Hulu

# Hulu

## Abstract

Hulu (/ ˈ h uː l uː / HOO -loo) is an American subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.

It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as a joint venture between News Corporation (later 21st Century Fox) and NBC Universal (later Comcast), Providence Equity, and later The Walt Disney Company, serving as an aggregation of recent episodes of television series from their respective television broadcasting. In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially branded as "Hulu Plus", which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and un-delayed access to new episodes. In 2017, the company launched Hulu with Live TV—an over-the-top streaming television service offering access to broadcast television channels.

In 2011, Hulu launched its services in Japan, marking its first and only international expansion. Three years later in 2014, Hulu Japan was acquired by Nippon TV and spun off from its American counterpart. Since February 2021, Hulu's original content has since been distributed outside of the U.S. via Disney+ under the Star brand. In 2019, Disney acquired Fox's stake in Hulu as part of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and subsequently acquired the remaining stake held by Comcast in 2023, giving it full ownership. After the acquisition, Disney soft launched an integration of Hulu into Disney+ as a content hub in December 2023, allowing subscribers to both services to access Hulu content from within the Disney+ apps.

## Etymology

The name Hulu comes from two Mandarin Chinese phrases, húlu (葫芦; 葫蘆; " calabash, bottle gourd ") and hùlù (互 录; 互 錄; " interactive recording ").

Jason Kilar, who served as CEO of Hulu, said the name comes from a Chinese proverb:

Hulu is Mandarin for gourd. And so when we were launching Hulu, we thought, "what a great name that is." And it had this great sort of symbolism of the holder of precious things, which is the holder of premium content. So that's why we named it Hulu.

## History

### Early years (2007–2010)

Individuals who were instrumental in the founding of Hulu include Bruce Campbell, Peter Chernin, JB Perrette, Mike Lang, Beth Comstock, George Kliavkoff, Darren Feher, and Jason Kilar. Rus Yusupov, the lead designer on Hulu's original design team, played a key role in shaping the platform's initial interface and user experience. Hulu was announced in March 2007 with AOL, NBCUniversal (then co-owned by General Electric and Vivendi), MSN, Myspace (then owned by News Corporation), and Yahoo! planned as "initial distribution partners". Jason Kilar was named Hulu CEO in late 2007. NBC shut down its earlier online video effort NBBC in order to focus on Hulu.

The name Hulu was chosen in late August 2007, when the website went live with an announcement only and no content. It invited users to leave their email addresses for the upcoming beta test. In October 2007, Hulu began the private beta testing by invitation, and later allowed users to invite friends. Hulu launched for public access in the United States on March 12, 2008.

Hulu began an advertising campaign during NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII with an initial ad starring Alec Baldwin titled "Alec in Huluwood". Advertisements have since aired featuring Eliza Dushku, Seth MacFarlane, Denis Leary, and Will Arnett.

In July 2007, Providence Equity, the owner of Newport Television, became one of the earliest "outside" investors by purchasing a 10 percent stake in the company for US$100 million equity investment, before the company was known as "Hulu". With its investment came a seat on the board of directors, where Providence was said to act as an "independent voice on the board". In April 2009, The Walt Disney Company joined the Hulu consortium as a stakeholder, with plans to offer content from ABC, ESPN and Disney Channel.

### Multiple joint ventures (2010–2019)

Early in 2010, Hulu chief executive Jason Kilar said the service had made a profit in two quarters and that the company could top $100 million in revenue by summer 2010, more than its income for all of 2009. ComScore says monthly video streams reached 903 million in January 2010, over three times the figure for a year earlier, and second only to YouTube.

On August 16, 2010, a report revealed that Hulu was planning an initial public offering (IPO) which could value the company at more than $2 billion.

In June 2011, an "unsolicited offer" caused Hulu to begin "weighing whether to sell itself". However, Hulu and its owners refused to sell the company, as none of the bidders offered an amount that was satisfactory to its owners. In September of that year, the service launched in Japan; marking Hulu's first international expansion.

Hulu generated $420 million in revenue in 2011, $80 million short of the company's target. The vacant CEO post was officially filled by former Fox Networks President Mike Hopkins on October 17, 2013.

In October 2012, Providence sold its 10 percent stake to "Hulu's media owners" and ceased participation in the board.

On February 27, 2014, Nippon Television Network Corporation acquired Hulu's Japanese business. The service would retain the "Hulu" brand and technology in Japan under a subsidiary of Nippon as part of a separate agreement.

On August 3, 2016, Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery) acquired a 10 percent stake of Hulu.

Hopkins exited and was named Sony Pictures TV Chairman. Fox Networks Group COO Randy Freer was named CEO on October 24, 2017.

### Disney majority ownership (2019–2023)

On March 20, 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, giving it a 60% majority stake in Hulu. On April 15, 2019, WarnerMedia sold its 10% stake in Hulu back to the company for $1.43 billion, leaving Disney with 67% and Comcast with 33%. Comcast, the only other shareholder, announced on May 14, 2019, that it had agreed to cede its control to Disney, and reached an agreement for Disney to purchase its 33% stake in the company as early as 2024.

On May 14, 2019, Comcast relinquished its control in Hulu to Disney effective immediately. As a result, the streaming service became a division of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (DTCI) with Comcast effectively becoming a silent partner. Under the agreement, Comcast's 33% stake can be sold to Disney at fair market value as early as 2024. The fair market value will be determined at that time, but Disney guaranteed a minimum valuation of the entire company at $27.5 billion (valuing the Comcast stake as worth at least $9.075 billion). Randy Freer would report to Disney executive Kevin Mayer.

Disney stated that its control of Hulu was the third major component of its direct-to-consumer strategy, complementing its sports streaming service ESPN+, and its then-forthcoming Disney+. Hulu would be oriented towards "general" entertainment and content targeting mature audiences. NBCUniversal will continue to license its content to the service through at least 2024, but it will have the option to begin transitioning its exclusivity deals with Hulu to non-exclusive terms beginning in 2020, and to end other content deals beginning in 2022.

On July 31, 2019, Disney reorganized Hulu's reporting structure, placing Hulu's Scripted Originals team under Disney General Entertainment Content. Under the new structure, Hulu's SVP of Original Scripted Content would report directly to the chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. As of November 2019, FX and Fox Searchlight were assigned to supply Hulu with content. In January 2020, Disney eliminated the role of Hulu CEO, with its top executives to report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television. On January 31, 2020, Freer resigned as CEO of Hulu and the position was eliminated; Hulu's top executives now report directly to DTCI and Walt Disney Television.

In June 2021, Comcast accused Disney of undermining Hulu's growth and value by not engaging in international expansion of the service, having instead added the Star brand as an extension of Disney+ in selected markets.

On September 7, 2021, Hulu announced that the prices of its main video on-demand and ad-free plans would increase by $1 each to $6.99 and $12.99 per-month beginning October 8. In October 2021, Hulu president Kelly Campbell resigned, and was subsequently appointed the president of NBCUniversal's competing service Peacock.

On November 22, 2021, Disney and WarnerMedia reached a deal to let select 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures films stream on Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max in 2022. In March 2022, NBCUniversal decided that it will pull content from Hulu and move them to Peacock, beginning in September. In January 2022, Joe Earley became president of Hulu.

In September 2022, Chapek indicated that Disney is considering merging Hulu into Disney+ because the model had been successful outside the United States without any content friction. To accelerate the plan, he said that Disney would love to buy out Comcast's 33.3% stake in Hulu earlier than their previously agreed 2024 timeline. However, Comcast had not offered reasonable terms for an early buyout and had instead expressed interest in buying Hulu themselves if it were for sale.

