"In Japan, we also see an unfulfilled market need with respect to premium feature film and TV content and very favorable environmental factors to a service like ours, including extensive broadband penetration, smart phone and other Internet-connected device ubiquity, and strong consumer interest," Johannes Larcher, senior vice president of international, wrote on Hulu's blog Wednesday.
"We have been able to use what we have learned from Hulu and Hulu Plus, in addition to the insights gleaned from our market research, to design a high-value product specifically tailored for Japanese customers," he continued.
The move comes as Hulu's backers -- NBC Universal, Disney and News Corp. -- are shopping it around to potential buyers. Those investors have at times grumbled about Hulu cannibalizing their own online revenues, but the site itself seems to be doing fine. Hulu Plus, the company's premium all-you-can-eat video offering, is approaching 1 million subscribers and the company is on track to hit $500 million in revenues this year, according to CEO Jason Kilar.