Woo Hoo! Hulu's Working on a Premium Tier With No Ads.People familiar with the plan call it 'Project NOAH,' which stands for NO Ads Hulu.

ByDaniel Cooper

This story originally appeared onEngadget

Would you kick in a few extra bucks to watchHuluwithout those grating pre-roll ads, because it might become an option pretty soon. Anonymous tipsters have told theWall Street Journalthat the company is working on "Project NOAH," which stands for "NO Ads Hulu," a new pricing tier that ditches ads outright.

The people familiar with the matter haven't gone into specifics, but suggest that the offering could be priced between $12 and $14 a month, a fairly big leap from the $7.99 a regular subscription costs. Then again, considering that theShowtimeadd-on is a further $8.99 a month, we could easily imagine a premium Hulu package that went for a round $20.

The move is designed to Hulu better compete with its rivals, Netflix and Amazon Prime, both of which are proudly free of commercials. When rumors surfaced that Netflix was even consideringadding commercials, there was plenty of uproar and the company was quick to issue a strong denial. Hulu could also do with raking in a little more cash since it splashed out the better part of$180 millionfor the streaming rights toSeinfeld.

The paper also reports that there's some resistance to the ad-free tier coming from Hulu's corporate parents. It's suggested that these media companies feel resentful to Netflix for making people expect to binge TV shows without having to pause for a message from a sponsor. That's a fact that puts plenty of executive noses out of joint, since they feel that ads remain a key component of the TV landscape (because: money).

As a sop, it's believed that Hulu will use its audience data to target relevant products to people since, you know, you only resent paying for the privilege of watching an advert if it's for something you're not likely to buy.

Wavy Line
After training to be an intellectual property lawyer, Dan Cooper abandoned a promising career in financial services to sit at home and play with gadgets. He now serves as Engadget's associate European editor.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

An 81-Year-Old Florida CEO Just Indicted for a $250 Million Ponzi Scheme Ran a Sprawling Senior Citizen Crime Ring

Carl Ruderman is the fifth senior citizen in the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale-Palm Beach metropolitan area to face charges in connection with the scam.

Business Culture

The Newest Workplace Trend Has HR Sounding The Alarm

人力资源部门still figuring out how to handle "quiet quitting," but a new trend is taking over.

Business News

McDonald's Is Launching a Spinoff Restaurant Chain Based on a Beloved, Blast-From-the-Past Mascot

The company saw a lot of success with another former mascot, Grimace, in June.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

Taco Bell Slammed With Lawsuit Over 'Especially Concerning' Advertisements, Allegedly Deceiving Customers

The class action lawsuit claims the chain is advertising more than they deliver.

Business News

Body of Missing 27-Year-Old Goldman Sachs Banker Found in Nearby Body of Water

John Castic, a 27-year-old Goldman Sachs employee, went missing around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday after attending a concert at the Brooklyn Mirage in East Williamsburg.