Hulu is making its subscription video service available in the Roku Channel Store as part of the latest update on the streaming set-top box. In a tweet to users, Roku confirmed that the Hulu Plus channel can now be downloaded, and even gave instructions on how to access the service if they haven’t already received the latest software update.
In late September, Roku and Hulu officially announced that the $9.95 $7.99 Plus streaming video service would come to Roku hardware sometime this year, after folks noticed that the broadband set-top box manufacturer seemed to be prepping for the service to launch. But it apparently took a few months for the service to finally get up and running.
The update comes as Hulu Plus has been gradually rolled out to a number of connected devices over the last several weeks. Late last week, Sony announced that it Hulu Plus would be available on its Wi-Fi enabled Dash tablet, and Boxee said that the service would be coming soon to its Boxee Box by D-Link.
The Sony Dash and Boxee Box follow a wide variety of other consumer electronics devices on which the Hulu Plus app can already be downloaded, such as Apple’s iPhone and iPad, connected TVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung and Sony, as well as the Sony PlayStation3 game console. In addition, users will Hulu Plus soon be able to access Hulu Plus on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Vizio connected TVs and Blu-ray players and TiVo Premiere DVRs.
For Roku, the arrival of Hulu Plus gives it more ammunition as it goes up against an increasingly crowded group of streaming set-top boxes and other connected devices. Apple announced a revamped Apple TV in September, and the Boxee Box finally arrived in customers’ hands late last week. Roku is also seeing more competition from connected TVs and Blu-ray players from major consumer electronics makers, which are shipping with TV apps of their own.
While it might not be the sexiest product out there, Roku’s low price point — under $100 — and access to content from services like Netflix, Amazon, Major League Baseball, Hulu Plus and others should position it well against more expensive offerings and those with less content, as consumers enter the holiday shopping season.
Check out our first look at Hulu Plus on Roku below:
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