On May 18, it was announced that Disney+ and Hulu would remove nearly 60 original films and series on May 26 in order to "cut costs." The news sparked some backlash, mostly towards the initial decision to remove Howard, the documentary on the life of lyricist Howard Ashman, on the eve of Pride Month and the release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. However, it was confirmed the next day that film will remain available on the service.

On July 10, 2023, Hulu launched an adult animation and anime hub known as Animayhem, featuring several different 20th Television Animation programs, including American Dad, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and King of the Hill, among various others. Additionally, new seasons of Futurama and King of the Hill were commissioned for the service, while the company also showcased an "immersive" experience at San Diego Comic-Con to promote the occasion, titled Hulu Animayhem: Into the Second Dimension. The hub was also launched on Disney+ internationally the following year.

### Disney full ownership (2023–present)

On September 6, 2023, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts announced that Hulu's equity fair value will be assessed as of September 30.

In November 2023, Disney began their acquisition of Comcast's stake in Hulu. The two companies previously agreed to a minimum floor price of $8.6 billion, which was paid for on December 1. On December 6, 2023, Disney launched a content hub for Disney+, which contains Hulu content for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States in beta. The Disney+ hub officially launched in March 2024; Hulu also continued to be available through its own app.

## Content

### Original content

From January 17, 2011, to April 24, 2014, Hulu streamed its own in-house web series The Morning After, a light-hearted pop-culture news show. It was produced by Hulu in conjunction with Jace Hall 's HDFilms and stars Brian Kimmet and Ginger Gonzaga. Producing the show was a first for the company, which in the past has been primarily a content distributor.

On January 16, 2012, Hulu announced that it would be airing its first original script based program, titled Battleground, which premiered in February 2012. The program aired on Hulu's free web service rather than on the subscription-based Hulu Plus. Battleground is described as a documentary-style political drama.

Later that same month, Hulu announced it would air The Fashion Fund, a six-part reality series, and the winner of the show would receive $300,000 to start their career.

To continue with its original programming movement, Hulu announced that there would be a total of seven original programs that were planned to air on its service: Battleground, Day in the Life, and Up to Speed were previously mentioned; and on April 19, Hulu added four more shows to its list: Don't Quit Your Daydream, Flow, The Awesomes, and We Got Next. Some of these programs began airing in 2012, while others premiered over the next few years.

On May 21, 2012, Hulu announced it would be bringing Kevin Smith to its lineup of original programming. Smith hosts a movie discussion show titled Spoilers, which began airing in mid-2012.

In March 2016, Lionsgate Premiere and Hulu jointly acquired distribution rights to the film Joshy, which was later released on August 12, 2016.

On May 4, 2016, Hulu acquired The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, as its first documentary acquisition, as part of a planned Hulu Documentary Films collection. The film premiered theatrically on September 15, before debuting on the streaming service on September 17.

Since September 2022, selected International programs that released on Disney+ 's Star Hub and Disney+ original International content that is over the rating limit (maximum TV-14 and PG-13) in United States market begins to release on Hulu.

### Content partners

Following the start of its service, Hulu signed deals with several new content providers making additional material available to consumers. On April 30, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced that it would join the venture, purchasing a 27 percent stake in Hulu.

Starting August 15, 2011, viewers of content from Fox and related networks are required to authenticate paid cable or satellite service wherever Fox streams episodes, including on Hulu, to be able to watch them the morning after the first airing. Non-subscribers will see those episodes delayed a week before they are viewable.

On October 28, 2011, Hulu announced that they had signed a five-year deal with The CW, giving the streaming site access to next-day content from five of the six major networks. On September 18, 2013, Hulu announced a multi-year deal with the BBC that would deliver 2,000 episodes from 144 different titles in the first 12 months.

In 2015, Hulu began offering content from Showtime for an additional $8.99/month, which is cheaper than Showtime's own streaming service. On June 16, 2016, Hulu announced a deal with the Disney-ABC Television Group for the exclusive SVOD rights to past seasons of seven Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD series, and more than 20 Disney Channel original movies.

The CW's agreement with Hulu ended September 18, 2016; in-season streaming of current CW programs moved to the network's own digital platforms, and Netflix began to carry past seasons of The CW's programs through 2019. As of January 2017, a limited amount of content from CBS 's library is available on-demand, mostly limited to shows that are no longer producing new episodes. A deal was reached to bring live broadcasts of CBS and several affiliated channels to Hulu's upcoming live streaming service as well as to make more shows available on-demand.

In April 2018, Hulu announced a partnership with Spotify that allows users to purchase both streaming services for a discounted price per month. This discount also includes an even larger discounted rate for university students.

Hulu distributes video on its own website and syndicates its hosting to other sites, and allows users to embed Hulu clips on their websites. In addition to NBC, ABC and Fox programs and movies, Hulu carries shows from networks: A&E, Big Ten Network, Bravo, E!, Fox Sports 2, FX, PBS, NFL Network, Oxygen, RT America, Fox Sports 1, SundanceTV, Syfy, USA Network, NBCSN, and online comedy sources such as Onion News Network. Hulu retains between thirty and fifty percent of advertising revenue generated by the shows it distributes.

In November 2009, Hulu also began to establish partnerships with record labels to host music videos and concert performances on the site, including EMI in November 2009, and Warner Music Group in December 2009.

In early March 2010, Viacom announced that it was pulling two of the website's most popular shows, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show, off Hulu. The programs had been airing on Hulu since late 2008. A spokesman for Viacom noted that "in the current economic model, there is not that much in it for us to continue at this time. If they can get to the point where the monetization model is better, then we may go back." In February 2011, both shows were made available for streaming on Hulu again. The Daily Show was again removed from Hulu in March 2017 in order to push viewers to watch the program on Viacom and Comedy Central's apps.

In 2012, Viz Media, Aniplex of America, and other distributors teamed up to create Neon Alley. It had launched on October 2, 2012, as a 24/7 web channel, but in 2014 it had switched to Hulu-only. The site contained exclusive dub premieres with anime such as Accel World, Blue Exorcist, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Fate/Zero and the uncut version of Sailor Moon. It also had shows such as Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, Death Note, Inuyasha, Bakuman, Ranma ½, One Piece, One Punch Man, and Bleach. It went defunct on May 4, 2016. However, Hulu still hosts over 300 anime from Funimation, Aniplex of America, Viz Media, and Sentai Filmworks, and selected anime began resume to release on Hulu following the deal between Disney and Sony Pictures since 2021.

In April 2017, Hulu signed a first-run license deal with Annapurna Pictures. Hulu also has output deals with IFC Films and Magnolia Pictures.

Hulu in May 2018 announced its first-ever license deal with DreamWorks Animation, becoming the exclusive streaming home for future DWA movies feature films, as well as library films. DWA had streamed exclusively through Netflix since 2013. Films will be available on the service in 2019, while original series will be available later in 2020.

In October 2018, PocketWatch launched 90 22-minute episodes of repackaged content from their YouTube creator partners on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video and partnered with Paramount Pictures to license them to international distributors.

On December 4, 2018, Hulu confirmed an exclusive multi-year first-look SVOD deal with Funimation.

In June 2019, Hulu and FX signed an output deal with Lionsgate, where Hulu and FX would respectably gain the streaming and TV rights to films released under the Lionsgate label in 2020 and 2021.

In August 2019, Hulu agreed to control the streaming rights to upcoming films released by Bleecker Street.

On March 2, 2020, Hulu launched a dedicated "hub" for content from FX branded as " FX on Hulu ", with the service becoming the exclusive streaming outlet for current and past series from the network. Beginning with Breeders, new episodes of FX original series also become available on Hulu immediately after their television airing, and selected series will also premiere exclusively on the service.

On January 14, 2021, it was announced that following an exclusive 3-week IMAX engagement, Searchlight 's Nomadland would be released on Hulu alongside a regular limited theatrical and drive-in run in the United States on February 19.

