Yahoo Offers a ‘View’ Into TV

Yahoo has tapped Hulu as the “preferred partner” for Yahoo View, a free, ad-supported TV-watching site that features delayed access to full-length episodes of select TV shows alongside associated clips, recaps and content from Tumblr.

Yahoo, which has been bulking up on video distribution deals even as it moves ahead with the sale of its operating business to Verizon, said Yahoo View is an extension of its existing distribution deal with Hulu, and will offer “thousands” of TV episodes, films, and clips for free.

Featuring content from Hulu, Yahoo View this fall will offer five episodes of original series from ABC, NBC, and FOX (eight days after original broadcast) and other network sitcoms, day-after clips, as well as full seasons of anime and Korean drama.

The site launched to U.S. audiences today. Mobile web and mobile app versions of Yahoo View are in development.

The site is currently promoting shows such as ABC’s The Family, NBC’s Grimm, and Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and is tucking shows and other content into several genres, including Anime, Comedy, Family and Kids, International, Documentaries, News and Information, Drama and Realty and Game Shows.

The site also includes a “beyond the episode” section that allows visitors to “block” enhanced content that might reveal show spoilers. Yahoo View also has a picture-in-picture element that allows them to browse while watching.

“Video is an important part of Yahoo’s strategy and we’re committed to delivering the best digital video content to our users.  To date, we’ve streamed amazing experiences across sports, finance, and news,” Phil Lynch, VP and head of media partnerships, said in a statement. “This partnership with Hulu is a natural extension of that strategy, bringing the best of TV & entertainment content to our lifestyle vertical.”