Things are changing for the streaming service Hulu, with recent news of a redesign as well as new features making headlines. It also appears Hulu will be following in Netflix’s footsteps and ending support on older Roku devices. According to ARS Technica, older models of the Roku will no longer support Hulu as of June 24th.
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Old Roku devices already had limited options when it came to the Hulu app, for example, they do not have access to the live TV feature. At the end of the month, both the Roku Streaming Player (models 2400 to 3100) and the Roku Streaming Stick (model 3420 or earlier) will no longer have any access to Hulu at all.
Newer versions of Roku will need a firmware update of version 8.1 or higher. With this update, Hulu ensures that “access to new features and all of the content that you subscribe to” will continue. This applies to the following Roku devices: Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere and Premiere+, Roku Express and Express+, Roku 3 and 4, Roku 2 (model 4210), Roku Streaming Stick (model 3500 or later), Roku TV, and 4K Roku TV.
Here’s more information about Hulu’s redesign, which seems to be going in the way of Disney+: “Viewers can now navigate through collections vertically and explore within a collection by moving horizontally. This navigation pattern is something our viewers are accustomed to and matches the navigation pattern across Disney+ and ESPN+, making it easier for viewers who subscribe to the Disney bundle to switch between services and navigate with ease. When testing, viewers found it easy and intuitive to adjust to this updated navigation pattern.”
They added, “We’re also simplifying navigation. Categories of content like TV, Movies, and Sports will be moved to the master navigation, which gives our viewers a clear pathway to find what they’re looking for. In the mood for a dramatic movie? This new navigation provides an easy way to navigate our vast library of content with fewer clicks than before.”
They concluded, “These updates to our UI, paired with more powerful expert and algorithmic curation, make Hulu’s content discovery and navigation experience easier to use and more personalized than ever before. These changes are just the first step in many more to come, all aimed at creating a user interface that puts our content and viewers at the forefront of the experience.”
Do you have an older Roku model? If so, do you plan to upgrade in order to keep Hulu? Tell us in the comments!