On April 21, 2021, Disney reached a deal for television and streaming rights to Sony Pictures films from 2022 through 2026, which includes library rights for some of its franchises like Spider-Man, Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania franchises, etc., and licensing anime under Funimation and Crunchyroll brands and anime released by Aniplex of America, and post-pay-one window rights to new releases (after their exclusivity period with Netflix expires). This deal covers Disney+, Hulu, and Disney's television channels. On May 17, 2021, it started Onyx Collective which is a content brand for creators.

On August 31, 2021, Disney announced that it would fold the U.S. version of Hotstar —a niche streaming service targeting Indian Americans —in late-2022, with its original entertainment content migrating to Hulu. Since August 2021, Star India Networks programming has been available to Hulu subscribers.

### Controversy Over Israeli Propaganda on Hulu

Recently, Hulu has faced significant criticism for airing AI-generated, pro-Israel advertisements, including one depicting Gaza as an idyllic Israeli tourist destination rather than as an Occupied Palestinian Territory surrounded by an apartheid wall that has had 70,000 tons of bombs dropped on it by the IDF since October 7, 2024 in their campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people, as ruled by the International Criminal Court. An article by Vice highlighted that many viewers found the advertisements controversial due to factual inaccuracies and geopolitical insensitivities. This has led to calls for boycotting Hulu and its parent company, Disney, which holds a majority stake in Hulu and thus has significant control over its content.

### Content providers

First and third-party content providers for Hulu. Asterisk (*) denotes third parties.

- 1091 Pictures *

- 20th Century Studios

- ABC ABC News

- ABC News

- AMC Networks * AMC HIDIVE IFC Sundance TV We TV

- AMC

- HIDIVE

- IFC

- Sundance TV

- We TV

- Angel Studios *

- Disney+ Star Hub

- Disney Television Studios ABC Signature 20th Television 20th Television Animation Disney Channel Disney Junior Disney XD

- ABC Signature

- 20th Television

- 20th Television Animation

- Disney Channel

- Disney Junior

- Disney XD

- FilmRise *

- Fox *

- Freeform

- FX Networks FX FXX

- FX

- FXX

- Hollywood Pictures

- Hotstar

- Lucasfilm

- Lionsgate Studios * Lionsgate Films Summit Entertainment Roadside Attractions Pantelion Films Good Universe Entertainment One Lionsgate Television

- Lionsgate Films

- Summit Entertainment

- Roadside Attractions

- Pantelion Films

- Good Universe

- Entertainment One

- Lionsgate Television

- Marvel Studios

- MarVista Entertainment *

- Amazon MGM Studios * Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Orion Pictures American International Pictures

- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

- Orion Pictures

- American International Pictures

- National Geographic Nat Geo Wild

- Nat Geo Wild

- NBCUniversal * E! NBC Oxygen Syfy Telemundo Universal Kids Universal Pictures

- E!

- NBC

- Oxygen

- Syfy

- Telemundo

- Universal Kids

- Universal Pictures

- Paramount Global * BET CBS Comedy Central MTV Nickelodeon Nick Jr. Channel Nicktoons Paramount Network Paramount Pictures TeenNick VH1

- BET

- CBS

- Comedy Central

- MTV

- Nickelodeon

- Nick Jr. Channel

- Nicktoons

- Paramount Network

- Paramount Pictures

- TeenNick

- VH1

- PBS * PBS Kids

- PBS Kids

- Screen Media *

- Searchlight Pictures

- Star+

- Sony Pictures * Aniplex of America Columbia Pictures Crunchyroll, LLC TriStar Pictures

- Aniplex of America

- Columbia Pictures

- Crunchyroll, LLC

- TriStar Pictures

- Touchstone Pictures

- Walt Disney Pictures

- Warner Bros. Discovery * Adult Swim All3Media American Heroes Channel Animal Planet Asian Food Network Boomerang Cartoon Network Cartoonito Cinemax CNN CNN International Cooking Channel DC Entertainment Destination America Discovery Channel Discovery Life Eurosport Food Network HBO HGTV HLN Investigation Discovery Magnolia Network New Line Cinema Oprah Winfrey Network Science Channel TLC Travel Channel Turner Classic Movies Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Pictures

- Adult Swim

- All3Media

- American Heroes Channel

- Animal Planet

- Asian Food Network

- Boomerang

- Cartoon Network

- Cartoonito

- Cinemax

- CNN

- CNN International

- Cooking Channel

- DC Entertainment

- Destination America

- Discovery Channel

- Discovery Life

- Eurosport

- Food Network

- HBO

- HGTV

- HLN

- Investigation Discovery

- Magnolia Network

- New Line Cinema

- Oprah Winfrey Network

- Science Channel

- TLC

- Travel Channel

- Turner Classic Movies

- Warner Bros. Animation

- Warner Bros. Pictures

## Services

### Hulu on demand service

Hulu's subscription service was launched in a software release life cycle on June 29, 2010, and officially launched on November 17, 2010, under the branding Hulu Plus. The service remained advertising-supported, but it offers an expanded content library including full seasons, day-after access to current season content and more episodes of shows available. Hulu also launched Hulu Plus apps on other types of devices, including mobile, digital media players, and video game consoles. By the end of 2011, Hulu Plus had around 1.5 million subscribers.

On April 29, 2015, it was announced that the "Hulu Plus" branding would be discontinued, and that the service would be henceforth marketed as simply "Hulu" to place it in-line with its subscription-only competitors. By then, the service had grown to 9 million subscribers.

In July 2015 Hulu was exploring an advertising-free subscription option for around $12 to $14 a month. This was confirmed as going forward as of September 2, 2015, with a "No Commercials" plan priced at $11.99, $4 more than the $7.99 monthly rate for a "Limited Commercials" subscription, though a few highlighted network series (fewer than 10) would retain pre-roll and post-roll ad pods. Starting in 2019, Hulu plans to begin displaying on-screen ads when the viewer pauses the show, although it is unclear whether this will apply to customers on the $11.99/month No Ads plan.

In May 2016, Hulu announced that it had reached 12 million subscribers. In January 2018, Hulu announced that it had reached 17 million subscribers.

On August 8, 2016, Hulu announced that it would discontinue its free video on-demand content, and syndicate it to Yahoo! on a new website known as Yahoo! Screen. This service featured recent episodes of ABC, Fox, and NBC series until its 2019 discontinuation. The Hulu website is now devoted exclusively to the subscription service.

In May 2018, Hulu introduced 5.1 surround sound on select devices for its original content. In December 2016 Hulu began streaming content in 4K, also limited to its original content. 4K video was quietly rolled back in 2018, and reintroduced in July 2019. Hulu added HDR for some of its original content in August 2021.

On January 23, 2019, Hulu announced a $2 price drop for the basic ad-supported plan to $5.99. The $5.99 monthly plan has previously been offered as a promotional offer since late 2017 where users that signed up (or reactivated accounts that had previously ended their service) during the offer period would keep the price for an entire year before paying the regular rate.

Since the launch of Disney+ in November 2019, the service has been available in the United States in a bundle with Hulu and ESPN+, priced at US$12.99 per-month for the ad-supported tier of Hulu, and US$18.99 for the ad-free tier of Hulu.

On September 7, 2021, Disney announced that Hulu would be getting a price increase on October 8, 2021. The ad-supported Hulu plan would increase from $5.99 to $6.99 a month, while the ad-free Hulu plan would increase from $11.99 to $12.99 a month. The Hulu live TV plan and the Disney bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu with ads and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month, would not get a price increase at this time.

