With summer on the way, Hulu is making some upgrades to its user experience that could help subscribers take their TV with them when they travel.
The changes are among the first since Hulu introduced its live TV streaming service more than a year ago.
While more and more of Hulu viewing is taking place in living rooms, a big share still takes place on mobile phones and the amount of mobile viewing is growing.
“There is a lot of great TV you won’t want to miss. So just in time for summer, we’re optimizing the Hulu experiences that matter most to you when you’re on-the-go: mobile and web. With these updates, leaving your house does not mean leaving your TV behind,” said Richard Irving, VP of product at Hulu.
The first upgrade will help subscribers watch live programming, including sports quicker, with just a few clicks. A lightning bolt icon has been added to the navigation bar that will connect viewers to a dynamic live TV gude that shows what on now and what’s coming up in the next 24 hour. Viewers can also use the guide to quickly switch channels.
Hulu has also added a portrait format viewer so subscribers can see else is on, then switch back to full-screen after a selection is make.
The scrubber function has also been improved, letting viewers more precisely find where they were in the show when they were interrupted.
Viewers can now tell Hulu to stop recommending a particular show. They can also remove shows from their recently viewed history list
Hulu has upgraded the interface for PC viewing, that puts more choices a mouse click away.
We know that two-thirds of Hulu viewers watch with family or friends at least once a week and most places you go, you’ll have access to a big(ger) screen. Even though you’re away from home, we want you to be able to enjoy the big screen experience with your friends that you love,” said Irving. So we’re adding HDMI support to iOS and enhancing your experience with Chromecast devices. This means you can watch Hulu on the big screen just by plugging in to an available HDMI port or casting to an available Chromecast device. Plus, our new portrait player lets you control Chromecast playback and channel-surf all in the same place!”
All of these features will begin rolling out to Android and iOS next week.
