After a few years of trying to patch up its interface with small fixes, Hulu is giving it a full-blown reboot.
The new Hulu design is launching today on Apple TV and some Roku devices, and it brings the app more in line with other streaming services (including Disney Plus and ESPN Plus). The main menu is now a vertical stack of tiles, so you can scroll down through recommendations, recently watched programs, and picks from your watchlist.
The unwieldy strip of content categories is gone, as is the old interface’s mysterious top-shelf icons. In their place is a single set of tabs for your watchlist, TV shows, and movies—plus tabs for live channels and sports if you’re paying for Hulu’s $55 per month live TV service. Everything just looks much simpler now.
Hulu’s last major redesign came in 2017, at the same time the company launched its live TV streaming service. It was certainly eye-catching, but it was also an overwhelming mess of ideas. Since then, Hulu has tried to rein in some aspects of the interface with clearer labels and different home screen categories, but the layout never fundamentally changed. While the new design doesn’t toss out the aesthetics of the old one, it still represents a much-needed navigational overhaul.
Hulu says it will roll out more broadly over the next few months.