### Hulu + Live TV service

On May 4, 2016, Hulu announced that it planned to begin offering an over-the-top "live programming from broadcast and cable brands" some time in 2017. On November 1, 2016, co-owners 21st Century Fox, including Fox Networks Group (Fox, Fox Sports, Fox News Channel, FX Networks, and National Geographic) and The Walt Disney Company, including Disney–ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc. (ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, and ESPN3) agreed to supply their channels to the streaming service, joined by Warner Bros. Discovery, including Turner Broadcasting System (TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, TruTV, CNN, HLN, CNN International, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang) on August 3, 2016, which previously reached an agreement with Hulu.

The service, originally marketed as "Hulu with Live TV," launched in Software testing on May 3, 2017, along with NBCUniversal (Bravo, Cozi TV, NBC, Oxygen, SYFY, Sprout, and Telemundo), A+E Networks (A&E, History, and Lifetime), CBS Corporation (CBS, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and Showtime), and Scripps Networks Interactive (Cooking Channel, Food Network, and HGTV). It was later renamed to "Hulu + Live TV." The service included live streams of more than 75 broadcast and cable-originated channels, including feeds of the five major broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW – as well as cable channels owned by Hulu witch part of The Walt Disney Company, along with NFL Network, Paramount Global with Showtime, A+E Networks, Comcast 's NBCUniversal, Fox Corporation, Warner Bros. Discovery with HBO, Cinemax, and Starz available as add-ons for an extra fee. Hulu representatives stated that it intends to negotiate carriage agreements with independently owned broadcasting groups to gain distribution rights to local stations from additional markets.

By May 2018, the service had reached 800,000 subscribers.

On November 29, 2018, Hulu + Live TV now adds Discovery Networks, prior to the merger with Warner Bros., now as Warner Bros. Discovery (Discovery, TLC, MotorTrend, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery) for the prices on the bundles featuring the new channels will not change, Discovery will be joining Scripps Networks Interactive. While the $40 per month Hulu With Live TV core package will get the five aforementioned channels, more of Discovery brand channels will also be available through add-on packages. Destination America, Discovery Family, Science Channel, Discovery Life, and American Heroes Channel are in the Entertainment add-on for $7.99 per month. Discovery Channel and Discovery Familia have been added to the $4.99-per-month Spanish language package.

In the third quarter of 2019, Hulu overtook Sling TV as the top OTT pay television service in the United States, with 2.7 million subscribers.

The service was initially priced at $39.99 per-month. In December 2019, the price had been increased to $54.99 per month (after having previously been raised to $44.99).

In November 2020, the rate for Hulu + Live TV increased to $64.99 per month. Along with the ad-free plan with Live TV included, which is now $70.99.

On January 19, 2021, Nexstar 's NewsNation launched on Hulu + Live TV.

On April 30, 2021, the service added nine ViacomCBS (now Paramount) networks (BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, VH1, CMT, Nick Jr. Channel, and TV Land) to the base package, along with BET Her, MTV2, MTV Classic, Nicktoons and TeenNick on the Entertainment add-on.

On November 10, 2021, Disney stated that Hulu + Live TV had reached four million subscribers.

On December 21, 2021, unlimited DVR, Disney+ and ESPN+ will be included with Hulu + Live TV moving forward, but the price of the service would be increased by $5.

On November 14, 2022, Hulu announced that it had added The Weather Channel and Comedy.TV on November 1 and Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries effective November 14. Hallmark Drama also became available in the Entertainment Add-On. Hulu also announced that on December 1, 2022, five Vevo music video channels would be launched, along with theGrio Television Network, JusticeCentral.TV, and The Weather Channel en Español.

## Viewership

Viewership numbers for the site are tracked by measurement firms such as YouGov, Comscore, Nielsen Media Research, and Quantcast. In partnership with comScore, Hulu is the first digital company to receive multi-platform measurement at an individual level that includes co-viewing for living room devices.

The reliability of these metrics has been drawn into question, partly due to widely divergent estimates. For example, between May and June 2010, ComScore updated its scoring methodology and its estimates for Hulu. Hulu's viewers would go from 43.5 million to 24 million in one month. In a comScore digital trends report in 2010, comScore's Digital Year in Review report found that Hulu was watched twice as much as viewers who watched on the websites of the five major TV networks combined.

Hulu in May 2018 announced it has surpassed 20 million subscribers in the United States. The tally, which puts the company about 36 million subscriptions behind Netflix, was disclosed at a media presentation at the newly named Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hulu said it has grown total engagement by more than 60%, with 78% of viewing taking place in the living room on connected TVs.

## Awards

Hulu original series The Handmaid's Tale won two awards at the 33rd annual Television Critics Association Awards for Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama. At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, Hulu earned a total of eight awards for the series and became the first streaming service to win Outstanding Drama Series. The Handmaid's Tale also received Emmys for Outstanding Directing, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Cinematography and Outstanding Production Design. Elisabeth Moss won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress, and Ann Dowd the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. At the 75th Golden Globe Awards The Handmaid's Tale took home two awards, Best TV Drama and Best Actress in a Drama TV Series (Elisabeth Moss).

At the 2016 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, Hulu's first-released documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years won the award for Best Music Documentary. The documentary also received Grammy Awards for Best Music Film at the 2017 Grammy Awards and Best Documentary at the 16th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards. At the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the documentary earned two Emmys including Outstanding Sound Editing and Outstanding Sound Mixing.

At the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016, Hulu received its first Emmy Award nominations for its Original series, 11.22.63 and for Triumph's Election Special 2016. In 2016, Hulu received its first Golden Globe Awards nomination for its original series Casual for TV series, Comedy.

In 2020, Hulu original series The Bravest Knight won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Hulu its 'Best Live Streaming Service' of 2022.


Pljevlja

# Pljevlja

## Abstract

Pljevlja (Montenegrin: Пљевља, pronounced) is a town and the center of Pljevlja Municipality located in Montenegro in the northern region. The town lies at an altitude of 770 m (2,530 ft). In the Middle Ages, Pljevlja had been a crossroad of the important commercial roads and cultural streams, with important roads connecting the littoral with the Balkan interior. In 2023, the municipality of Pljevlja had a population of 24,542, while the city itself had a population of 16,419. The municipality borders those of Žabljak, Bijelo Polje and Mojkovac in Montenegro, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west and Serbia to the northeast. With a total area of 1,346 km (520 sq mi), it is the third largest municipality in Montenegro.

## History

### Prehistory and antiquity

The first traces of human life in the region date between 50,000 and 40,000 BC, while reliable findings show that the Ćehotina River valley was inhabited no later than 30,000 BC. The oldest traces of human presence in the town area, a flint tool, had been found in the cave under Gospić Peak. The traces of settlements in the later stages of the Stone Age were found in two large archaeological sites called Mališina Stijena and Medena Stijena (around 10,000 stone tools and arms), dating to 12,000–8,000 BC. During the Bronze and Iron Age, since around 2,000 BC up until the Roman conquests, a large number of necropolises with tumuli, as well as fortified settlements rose along the Ćehotina valley, especially around villages of Mataruge, Kakmuža, Hoćevina and Gotovuša. The tumuli found in Ljutići, Gotovuša and Borovica have been archeologically researched.

### Roman era

The Romans had a town built on the ruins of their town, and it was called Municipium S,located in the Komini neighbourhood. Several hundred artifacts from the Komini necropolis including a diatreta or cage cup, a glass vase trimmed with blue glass threads, are kept in the Heritage Museum Pljevlja.

### Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the region of Pljevlja was also a part of nucleus of the Serbsn state under the Nemanjić dynasty, until the end of the rule of the Emperor Stefan Dušan. After his death, Pljevlja was under the rule of Serbian autonomous rulers Vojislav Vojinović and Nikola Altomanović. After the defeat of Altomanović 1373 by the joint forces of Serbian lord Lazar Hrebeljanović and Bosnian Ban Tvrtko I, the region of Pljevlja became part of the eastern section of the Kingdom of Bosnia, subsequently part of Sandalj Hranić 's province and later the Duchy of Saint Sava.

### Ottoman Empire

In 1465, the Ottoman Empire conquered Pljevlja. During the Ottoman offensive, the fortress of Kukanj, the residence of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, was destroyed. Fearing an onslaught, many merchants, almost all feudal land owners and wealthier population fled from Pljevlja, seeking refuge in the Republic of Venice, Republic of Ragusa, or further north into the Kingdom of Hungary or Austrian Empire. In Turkish, the town was known as Taslıca ("rocky").

In the Ottoman defter (census book) of 1475/76, the majority of local inhabitants were Eastern Orthodox Christian, numbering some 101 households. The town was expanded into a kasaba, a larger Ottoman city without a fortress. The 15th and 16th centuries were a period of much construction in the city: in 1465 the Holy Trinity Monastery was founded, in 1569 Husein-paša's mosque was built and during the 16th century the city got a sewage system. When the center of Sanjak of Herzegovina was moved to Pljevlja from Foča in 1572, the city started to change rapidly: urban housing increased: 72 houses in 1468, 150 in 1516, 300 in 1570; in the 17th century Pljevlja had around 650 houses in the city center and over 400 in the surrounding area. The first Muslim religious school (madrasa), was built in the 17th century; water-works were constructed in the 18th century. The Russian consul visited Pljevlja in the 19th century and wrote that Pljevlja was a very beautiful oriental city with gardens and fountains, mosques and churches and over 800 houses in the city center (7,000 citizens) which made Pljevlja the second largest city in the Herzegovina Sanjak besides Mostar. After two big fires that burned the city center to the ground, the city's economy was ruined. That was the reason for displacing the center of Herzegovina to Mostar in 1833. After 1833 the city stagnated in both an economic and cultural sense.

In 1875, after a failed uprising, mass emigration took place around Pljevlja in the direction of Užice, Valjevo and the Drina river basin.

### Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman control after the Berlin Congress

As a result of the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Pljevlja and the rest of the Sandžak region were given to Austria-Hungary, interrupting Ottoman rule in the area for the first time in four centuries. However, by 1879, a special convention between Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire transferred western parts of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar into dual jurisdiction between Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. In 1880, Pljevlja was named the capital of the newly formed Sanjak of Pljevlja (in Turkish: Taşlıca Sancağı). Administration remained in Turkish hands, with Austro-Hungarian military presence in the cities of Pljevlja, Prijepolje and Priboj. Some 5,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers and their families came to Pljevlja. As a result, Austro-Hungarian businesses expanded in Pljevlja; the first modern drug store was opened in 1879, a photo store in 1892, and a hospital in 1880. The Austro-Hungarian Army built the first brewery in Pljevlja in 1889. The Pljevlja brewery's annual production was limited to 2,000 hectoliters, and demand was greater than what the brewery could produce. As a result, the Austro-Hungarian garrison in Pljevlja consumed most of the beer produced there.

In 1901, the Pljevlja Gymnasium was built by the Serbian Orthodox Church, with the approval of the Ottoman administration. As a result of the Bosnian crisis, Austria-Hungary withdrew its forces from Pljevlja in 1908. From 1908 to 1912, Pljevlja remained under the control of Young Turks.In the first days of the First Balkan War Pljevlja was freed on October 26, 1912.

### Incorporation into Montenegro and Yugoslavia

On October 8, 1912, Montenegro was the first of the Balkan states to declare war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the First Balkan War. As a result, territories with significant populations of Serbs and Montenegrins were subject to conflict between the Ottoman occupation and incoming armies of Serbia and Montenegro. This was particularly the case with Sandžak, in which Pljevlja had been wedged in an Ottoman Sanjak between Montenegro and Serbia. By October 28, 1912, Ottoman forces had been completely removed from Pljevlja when the Royal Serbian Army 's Javorska brigade arrived, which was accompanied by 150 soldiers from Montenegro. With the departure of Ottoman forces, Montenegro and Serbia eliminated the Ottoman "wedge" in the Sandžak and now shared a border. On November 13, 1913, a formal border agreement between Serbia and Montenegro was signed by Serbian general Miloš Božanović and Montenegro's Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Mirko Mijušković. As a result of this agreement, Pljevlja was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Montenegro.

From 1929 to 1941, Pljevlja was part of the Zeta Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. At the beginning of the Second World War Pljevlja, like the rest of Sandžak, was occupied by NDH Ustaše forces. Notable Muslims from Pljevlja, Bijelo Polje and Prijepolje wrote to Pavelić and expressed their loyalty to the Independent State of Croatia allegedly in the name of all Muslims of Sandjak. By September 1941 Ustaše left Sandžak which was occupied by Italian forces within Italian governorate of Montenegro. The Battle of Pljevlja, fought on 1 December 1941 between attacking Partisans and the Italian Pljevlja garrison, was the biggest battle of the Uprising in Montenegro. In April 1942 Italians established a battalion of Sandžak Muslim militia in Metaljka, near Čajniče, composed of about 500 Muslims from villages around Pljevlja and Čajniče. A little later a command post of Sandžak Muslim militia was established in Bukovica, near Pljevlja. In February 1943, over five hundred civilians were killed during the Bukovica massacre.

Since the end of 1943 Pljevlja belonged to the German occupied territory of Montenegro and after the war to Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Montenegro.

### Breakup of Yugoslavia

During the breakup of Yugoslavia, Pljevlja was the site of intense tension, with its Muslim community subject to intimidation and violence. On August 6, 1992, a local warlord named Milika "Čeko" Dačević walked into Pljevlja's police headquarters to ask that a vehicle which was seized be returned to his personal envoy, threatening to "declare war" on Pljevlja. Over half of the police force turned themselves over to Dačević during his custody in what was essentially a coup d'état on a municipal level. In addition to the stand-off with Dačević, his militia included forces of the Kornjača brothers from Čajniče, who helped blocked off the town from a garrison of the Yugoslav People's Army. Duško Kornjača threatened to kill all of the Muslims in Pljevlja unless Dačević was released. The militia's control over Pljevlja was strong enough that the Yugoslav People's Army garrison in Pljevlja, composed of only 73 soldiers, refused to confront them. On August 7, 1992, Momir Bulatović and Yugoslav President Dobrica Ćosić came to Pljevlja to negotiate with all parties involved. As a result, Bulatović along with Ćosić promised the Islamic community in Pljevlja that they would attempt to disarm the paramilitaries and add reinforcements of the Yugoslav People's Army to patrol the town. To satisfy the militia, Bulatović and Ćosić asked the local Muslims not to seek autonomy, although they had not done so over the course of the meeting. In spite of the resolution, Pljevlja's Muslim community suffered various incidents up to 1995, particularly in the village of Bukovica where 6 Muslim inhabitants were killed from 1992 onwards.

### Contemporary history

In 2008, some members of the municipal assembly of Pljevlja threatened a secession from Montenegro following the Montenegrin recognition of Kosovo. On 2 September 2020, glass was broken on the door of the Islamic Community of Pljevlja and a message was left saying "The black bird has taken off, Pljevlja will be Srebrenica."

## Administration

## Geography

The city lies at an altitude of 770 m (2,530 ft). The municipality borders those of Žabljak, Bijelo Polje and Mojkovac in Montenegro, as well as the republics of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. With a total area of 1,346 km (520 sq mi), it is the third largest municipality in Montenegro.

### Climate

## Demographics

Pljevlja is the administrative center of Pljevlja municipality, which has a population of 24,542. As of the last census data in 2023, town of Pljevlja itself has 16,419 citizens, and is the only town in the municipality with a population of over 1,000.

### Ethnic groups

The town's population in 2024 census was 16,54% Serbs 15.84% Montenegrins, 64.78% Bosniaks or ethnic Muslims, and 0.56% are other ethnic minorities. A total of 2.28% of the population have not declared their ethnicity.

### Languages

Montenegrin, Serbian,bosnian and Croatian are mutually intelligible as standard varieties of the Serbo-Croatian language. Serbian language speaks 25.17% and it‘s the most spoken language in the town. The second most spoken is Montenegrin (2.49%), and Bosnian speaks 72.17% of population. A total of 0.17% of the population have not declared their language.

Religion in Pljevlja 2024

75,83% muslims

24,16% Eastern Orthodoxy

0,01% catholics,atheists

In the past, a total of 26 mosques were built in the area of the city and surrounding settlements. There were 9 of them in Pljevlja, and today four of them exist and serve their purpose, while one is being rebuilt.

There are two Orthodox Christian churches and Monastery of the Holy Trinity.

## Economy

Pljevlja is also one of the main economic engines of Montenegro. The only thermal power plant in Montenegro, which provides 45% of the electric power supply for Montenegro, is situated outside Pljevlja as well as the biggest coal mine with 100% of the coal production in Montenegro. Zinc and lead can be found in Šuplja stijena mine. The richest municipality with forest in Montenegro is Pljevlja and its lumber industry. Agriculture is widespread in the whole municipality. Pljevaljski sir (Pljevlja's cheese, from Пљеваљски сир) is considered a delicacy.

## Transport

The main transit road connections are:

- to Podgorica and the rest of Montenegro across a bridge over Tara

- to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina

- to Belgrade in Serbia

## Education

The first educational life began at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, as well as in Muslim schools madrasas and rushdiyes, and in the mosques themselves.The school in the monastery has been working continuously since the 16th century.Rushdiyes worked from the end of the 16th to the end of the 18th century. The first elementary school in Pljevlja started working in 1823.

A very important date in the history of education in Pljevlja is the opening of Tanasije Pejatović Gymnasium, on September 17, 1901. The first manager was Tanasije Pejatović (until then the substitute of Skopje Gymnasium) and the teacher - Stevan Samardžić (until then a teacher in Nova Varoš). Enrollment lasted until November 5, 1901. 44 male and 16 female students entered the first mixed high school class; within the gymnasium, an all-female Workers' School with 26 girls began its work. From November 22, other teachers also started to work for the department. The gymnasium, however, soon completely burned on the 30th October 1904 and with it all its archives. The gymnasium was rebuilt and is still working today.

There are three elementary and two highschools in Pljevlja.

## Culture

Culture and education are all present throughout history of Pljevlja and its region. The first educational life, churches and monasteries, as well as in the mosques some time later. Monastery of the Holy Trinity is the richest treasury of cultural and spiritual life of the Orthodox Christians from the Middle Ages to the present times. The school in the Holy Trinity Monastery has been working continuously since the 16th century. In 1823, a primary school in Pljevlja started working. The school in Dovolja monastery worked since the 18th century. The very important date in the history of education in Pljevlja is the opening of the Pljevaljska Gymnasium in 1901. The Heritage Museum Pljevlja is a treasure trove of rich historical and cultural heritage of the city and region.

Main features of the town include:

- Heritage museum Pljevlja

- Husein-paša's Mosque and Sahat–kula

- Hadži Zekerijah's Mosque

- Rizvan Čauš Mosque

- Hadži Alija's Mosque

- Monastery of the Holy Trinity

- Church of St. Paraskeva

- Church of St. Elijah

- Municipium S, archaeological site

- Stećci (monoliths)

- Monument December 1

- Park Vodice

- Pljevlja Gymnasium

- Šećerović's House

## Sport

The main football team is FK Rudar Pljevlja, which play in the country's top tier. They share their Gradski stadion with lower league side FK Pljevlja 1997. The town's basketball team is KK Rudar Pljevlja and the handball team is RK Rudar Pljevlja.

## International relations

### Twin towns – sister cities

Pljevlja Municipality is twinned with:

- Babušnica, Serbia

- Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

- Marhanets, Ukraine

- Paraćin, Serbia

- Velenje, Slovenia

- Virovitica, Croatia

- Voždovac, Serbia

## Symbols

The coat of arms of Pljevlja has three lines near the bottom that represents the three rivers that run through the cities: Breznica, Ćehotina, and Vezičnica. First layer is clock tower from the center of Pljevlja and in the back are town-hall and the largest arc of bridge over Tara river which connects municipality of Pljevlja with the rest of the Montenegro. Colours are blue, white and red which represent the pan-Slavic tricolour system.

## Notable people

- Sinan Bey Boljanić (died in 1582) was the sanjak-bey of Herzegovina and of Bosnia

- Hüseyin Pasha Boljanić (died in 1594) was an Ottoman statesman and government official

- Gavrilo Trojičanin (c.1600-after 1651) is historiographer, a gifted scribe and the monk of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Pljevlja.

- Varnava Rosić (1880–1937), Serbian Patriarch

- Slobodan Šiljak (1881–1943) was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church

- Darinka Mirković Borović (18 January 1896 – 8 February 1979) was a Montenegrin nurse during World War I.

- Bogdan Tanjević (born 13 February 1947) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player.

- Derviš Hadžiosmanović (born 9 August 1958) is a Montenegrin football coach and former player.

- Izudin Bajrović (born 9 February 1963) is a theater, film and television actor.

- Vojo Ćalov (born 29 July 1963) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player.

- Žarko Paspalj (born March 27, 1966) is a retired professional basketball player and sports administrator.

- Nebojša Medojević (Born 13 June 1966) is a Montenegrin politician.

- Sanja Đorđević (born 1969) is a turbo-folk singer

- Predrag Bošković (born 12 March 1972) is a Montenegrin politician.

- Damir Čakar (born 28 June 1973) is a Montenegrin former professional footballer.

- Radosav Bulić (born 2 January 1977) is a Montenegrin former football midfielder.

- Goga Sekulić (born 27 February 1977) is a turbo-folk singer.

- Slavko Vraneš (born 30 January 1983) is a Montenegrin former professional basketball player.

- Danijel Živković (born 15 August 1987) is a Montenegrin politician.

- Milojko Spajić (born 24 September 1987) is a Montenegrin politician.

- Mijuško Bojović (born 9 August 1988) is a Montenegrin footballer.

- Žarko Tomašević (born 22 February 1990) is a Montenegrin footballer.

- Nemanja Grbović (born 26 April 1990) is a Montenegrin handball player.


A Good Day to Be a Dog

# A Good Day to Be a Dog

## Abstract

A Good Day to Be a Dog (Korean: 오늘도 사랑스럽개) is a South Korean television series based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Lee Hey, which was published between 2017 and 2019, directed by Kim Dae-woong, and starring Park Gyu-young, Cha Eun-woo, and Lee Hyun-woo. It aired on MBC TV from October 11, 2023 to January 10, 2024, every Wednesday at 21:00 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Viki and Viu in selected regions.

## Synopsis

The series is about the romance between a woman and a man, the woman who is cursed to transform into a dog when she kisses someone, and a man who is the only person who can break the curse but is afraid of dogs due to a childhood trauma.

## Cast

### Main

- Park Gyu-young as Han Hae-na / Mak-soon: a high school Korean language teacher who turns into a dog when she kisses someone.

- Cha Eun-woo as Jin Seo-won / Soo-hyun: a high school math teacher who became afraid of dogs due to childhood trauma.

- Lee Hyun-woo as Lee Bo-gyeom / San-sin: a high school Korean history teacher who is known for being handsome at the high school.

- Yoon Hyun-soo as Choi Yul: Seo-won's nephew and Hae-na's student.

- Kim Yi-kyung as Min Ji-ah: a high school student.

### Supporting

#### Hae-na's family

- Ryu Abel as Han Yu-na: Hae-na's older sister.

- Jung Young-joo as Shin Mi-seon: Hae-na's mother.

