Hulu is finally rolling out individual streaming profiles (updated)
Now your mom can't mess up your streaming habit.
Sharing a streaming service account is convenient, but it also runs the risk of jacking up your queued shows and movies or those important recommendations. To help keep your personal list in order, Hulu is rolling out profiles for its subscribers. The new feature will allow you to divide your account with up to six different profiles that display a personalized masthead, home page, recommendations and Watchlist. In other words, one person's obsession with the likes of The Mindy Project won't wreck suggested options for someone who's more into shows like Designated Survivor.
When you create a new profile, Hulu will ask a series of questions to get a feel for what you like to watch. Based on your answers, the service will be able to show recommendations from the jump. For younger viewers, there's a child-specific profile type that allows kids to browse the age-appropriate content on their own without the risk of picking something that they shouldn't be watching.
If this all sounds familiar, Netflix has offered individual profiles since 2013. The tool works similarly with that streaming service, keeping members of the same household separate in terms of viewing habits. Netflix also has a kid-friendly option that only surfaces selections from its library of children's shows and movies.
Hulu's new profiles will be rolling out to smart TVs and other streaming devices "over the next couple of weeks." However, if you stream via the web, some users are able to create profiles now by accessing your account details.
Update: Hulu has clarified to Engadget that while the profiles feature is available now on the web, it's only available to a small number of users at this time.
