Hulu Unveils Details of Upcoming Originals, Including Steve Martin & Martin Short Comedy

Today during the Hulu 2020 Newfront presentation, "Green Is Good," the company showcased the premium content, industry-leading insights, viewer-first advertising products and new creative opportunities that make Hulu, now part of Disney Advertising Sales, the most valuable streaming TV partner to today's biggest brands.

With the help of Hulu and FX on Hulu Original talent, Hulu President Kelly Campbell, Disney Advertising Sales President Rita Ferro, and other senior company executives spoke to Hulu's powerful position in the industry as the first and largest premium ad-supported streaming TV platform, and the results that Hulu and Disney combined sales capabilities can deliver for advertisers.

"Streaming is leading one of the most profound consumer behavior shifts in history. For advertisers, Streaming TV is no longer a 'nice-to-have' or 'a place to test and learn.' It's a must have, and it will redefine advertising in the same way that search did twenty years ago," said Kelly Campbell, President of Hulu. "Hulu is proven in this space and was made for this very moment: we have the experience, the storytelling, the data and the scale to put television budgets to work, help brands connect authentically with audiences and drive results."

"We pride ourselves on being home to the best Sports, Entertainment, and Streaming TV brands in the business and have the unique ability to deliver both massive scale and specific audience targets," said Rita Ferro, President, Advertising Sales, The Walt Disney Company. "Now, as one platform under Disney Advertising Sales, we have the most powerful capabilities to connect our clients to Generation Stream and to deliver unmatched results across every category."

Below are the key announcements and highlighted original series from today's Hulu Newfront:

GENERATION STREAM

As a top destination for viewers and brands with a deep understanding of the streaming audience, Hulu unveiled its latest insights about Generation Stream.

Generation Stream is defined as a multigenerational group and crosses all age, race, and gender bounds - they're connected by a common behavior - streaming. Hulu embarked on a multi-faceted behavioral study, titled Generation Stream, to better understand the attitudes and motivations of the viewers who are reshaping how we watch TV and shared preliminary data of the study. Early findings include:

• Streamers tend to be younger and more affluent and more likely to be college educated.
• 91% of streamers would rather give up their music service, their social media, their favorite food, favorite item of clothing and favorite brand before they would give up their streaming TV service.
• Generation Stream classify themselves as - Stream Only, Stream Most and Stream Also:
  • 37% of Generation Stream fall into STREAMING ONLY, as streaming is their exclusive source of TV.
  • 47% of Generation Stream are considered STREAMING MOST, as this segment streams a lot - but streaming is part of a vast entertainment and cultural universe.
  • 16% of Generation Stream are STREAMING ALSO, as audiences in this category stream but only in addition to watching other types of content.
• 86% of Hulu viewers fall into either STREAM ONLY or STREAM MOST categories.
• Three-quarters of streamers want brands to offer at least some form of personalization.
• Over 80% of Hulu subscribers recommend brands to friends, and nearly two-thirds of Hulu subscribers say they like advertising.

GATEWAYGO

Hulu continues to give viewers choice and control over their ad experience and unveiled its new viewer-first advertising format, GatewayGo, during today's Newfront presentation.

GatewayGo joins Disney's suite of advertising offering, and marries traditional TV ads with new, action-oriented prompts and offers to create immediate connections between viewers and advertisers. It uses second screen technologies, like QR codes and push notifications, for viewers to take immediate action on a brand's offer on their mobile device.

Based on behavioral data, survey results show that 6 out of 10 viewers would likely consider purchasing from the brand after redeeming an offer and nearly 50% of viewers claim to have their phones with them on the couch watching TV. SmileDirectClub, The RealReal and Sweetgreen are among Hulu's exclusive launch partners for this new experience.

NEW MEASUREMENT SOLUTION

As TV reach increases and brands look to find the best way to plan against the Generation Stream audience, Hulu announced today the integration of Nielsen Media Impact. With Nielsen Media Impact, marketers now have the opportunity to see exactly what kind of reach they can expect against their ad spend across the Disney Advertising Sales platform.

DISNEY Hulu XP

Available on October 1, Disney Hulu XP will be the first unified video ad product for marketers spanning the entire Disney platform. This new buying platform gives advertisers incremental addressable reach and enhanced targeting options to connect with audiences.

UPCOMING Hulu ORIGINAL DRAMAS

On the heels of successful dramas Little Fires Everywhere and Normal People, Hulu continues to deliver awe inspiring dramatic stories with the addition of Dopesick and The Mysterious Benedict Society. The two join previously announced new series including Nine Perfect Strangers and The Dropout:

• Emmy-Award® winning writer Danny Strong and Golden Globe®-winning Actor Michael Keaton, join Hulu's newest limited series Dopesick, a compelling look at the epicenter of America's struggle with Opioid addiction. Strong shared, "I truly believe this is one of the most important stories of our time, and I want to shine a light on the heroes who fought back."

