 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company are essential to that mix," Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins said in a release. "With these two new deals in place, and additional partners to come, Hulu will soon give TV fans of all ages live and on-demand access to their favorite programs in a whole new, more flexible, highly personalized way."
Hulu currently offers subscriptions to watch television shows with and without ads. It announced plans for a "skinny" OTT bundle during its Digital Content NewFront presentation in May. The plan will allow people to watch TV content without having to pay for a cable or satellite subscription.
The announcement is especially interesting given Hulu's owners: The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, Comcast and Time Warner. The media companies all have channels that rely on cable and satellite companies to carry their feeds. Hulu's OTT service could be seen as a competitor to cable and satellite, at time when more customers are cutting the cord.
Note: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC.