Hulu ending free streaming TV service, report says

<p>Hulu is getting rid of its free TV. </p><p>The video streaming service became well-known for features like the "rolling five," in which the latest five episodes from popular shows were available for free eight days after their original airing. </p><p>But Hulu has been working toward an exclusively subscription-based model by offering different tiers with fewer ads.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/peak-nostalgia-mtv-is-launching-a-channel-for-90s-shows/">Peak Nostalgia: MTV Is Launching A Channel For '90s Shows</a></b></p><p><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-end-free-tv-service-917917" target="_blank">The Hollywood Reporter</a> noted Hulu's free videos had already become difficult to find and access on its website. </p><p>And as <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/hulu-bids-goodbye-to-its-free-service-1470666655" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a> points out, relatively few Hulu viewers use the free features. </p><p>There may be a silver lining if you do, though. Hulu is partnering with <a href="https://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=983384" target="_blank">Yahoo's latest</a> streaming venture to give viewers that same "rolling five" feature. </p><p>And since Hulu is owned by major networks like Disney, 21st Century Fox and NBCUniversal, you can often go to the networks' sites to watch those recently broadcast episodes. </p><p>So if you can still access the free services, why didn't Hulu just keep them? </p><p>The company's senior vice president <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/08/08/hulu-free-streaming-service/" target="_blank">told Fortune</a>, "As we have continued to enhance that offering with new originals, exclusive acquisitions, and movies, the free service became very limited and no longer aligned with the Hulu experience or content strategy."</p><p>Hulu may also be trying to emulate Netflix, which is completely subscription-based and has done a much better job so far at <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/08/04/hulu-subscribers-customer-service-hiring/?iid=sr-link1" target="_blank">keeping customers</a>. </p><p><i>This video includes clips from </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vtSa3m7PJs" target="_blank"><i>Netflix</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE5mQnNl8Q4H2qcv4ikaXeA" target="_blank"><i>Hulu</i></a><i> and </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPrIeKHxNy0" target="_blank"><i>CNBC</i></a><i> and images from Getty Images. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.</i></p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/walmart-buys-jet-com-for-3-billion/">Watch Out, Amazon: Walmart Is Coming For You</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/amazon-reveals-its-first-branded-cargo-plane/">Prepared For Takeoff: Amazon Launches Its First Branded Cargo Plane</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/trump-taj-mahal-to-close-its-doors-thousands-of-employees-lose-jobs/">Trump Taj Mahal To Close Its Doors; Thousands Of Employees Lose Jobs</a></li></ul>