• The Mysterious Benedict Society, featuring Emmy Award® winner Tony Hale and based on the bestselling novel, is a tale of four gifted orphans who are recruited by a benefactor to go on a secret mission at a boarding school. "I am so excited about this because when the story begins, the world is just being bombarded with messages of fear and negativity...and I feel like today we are being flooded with [these] messages... and its stories like these that hopefully emulate a different way of being," described Hale.

• Coming to Hulu in 2021, starring Academy Award® winner Nicole Kidman and based on the book by New York Times best-selling author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness facility that promises healing and transformation, as nine stressed city-dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Kidman explained "Sometimes thrilling, sometimes mysterious and sometimes funny, the series dares us to dream, transform, transcend... all you have to do is check in. Give us 10 days of your life."

• Kate McKinnon stars and executive produces The Dropout, a limited series inspired by the ABC News podcast on the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. McKinnon states "It's a story about ambition, about the pain behind that ambition, and about the pain that the ambition wrought... That's good. I'd watch that."

UPCOMING Hulu ORIGINAL COMEDIES

With recent hits like Solar Opposites, Ramy, Pen15 and Shrill, engagement of Hulu Original comedies have seen an 80% increase year-over-year. Joining the category, featuring world-class comedy talent, includes:

• Only Murders In The Building, starring comedic legends Steve Martin and Martin Short and from executive producer DAN FOGELMAN, the series follows three New Yorkers who find they have a mutual interest in solving true crime - but limit their amateur sleuthing to only murders in their building. Martin and Short are excited to embark on the show together, stating "I'm so proud to say that this show is already one of the highlights of my career" said Short, quickly followed by Martin "I'm proud to say it's a blip on the radar of mine." "It is..." Short agreed.

• Love, Beth, starring and executive produced by Amy Schumer, is an upcoming 10-episode comedy series that Schumer describes as "...hilarious, it's raw and it's very me. About three years ago, I found my journals from growing up, from age 13 - 21... And it made me remember the time when I had all this confidence and life was fun and full of possibility. So, I really wanted to make a show about a woman who blows her whole life up and returns to the things that really make her happy."

• Semi-animated live-action series Woke, featuring Lamorne Morris, is a series that Morris shares as, "Simply put-this series is smart, funny and right on time. And the cast is unbelievable." Inspired by the life and art of cartoonist Keith Knight, the show follows Keef (Morris), a Black cartoonist living in San Francisco, who is finally on the cusp of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes everything.

• As the home to the largest streaming TV library of Adult Animation, Hulu continues to infuse fresh new content into the genre and recently announced season renewals of Crossing Swords and Solar Opposites. These renewals expand Hulu's massive collection of adult animated series with award-winning hits like Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Rick and Morty, Futurama and King of the Hill.

UPCOMING FX ON Hulu ORIGINALS

Launched in early March, FX on Hulu is the dedicated content HUB that brings together more than 40 of FX Networks' acclaimed and award-winning current and legacy series, features over 1,600 episodes and includes Hulu exclusive FX originals. Since launch, over 50% of Hulu subscribers have engaged with FX on Hulu and the content HUB has expanded FX's reach by 130%. Upcoming originals include:

• The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and based on the bestselling novel, is a drama series centered on "Dan Chase" (Bridges) who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.
• A Teacher, an upcoming miniseries starring Kate Mara and Nick Robinson, examines the complexities and consequences of an illegal relationship between Claire Wilson (Kate Mara), a young teacher at a suburban Texas high school, and her student, Eric Walker (Nick Robinson).
• Y: The Last Man, based on the DC Comics series of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, traverses a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic event decimates all but one cisgender male, Yorick Brown, and his pet monkey. The series follows the survivors in this new world as they struggle with their efforts to restore what was lost and the opportunity to build something better. Diane Lane leads a star-studded cast featuring Ben Schnetzer, Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, Elliot Fletcher with Marin Ireland and Amber Tamblyn.
• American Horror Stories is the highly anticipated new weekly anthology series from Ryan Murphy and will feature a different horror story each episode.

HULUWEEN

Returning for a trilogy, Huluween streams this Fall with even more chilling Hulu Originals. After viewers watched 6.2 billion minutes of Halloween content in 2019, October continues to be a high-engagement driver for Hulu. Brands are also reaping the benefits, as marketers that partner with Hulu during Huluween have seen a +55% increase in ad recall and an 80% increase in brand association. Brand-new Hulu Originals featured in Huluween this year include:

• Based on Clive Barker's acclaimed and influential horror anthology, Books of Blood takes audiences on a journey into uncharted and forbidden territory through three uncanny tales tangled in space and time. Starring Anna Friel, Rafi Gavron, Britt Robertson and Yul Vazquez.
• In this horror satire set in 1989, Bad Hair follows an ambitious young woman (Elle Lorraine) who gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career comes at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.
• As THE SON and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, Helstrom follows Daimon (Tom Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon), and their complicated dynamic, as they track down the worst of humanity - each with their own attitude and skills.
• Encounters with mermaids, fallen angels, and other strange beasts drive broken people to desperate acts in Monsterland, an anthology series based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud, featuring Kaitlyn Dever, Mike Colter, and Taylor Schilling.

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