Hulu eclipsed 17 million total subscribers in 2017, the streaming service announced Tuesday. That’s five million more (+40 percent) total subscribers from its last publicly reported total in 2016.
The Netflix competitor also announced that its total audience has grown to 54 million total unique viewers.
“2017 was a momentous year for Hulu. We took several major steps to become a 21st century direct-to-consumer media company, evolving into both an aggressive SVOD business and a formidable new live TV provider,” said Hulu CEO Randy Freer. “The year ahead is going to be even bigger, as the company invests more in content – live, library and original – as well as technology and data to make Hulu the leading pay TV choice for consumers.”
Last year, Hulu expanded its on-demand library to more than 75,000 episodes of television across 1,700 titles. That’s more than twice the number of episodes available on any of the other leading streaming services, the company says.
Hulu added all existing episodes of more than 600 series, including “This is Us,” “Designated Survivor,” “Atlanta,” “Futurama,” “30 Rock,” “Black-ish,” “Lost,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Will & Grace,” “Power,” “Golden Girls,” “Prison Break,” “Full House” and “Family Matters.”
Hulu’s offerings currently include its SVOD TV library (which the company says is the largest in the U.S.), its own original series, and the more than 50 top live channels in its Hulu With Live TV plan.
Hulu took home 10 Emmy Awards last fall, including the first-ever Outstanding Drama Emmy won by a streaming service for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and two Golden Globes on Sunday, including the award for Best Television Series – Drama (again, for “The Handmaid’s Tale”).
Here are more highlights from 2017 the company is celebrating:
• Consumers aren’t the only ones who love Hulu; brands love it as well. In 2017, Hulu’s advertising revenue reached $1 billion for the first time in the company’s history.
• Hulu viewers have a median age of 31 – nearly 25 years younger than the average broadcast TV viewer (55) – and a median annual household income of $92,000.
• Hulu With Live TV is already driving strong engagement with its combination of live, library and original content. In December, viewers who subscribe to Hulu With Live TV spent more time watching content per day than the average linear TV viewer.
• The top three dramas on Hulu in 2017, based on hours watched, were “Law & Order: SVU,” “This is Us” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
• The top three comedies on Hulu in 2017, based on hours watched, were “South Park,” “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers.” Notably, “Seinfeld” also cracked the top 10–Hulu viewers watched more than 65 million hours of Seinfeld in 2017.