- Kim Hong-pyo as Han Pan-dong: Hae-na's father.

- Cho Jin-se as Song Woo-taek: Yu-na's childhood friend.

- Kim Hae-jun as Hae-na's maternal uncle.

#### Garam High School teachers

- Lee Seo-el as Yoon Chae-ah: a Korean language teacher.

- Song Young-ah as Cheon Song-yi: a music teacher.

- Yoo Seung-mok as the vice principal

#### Hae-na's students

- Jo Ah-young as Song Da-eun: a high school student who falls in love with Seo-won.

- Kang Soo-bin as Kwon Ri-ae: Bo-gyeom's big fan who is a student good at math and physics.

- Kim Min-ji as Chu So-yeon

- Shin Jun-hang as Jo Jun-seo

#### Other

- Kim Min-seok as Kang Eun-hwan: Seo-won's high school classmate.

- Lee Seung-jun as Oh Sang-su: Yu-na's ex-boyfriend.

### Extended

- Lee Jong-wook as Min-sik: a fellow teacher at Garam High School.

- Shim Wan-jun as a physical education teacher at Garam High School.

- Park Hae-in as Yoon-ji: a fellow teacher at Garam High School.

### Special appearance

- Lee Yong-nyeo as Popi's owner

## Production

Filming began in October 2022, and finished in April 2023.

## Viewership

## Awards and nominations


Matt Lauer

# Matt Lauer

## Abstract

Matthew Todd Lauer (/ l aʊər /; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with WWOR on 9 Broadcast Plaza (the popular New York City/Brooklyn area hybrid entertainment/local news show that would become The Richard Bey Show) and Cinemax in the with Beyond the Screen, which promoted many big name movies coming out in the late 80s to early 90s, and NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the news anchor for The Today Show from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, Lauer was moved from the news desk to the host's chair, and served as the co-host of NBC 's Today show from 1997 to 2017. He was also a frequent contributor for the evening news magazine Dateline NBC. With NBC, Lauer hosted the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games.

In November 2017, Lauer's contract was terminated by NBC after NBC reported receiving "a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace" and added that NBC had "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."

## Early life

Lauer was born in New York City, the son of Marilyn Lauer, a boutique owner, and Jay Robert Lauer, a bicycle-company executive.

Lauer's father was of Romanian Jewish ancestry, as seen on the Today Show ' s Finding Our Roots. Lauer said, "My dad was Jewish. My mom is not. So I was not raised anything. I do feel a desire now to find something spiritual. Getting married and wanting to have kids has something to do with that."

## Education and early career

Lauer earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio University at age 39 in 1997; he had studied at the school's Scripps College of Communication, School of Media Arts and Studies. Lauer had dropped out of the same institution in the spring of 1979 to begin his television career, after he was hired as a producer of the noon newscast for WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. By 1980, Lauer had become an on-air reporter for the station's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.

Lauer then started to move around the East Coast, hosting a number of daily information and talk programs. He was a co-host of PM Magazine in several cities, beginning in Richmond (1980–1981), then Providence (1981–1984), and then New York City (1984–1986). After the New York edition of PM Magazine was canceled by WNYW in 1986, Lauer and co-host Jill Rappaport worked on a new show for the station, Made in New York, which ran for fifteen weeks. This was followed by Lauer gaining his first national television exposure, as he joined Robin Leach in co-hosting ABC 's short-lived daytime series Fame, Fortune and Romance, a spin-off of the syndicated Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Lauer then returned to local television, hosting programs in Philadelphia and Boston for a two-year period between 1987 and 1989, during which time he reported for ESPN and anchored entertainment news segments for HBO.

In September 1989, Lauer returned to New York City, this time to WWOR, and built his career and fame, where he hosted 9 Broadcast Plaza, a three-hour live interview program. Lauer departed that series as it took a turn in booking "tabloid" guests and topics, and for what he relayed as a refusal to live-read ads on the show for Dial-a-Mattress. WWOR-TV replaced Lauer with various guest hosts Buzz Luttrell Robb Weller, Robin Leach, Steve Edwards (talk show host), Weird Al Yankovic, Howard Stern, Richard Bey, and 9 Broadcast Plaza eventually morphed into The Richard Bey Show.

At this time, Lauer was also the original primary host of a popular Cinemax interstitial show, called Beyond the Screen (1988 - 1997; it was interstitial because the show aired on interstitial breaks between programs), which was very popular on Cinemax, causing them to topple HBO in the ratings. In this show, Matt, and many other hosts, would interview many celebrities such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Talia Shire, Selma Blair, Jerry Seinfeld, Annabella Sciorra, Kirsten Dunst, EPMD, Tupac, John Singleton, Samuel L. Jackson, Sean Nelson, and many others, for their upcoming movies. The Godfather Part III, GoodFellas, Juice, and Fresh, were among the movies that had their behind-the-scenes featurette premieres on Cinemax, via this show.

In 1990, Lauer was hired by the Kushner-Locke Company to host a pilot called Day in Court, executive-produced by veteran producer David Sams, who helped to launch The Oprah Winfrey Show into national syndication. The program was retitled Trial Watch when it went to series, and ran on the NBC network for two seasons. NBC hired Robb Weller as host over Lauer when the program was picked up as a daily series. That same year, Lauer filmed a pilot for the World Wrestling Federation 's bodybuilding spinoff, the World Bodybuilding Federation for USA Network known as WBF BodyStars, though WWF owner/chairman Vince McMahon later decided to host the program himself. In 1991, Lauer appeared as the co-host (along with Willow Bay) of Etc., Etc., a show on the Travel Channel.

## Career at NBC News

Lauer joined NBC in 1992, when he became co-anchor of the early weekday news show Today in New York on the network's New York flagship station WNBC. The following year, Lauer filled the role of Live at Five co-anchor with Sue Simmons, eventually taking the role permanently and giving up the morning shift by 1994; he was replaced on Today in New York by Maurice DuBois. Lauer remained on Live at Five until 1996.

Lauer's on-camera presence would soon provide him many opportunities with NBC News. Lauer filled in as the newsreader on The Today Show for Margaret Larson when needed from 1992 to 1993. This "audition" period allowed him to join The Today Show full-time in January 1994 as news anchor, while still co-anchoring Today in New York and Live at Five.

Lauer stepped in for Scott Simon, Mike Schneider, Jack Ford and David Bloom as the co-host of Weekend Today, and for Ann Curry as anchor of the former NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise from 1992 to 1997. He had also filled in for Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. As the Today Show news anchor, Lauer also substituted for Bryant Gumbel on the Today Show before being named the official co-anchor on January 6, 1997, after Gumbel stepped down. On top of Lauer's duties on The Today Show, Lauer also hosted programming on Discovery Channel and MSNBC.

From 1998 until 2011, Lauer embarked on what was generally an annual five-day, globe-spanning adventure called Where in the World is Matt Lauer? on the Today Show during TV sweeps. The segment was named after the PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? from which it borrowed the theme song. This segment sent Lauer to various locations around the world, from where he reported on the importance of each location. Lauer broadcast from locations including Bhutan, Easter Island, the Panama Canal, Iran, Hong Kong, Croatia, and the Great Wall of China. In 2011, NBC News postponed the segment in consideration of the stagnant, unstable U.S. economy.

On some occasions, Lauer conducted interviews that escalated into tense exchanges. During a June 2005 interview with Tom Cruise, Lauer argued with Cruise about psychiatry and postpartum depression, and Cruise called Lauer "glib." In December 2008, Cruise said he regretted the exchange.

On June 19, 2007, Lauer interviewed Prince William and Prince Harry on the tenth anniversary of the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Between 1998 and 2017, Lauer co-hosted NBC's live coverage of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Lauer co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games, carrying on what his former co-host Katie Couric had done since the 2000 Summer Olympics. Lauer co-hosted the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. His commentary on the 2012 opening ceremonies, along with that of co-hosts Meredith Vieira and Bob Costas, came under fierce criticism, being described as "ignorant" and "banal".

