Hulu Eliminates Free Video Streaming Service

August 8, 2016 at 5:00 pm | Posted in Site Updates | Leave a comment
Tags: hulu, yahoo view

American video-on-demand service Hulu announced today that it will no longer offer free streaming videos. Over the next few weeks, Hulu will phase out this ad-supported free service in favor of its two subscription plans — $7.99 per month with commercials, and $11.99 per month without. Hulu has been a destination for free Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes since 2010.

Don’t agonize too hard over this revelation, however. 4K Media (Konami) is a Hulu partner and the Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes on Yugioh.com, which are hosted on Hulu for U.S.-based viewers, aren’t going anywhere.

“There should be minimal impact to Yu-Gi-Oh! fans as free ad-supported content will still be available through distribution partner deals such as Yugioh.com, Comcast, Yahoo, etc.,” explained 4K Media. “This news will only impact users who visited Hulu.com via a computer and did not have a Plus subscription.” The company noted that such users account for “a very small number” of Yu-Gi-Oh! views — “less than one percent.”

Also today, Yahoo announced that its partnership with Hulu is expanding with the launch of Yahoo View, a new website for free TV and movies. Yahoo View’s library will include much of the programming that Hulu had offered for free — including the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series — and is supported by ads. Check them out:

• Yu-Gi-Oh! on Yahoo View
• Yu-Gi-Oh! GX on Yahoo View
• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s on Yahoo View
• Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL on Yahoo View

So, if you’ve been relying on Hulu for your free Yu-Gi-Oh! fix, it’s time to change your routine. For everyone else, keep enjoying Yu-Gi-Oh! as usual!