How Hulu Plans To Make Ads More Enjoyable For Binge Watchers

Hulu is figuring out a way to make the binge-watching experience better on their app for those who watch three or more episodes per session, specifically by targeting the way ads are viewed.

In the past, ads have popped up at regular TV show standard intervals with about a minute and a half per interval -- but that’s all about to change, with its newly launched “binge-watch ads.” As of right now, they are in a trial run.

The system functions similarly to a reward program, where if you watch a certain number of episodes, the ads begin to change, decrease in size, or disappear completely -- much like a binge-watching game.

For example, the first episode during your binge may have normal commercial breaks and the second episode will let you choose which commercial you’d prefer, which is something users have already experienced with Hulu ads. But if you watch three or four episodes of a show, you may get that episode completely commercial-free.

Variety reports that as people grow away from cable television and become more accustomed to binge-watching, the idea of ads interrupting the flow of their binge is becoming increasingly disliked. Some worry that in the future, it will become increasingly more difficult for internet streaming services to put-off placing ads on their platforms.

TechCrunch crunched the numbers and determined that half of the time people spend binge-watching is supported by advertisements. They also report which advertisers are participating in this experimental way of watching Hulu ads: Kelloggs, Georgia-Pacific, and Makers Mark. The brands that were interested decided this was a great way to reward their customers and view their ads on a daily basis for sometimes hours at a time.

Kelloggs will be advertising Cheez-It crackers in an effort to inform fans in a more meta and interactive way that they are the perfect snack for binge-watching.

This new Hulu ad system is designed for both consumers and corporations in an effort to make binge-watching with ads more entertaining for viewers while allowing them to connect better with those companies.