The remake of the 1977 classic, Roots, will be available to stream exclusively on Hulu starting this fall under a new deal with A+E Networks and Chute Ten Productions.
“A+E Networks is thrilled to partner with Hulu to offer their subscribers such a strong slate of programming,” said Sean Cohan, president of international and digital media at A+E Networks. “Hulu continues to thrive and innovate in the SVOD marketplace and is the perfect platform to showcase A+E’s premium video content.”
The eight-hour miniseries recounts the journey of one family during the era of American slavery and stars newcomer Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte alongside Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin, Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Anika Noni Rose.
According to Nielsen, Roots brought in 5.3 million viewers when it debuted on May 30th on History, A+E and Lifetime. It reached an overall 50.6 million viewers across all telecasts during the week ending June 5th.
Hulu’s deal also includes exclusive streaming rights to Lifetime’s War and Peace (available this summer), and Roman Empire docu-drama Barbarians Rising (available in 2017).
“We’re so proud to welcome such a culturally important and highly rated series as Roots to Hulu,” said Hulu content chief Craig Erwich. “With acclaimed titles like War and Peace and Barbarians Rising, our expanded deal with A+E Networks furthers our strategy of offering the very best in premium, exclusive television to Hulu subscribers.”
