Inside Hulu's Bold Effort To Reinvent Itself

Inside Hulu's bold effort to reinvent itself via Seinfeld, Mindy Kaling, and a host of buzzy original shows.

- Bruce Fretts, photograph by Dan Monick

On April 29, Jerry Seinfeld took the stage at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom to help TV-streaming service Hulu introduce its new programming to potential advertisers. He was there to make a significant announcement: Hulu had acquired the entire nine-season run of Seinfeld in a deal estimated to be worth $180 million. After breaking the news, the comedian took a few minutes to answer questions from the crowd. “How would Seinfeld be different today?” one audience member asked. “All the media and social and digital capability makes the world a more annoying place,” Seinfeld replied. “What reason would Kramer ever have to come [to Jerry’s apartment]? You lose all of those entrances he could just text me. The whole show goes in the toilet right there.”