Hulu Plus coming to Xbox LIVE in 2011

Wednesday, 30 June 2010 13:47 Henry Dowling

Hulu was one of the additional Xbox LIVE video services we had tagged for an E3 unveiling, but one which did not come to fruition. Now Microsoft has announced that the new subscription service will indeed be joining the likes of Twitter, Netflix and Facebook, with Hulu Plus coming to Xbox LIVE 'early 2011'.

According to a report by Joystiq, the Xbox LIVE version of Hulu will have a number of additional features not seen elsewhere, including "controller-free navigation with Kinect and Xbox LIVE Parties so you can watch with friends", but the flip side of that is that only Xbox LIVE Gold members will have the pleasure of using the service.

We'll let Microsoft tell it like it is:

The entertainment options on Xbox 360 continue to grow. Today, Hulu announced that its new subscription service, Hulu Plus, will be available on Xbox 360.

We're incredibly excited to bring Hulu Plus and its amazing library of entertainment to Xbox LIVE. Hulu Plus joins our ever-expanding entertainment offerings on Xbox 360, which currently includes Netflix, Last.fm and Zune Video. Starting this November, Xbox 360 will also be the only console to deliver 3500 live sporting events from ESPN3.com.

Like ESPN, Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 will take advantage of the social connectivity possible with our 25 million member Xbox LIVE community as well as the magic of Kinect for Xbox 360. We are committed to delivering signature features to the Hulu Plus experience on Xbox 360, like controller-free navigation with Kinect and Xbox LIVE Parties so you can watch with friends no matter where they are. These are custom entertainment experiences for Xbox 360 that you can't find anywhere else. More details will be announced at a later time.

Of course, as with most video/music services on Xbox LIVE, Hulu Plus will be US only, and while that may change over time, don't hold your breath. You could always try one of those nefarious VPN things to get the job done, but considering locals can barely stream videos on a good day, we doubt it would be worth the trouble.