Hulu, the US streaming service, now has over 28 million customers – 26.8 million monthly paid subscribers and 1.3 million promotional accounts –  it revealed during the annual IAB’s Digital Content NewFronts conference in New York. Hulu had 20 million customers in January of last year.

Hule also revealed a new slate of shows and original programming, alongside a new ‘binge advertising experience’ that’s designed to be less intrusive. The NewFronts are really about the advertisers and this year, Hulu is pitching them a way to better target and cater to binge watchers — the viewers who are tuning in to watch for long stretches at a time. This “binge ad experience” is the second non-intrusive format Hulu has developed — the first being the “pause ad” that only appears when you press pause.

Binge ads will allow advertisers to target just binge watchers with creatives that are “situationally relevant” to their viewing behaviour. “This is a monumental time for Hulu’s advertising business and for brands who are looking to reach the most valuable audience in television,” said Peter Naylor, SVP and Head of Advertising Sales at Hulu. “Because of our viewer-first advertising principles, we’re scaling rapidly. We’re offering advertisers the most sophisticated targeting, the largest addressable footprint in on-demand television, robust measurement solutions, and new ad models.”

“In today’s direct-to-consumer world, viewers are demanding better when it comes to TV — from the user experience to their content choices to the advertising,” said Hulu CEO Randy Freer, in a statement. “Hulu’s continued growth, as well as the shows and initiatives announced today, reflect our deep investment in product, programming, brand, customer experience and business strategy to ensure that with Hulu, consumers can connect with the stories they love, at the right time and price, on any device,” he said.

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