At Hulu’s 2020 Newfront presentation, “Green Is Good,” the company showcased the premium content, industry-leading insights, viewer-first advertising products and new creative opportunities that make Hulu the most valuable Streaming TV partner to today’s biggest brands.
The Streaming TV space is booming, and on-demand content is driving the lion’s share of this growth, surging up 79% and capturing 72% share of viewing time in Q1 2020. And with 90% of all 13-54 year olds watching TV on a streaming platform, we know that this is just the beginning. As the first premium ad-supported streaming platform, and now part of The Walt Disney Company, Hulu has a remarkable advantage in this competitive space.
Hulu’s viewer-first mindset and proven ability to tap into culture allows brands to connect with consumers on a deep level – much of which comes from the content found on the platform. So before we dive into all of the exciting insights and partnership opportunities, it wouldn’t be a Newfront presentation without some content announcements. Let’s jump right into it!
The Power of Storytelling
Hulu has the largest Streaming TV library, with live, Original, and on-demand content available at your fingertips.
Comedy fan favorites; Hulu has them. Did you know that Hulu Original comedies have seen an 80% increase in engagement over the past year? That’s a lot of laughs, as viewers are really flexing the power of comedic relief.
Hit dramas, like The Handmaid’s Tale, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga – both of which will be returning to your TV screens for another season…Hulu has them too.
Hulu also has a slate of new, culturally relevant stories on the way. For more details, click here.
And there’s FX on Hulu. Launched in early March, FX on Hulu is the dedicated content hub that brings together more than 40 of FX Networks’ acclaimed and award-winning current and legacy series, features over 1,600 episodes and includes Hulu exclusive FX originals. Since launch, 55% of Hulu viewers have engaged with FX on Hulu and the content hub has expanded FX’s reach by 130%.
So who’s watching all this content?
Hulu now reaches over 83M ad-supported viewers and overall ad-supported engagement is up more than 40% year-over-year. With more viewers, spending more time on the platform than ever before, Hulu is in a unique position to understand the behaviors and motivations of this streaming audience.
Generation Stream
Hulu continues to win in the marketplace by being viewer-first and having a deep understanding of the streaming audience, what we call Generation Stream.
Now, what exactly is Generation Stream? It’s a foundational thought leadership study Hulu conducted to better understand the attitudes and motivations of the viewers who are reshaping how we watch TV. Generation Stream is defined as a multigenerational group that crosses all age, race, and gender bounds. And they’re connected by a common behavior – streaming.
We will be releasing more of this study in the coming months, but here are some interesting insights to kick things off. Streamers tend to be:
And they classify themselves into three groups – Stream Only, Stream Most and Stream Also:
FUN FACT: 86% of Hulu viewers fall into the Stream Only or Stream Most categories.
Generation Stream also values personalization, and they are more likely to respond to advertisements and brands that speak to their personality. Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at a few ad products that will help marketers connect with this coveted audience.
Viewer-First Innovation
A decade ago, Hulu set out to create a better advertising experience for viewers. As the first platform to introduce viewer-first advertising innovations, like the industry’s first interactive ad formats, Hulu continues to give viewers choice and control over their ad experience.
“Green Is Good” showcased two exciting new ad formats coming to Hulu: Max Selector and GatewayGo.
The Max Selector pairs Hulu’s industry-leading Ad Selector unit with even more interactivity and customization in voice-over and branding. The Max Selector allows viewers to choose which video creative they want to see and the experience they want to engage with.
GatewayGo joins Disney’s suite of advertising offerings, and marries traditional TV ads with new, action-oriented prompts and offers to create impactful connections between viewers and advertisers. It uses second screen technologies, like QR codes and push notifications, for viewers to take immediate action on a brand’s offer on their mobile device.
How do we know viewers will be interested in this format? Hulu leans on viewer behavior and data to inform business decisions, and we did just that in creating GatewayGo. Survey results show that 6 out of 10 viewers would likely consider purchasing from the brand after redeeming an offer. And, we know nearly 50% of viewers claim to have their phones with them on the couch watching TV.
Measurement Solutions
We’ve learned about all the amazing content, the captivating streaming audience, and how brands can speak to that audience with immersive brand experiences. The next piece of the pie? Data and measurement capabilities.
Hulu ensures brands have data behind each and every buy to properly prove why “Green Is Good”. That’s where Nielsen Media Impact comes into play.
Streaming TV reach is increasing – 62% of viewers reached by an ad campaign on Hulu never saw the brand’s ad campaign on linear TV. As brands look to find the best way to plan against Hulu’s audience, Hulu announced the new integration of Nielsen Media Impact. Marketers now have the opportunity to see exactly what kind of reach they can expect against their ad spend on Hulu.
Those ads are reaching more people, and driving higher effectiveness. According to Kantar’s Benchmarks, ads on Hulu are more effective than other digital, Streaming TV, or addressable TV publishers.
That’s a Wrap
We went from ad products and measurement solutions, to Generation Stream and everything in between…in just about 1,000 words. But that’s what makes Hulu so great! Our content. Innovation. Audience. Our viewer-first approach. Our leadership in Streaming TV. For viewers, brands and your bottom line, it all adds up to an obvious conclusion: Green is Good.