The Handmaid’s Tale swept the Emmys—and it also helped expand Hulu‘s subscriber base.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming platform’s daily subscribers have gone up 98 percent since March, a month before The Handmaid’s Tale debuted. In the last six months, Hulu broke records for daily sign-ups seven times.
The series, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel, got people talking and subscribing, but it also started a “conversation about everything else that is on Hulu,” said Ben Smith, Hulu’s head of experience. Over the last six months, Hulu has rolled out Live TV, a subscription bundle for students, picked up Bob’s Burgers and Futurama, and is set to air shows from the classic TGIF lineup.
The streamer still hasn’t matched Netflix’s numbers and declined to say how many subscribers it signed up over the last six months. But keeping engagement up will be key as Hulu tries to find its next hit series. Two with potential: The First from former House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon, and Stephen King-J.J. Abrams thriller Castle Rock.