Windows Phone 8 has yet to set the world on fire, but it’s apparently kindling enough interest among consumers for Hulu to spend the resources necessary to bring its $8 per month subscription service to the budding mobile platform.
The Hulu Plus app for Windows Phone 8 debuted on the Windows Phone store on Monday. Among the few features optimized for Windows Phone 8 is a Live Tile that keeps a running update of the “hottest shows” from the Hulu Plus catalog. Hulu announced last week that its subscription service passed 4 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, predicting that mobile viewing will account for 15% of its consumed videos in 2013-2014.
The app gives the budding Windows Phone 8 access to another marquee content partner. Netflix unleashed its first app for Windows Phone 8 in 2010, and last month launched an upgraded version that enables streaming in the 720p format.
Windows Phone accounted for just 5.6% of U.S. smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2013, up 1.9% from the year-ago period, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, noting that the platform has been good at attracting first time smartphone buyers. Android, meanwhile, remained the top operating system in the period, representing 49.3% of smartphone sales. Apple iOS was second, with 43.7%.
