Hulu buys SVOD rights to UK comedy

Hulu has acquired exclusive SVOD rights in the US to British comedy Plebs.

The US platform closed the deal for seasons one and two with distributor DRG. The agreement also includes Monicker Pictures’ comedy The Delivery Man and Channel X-produced Detectorists as US streaming exclusives.

Plebs is UK digital channel ITV2’s highest-rating comedy and is currently in production for the third season. It follows Tom Rosenthal, Joel Fry and Ryan Sampson as desperate young men in Ancient Rome trying to climb the social ladder.

Hulu has emerged as a major buyer of exclusive content as it looks to challenge Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video in the SVOD market.

“Hulu is an ideal platform for Plebs,” said DRG’s senior VP, sales, North America Scott Kirkpatrick. “They’re a game-changer in terms of understanding where the market is going how smart and engaged audiences discover new programmes.”