This article was published on August 22, 2012

Hulu redesigns its website to boost content discovery, adds browse option, ‘staff picks’ and more


Hulu redesigns its website to boost content discovery, adds browse option, ‘staff picks’ and more

Streaming content giant Hulu has unveiled a new design for its website which it says will massive improve content discovery and the viewing experience.

The changes aren’t hitting all customers just yet, and the US-based company says that all users will begin seeing the revised homepage over the next few days. Those that are impatient can grab an early glimpse at new.hulu.com, although it will only load for those based in the US, of course.

Among the raft of new changes coming, Hulu.com will includes a ‘browse’ feature to help navigate content and a curated ‘Staff Picks’ list to highlight some of the gems that are ordinarily glossed over by Hulu-ers.

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It isn’t just about curation and a search bar is now in place, to help find dedicated shows and programming. Furthermore, the new layout also help users connect the dots to find new shows that are similar to those that they already watch more easily.

Those that have switched over to see a new show can easily switch back, thanks to a ‘resume episode’ feature, which is out and in action below.

An announcement from the company explains:

We’ve started by using larger, more vivid artwork to feature last night’s TV episodes and new additions to Hulu. We’ve also implemented a new tray-style format to make it easy for you to browse and discover content. And for logged-in users, we highlight the “Shows You Watch” to make it super easy to jump directly to the shows you are already enjoying on Hulu.

Scroll down the homepage and you’ll find the most popular episodes on Hulu this week, and shows and movies that are recommended just for you based on the videos you watch on Hulu.

On our homepage and across Hulu, you’ll also find “Staff Picks”. These collections of TV shows, movies and short videos are hand-picked by our editorial team to help you discover new shows to watch on Hulu. Some of the “Staff Picks” we launched today include a curated lineup of travel shows (“Armchair Adventures“) and our favorite presidential impressions from SNL (“SNL for President”).

We’ve also improved our site navigation. Use the “Browse” menu to easily jump to popular content, content recently added to the site, specific networks, recommendations and more from any page on Hulu.

Those outside of the US were recently given cause for excitement when Hulu broadcasts were found to be working internationally for Apple TV owners that accessed it using a US iTunes account.

That hope was short-lived however as, 24 hours later, streaming was once again blocked.

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