On April 5, 2012, Lauer announced that he had signed a new contract with NBC News through 2017. Forbes estimated that the contract paid Lauer $25 million a year.

It has been widely reported that Lauer had influenced co-anchor Ann Curry 's departure from The Today Show, executed by its executive producer Jim Bell under the name called "Operation Bambi."

During the 2014 Winter Olympics, Lauer replaced prime-time host Bob Costas from February 11–14, after Costas suffered a major eye infection.

In November 2015, Lauer hosted an interview with Charlie Sheen, during which Sheen revealed that he was HIV-positive.

On September 8, 2016, Lauer conducted separate 30-minute interviews with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, both of which were met with much criticism. Lauer devoted much of the Clinton interview to questions about her e-mail server, and according to critics, appeared to rush through audience-led topics such as domestic terror attacks and veterans' affairs, implying that there was not enough time to cover these in detail. Many also felt that Lauer failed to challenge Trump on alleged inaccuracies, such as his statement that he was "totally against the war in Iraq," which other sources called "lies." CNN reported that the short amount of time for the interviews, the short notice with which they were conducted, and the small amount of audience questions were a major reason for the poor reviews.

On November 30, 2016, it was revealed that Lauer had signed a new contract up to 2018. Variety reported that his salary was $20 million per year. On January 6, 2017, Lauer celebrated his 20th anniversary on The Today Show with a look back at some of his most memorable moments on the show.

## Sexual misconduct allegations

On November 29, 2017, NBC News announced that Lauer's employment had been terminated after an unidentified female NBC employee reported that Lauer had sexually harassed her during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and that the harassment continued after they returned to New York. Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News, sent a memorandum to his staff that said, in part, "On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.... While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he's been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." A network executive said Lauer would not receive any form of monetary settlement because he was fired " for cause ". Lauer's last day on air was November 28, 2017. His contract had been scheduled to run through the end of 2018.

NBC News management said it had been aware that The New York Times and Variety had been conducting independent investigations of Lauer's behavior, but that management had been unaware of previous allegations against Lauer. Later reporting disputed this; Linda Vester, a former NBC News correspondent, said that management had to have known and that "everybody knew" that Lauer was dangerous. In the 2019 book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, Ronan Farrow cited multiple sources who stated that NBC News was not only aware of Lauer's misconduct beforehand, but that Harvey Weinstein used this knowledge to pressure the program into killing a story that would have outed his own sexual assaults. Variety reported allegations by at least ten of Lauer's current and former colleagues. Additional accusations went public in the ensuing days. NBC acknowledged three additional cases from 2000 to 2007.

In Catch and Kill, Farrow reveals one of the alleged victims as Brooke Nevils, who says Lauer anally raped her in his hotel room while the two were in Sochi covering the 2014 Winter Olympics for NBC. Farrow also writes in his book that Nevils had additional sexual encounters with Lauer after the initial incident, but she characterized those encounters as "transactional", and consented only out of fear that Lauer had control over her career.

In a statement made after his firing, Lauer apologized for his actions, saying, "Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed." Following Nevils' allegation of sexual assault that was published in Farrow's book, Lauer issued an open letter confirming that he had a consensual sexual relationship with Nevils and that the relationship started in 2014 in Sochi, but denying that the initial encounter was non-consensual.

Two weeks after Lauer's firing, Addie Zinone, a former Today production assistant, made an additional accusation, saying that she had a consensual sexual relationship with Lauer in June 2000. Zinone claimed that the relationship was an "abuse of power" on Lauer's part because Zinone said that she felt that turning down Lauer's advances would have hurt her career.

According to Farrow, Today show booker Melissa Lonner claims that Lauer exposed himself to her in 2010 at an NBC cocktail party. He denies this claim and through his lawyer said, "he will not take part in the marketing circus of this book."

In 2008, Lauer was the subject of a roast by the New York Friars Club where several of his colleagues made jokes about his reputation for having relationships with his staff.

## Other work

Lauer made a guest appearance as himself on a live episode of Will & Grace in early 2006.

In November 2006, Lauer and his daughter, Romy, hosted the Sesame Street direct-to-DVD show Sesame Beginnings: Exploring Together. Lauer hosted The Greatest American on the Discovery Channel, which used internet and telephone voting by viewers to select the winner. Lauer was critical of his own program, since it tended to favor well-known figures over others who had less influence in pop culture.

Lauer served as the 2009 Class Day speaker at Harvard University 's undergraduate commencement ceremonies on June 3, 2009.

Lauer has appeared as himself in the 2009 film Land of the Lost, the 2011 film The Beaver and voiced reporter Hark Hanson in the direct–to–DVD animated sequel Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! Lauer also made appearances in the 2011 films Drew Peterson: Untouchable and Tower Heist; archival footage of Lauer is shown in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton and the 2017 films Lady Bird and I, Tonya. He also appeared as himself in the TV movies Sharknado 2: The Second One and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

## Career timeline

- 1979–1980: News producer and reporter, WOWK-TV, Huntington, West Virginia

- 1980–1981: Co-host, PM Magazine, WXEX-TV, Richmond, Virginia

- 1981–1984: Co-host, PM Magazine, WJAR -TV, Providence, Rhode Island

- 1984–1986: Co-host, PM Magazine, WNEW-TV, New York City

- 1986: Co-host, Made in New York, WNYW, New York City

- 1986–1987: Co-host, Fame, Fortune and Romance, ABC

- 1987–1988: Host, Live on City Line, WCAU -TV, Philadelphia

- 1988–1989: Host, Talk of the Town, WNEV-TV, Boston

- 1989–1991: Co-host, 9 Broadcast Plaza, WWOR-TV, Secaucus, New Jersey

- 1992–1996: Various positions at WNBC-TV, New York City September 1992 – September 1994: Today in New York co-anchor August 1993 – September 1996: early evening newscast Live at Five co-anchor

- September 1992 – September 1994: Today in New York co-anchor

- August 1993 – September 1996: early evening newscast Live at Five co-anchor

- 1992–2017: Various positions at NBC News, New York City 1992–1997: fill-in anchor on Weekend Today and NBC News at Sunrise 1993–1994: Today fill-in news anchor June 13, 1994 – January 3, 1997: Today news anchor January 6, 1997 – November 28, 2017: Today co-anchor 1997–2017: Dateline NBC contributing anchor 1998–2016: Christmas in Rockefeller Center host 1998–2017: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade host 2011–2013: Rock Center with Brian Williams correspondent

- 1992–1997: fill-in anchor on Weekend Today and NBC News at Sunrise

- 1993–1994: Today fill-in news anchor

- June 13, 1994 – January 3, 1997: Today news anchor

- January 6, 1997 – November 28, 2017: Today co-anchor

- 1997–2017: Dateline NBC contributing anchor

- 1998–2016: Christmas in Rockefeller Center host

- 1998–2017: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade host

- 2011–2013: Rock Center with Brian Williams correspondent

## Personal life

Lauer is a grandson of singer Art Gentry. Lauer was married to television producer Nancy Alspaugh from 1982 to 1989. They had no children. He later married Dutch model Annette Roque, whom he met on a blind date in July 1997. Lauer proposed to Roque after five months of dating, and the two wed in Bridgehampton, New York on October 3, 1998. They have three children together.

In 2006, while pregnant, Roque filed for divorce due to "mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment, and anxiety" by Lauer. They reconciled weeks later. On September 7, 2019, Lauer and Roque officially divorced, following nearly two years of separation in the wake of his 2017 sexual harassment allegations.

Since his firing, Lauer has been living on his farm in New Zealand.