Hulu has signed a multi-year U.S. content deal with BBC
Worldwide North America to make titles like Doctor
Who, Top Gear, Sherlock and Luther
available on its Hulu Plus subscription service.
The non-exclusive agreement also includes BBC comedies like Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, and Twenty Twelve; MI-5; Upstairs, Downstairs; Wallander, Bleak House, sci-fi series
like Bedlam, Red Dwarf and Primeval; and natural history shows from
David Attenborough's Life in the... series,
Life of Mammals and The Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth.
Doctor Who is
available on Hulu starting Sept. 18 as well as its spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood and factual programming like Blue Planet and Richard Hammond's Crash Course. The other titles will launch this
fall with additional series to roll out throughout the year. A selection of the
more than 2,000 episodes of BBC Worldwide library programs will rotate on the
free Hulu.com service.
Hulu has offered a variety of U.K. programming since its
launch with shows like Misfits, Moone Boy
and Pramface. It has partnered with
BBC Worldwide since 2010, and co-produced the fourth season of The Think of It and upcoming Hulu
original The Wrong Mans.
"Hulu has enjoyed a strong collaboration with BBC Worldwide
North America, from international co-productions to breakthrough exclusive
shows that have been embraced in the U.S. by extremely passionate audiences,"
said Andy Forssell, acting CEO and senior VP of content for Hulu. "By adding
this expansive collection of premium BBC Worldwide programming, Hulu Plus
solidifies its role as a top streaming platform for the best British
programming available in the U.S."
