Hulu rolls out personalized end-of-year recaps with stats about users’ streaming habits

Hulu is the latest company to introduce a Spotify Wrapped-like personalized end-of-year recap feature. The streaming service is giving subscribers the option to learn more about their viewing habits through a new “Your TV DNA” tool. The tool is accessible on a newly launched website where users can access a profile of their personalized viewing habits throughout the year. The tool analyzes users’ streaming habits and shares information about things like their most-watched genres and how many films and TV show episodes they watched.

To get started, subscribers need to log into their Hulu accounts on the website in order to receive their recap. From there, the tool will analyze the user’s data and then display their most-watched genres, which can include categories like edgy comedies, high-stakes dramas, crime dramas and more. The recap will also include a “streaming persona” that’s meant to represent the user’s viewing habits of the year.

The tool also aims to help users discover recommendations about what they should watch next on the streaming service. The recommendations include upcoming or current content that is similar to what the user has already watched. Users also have the option to share their recap with others on social media.

“This year, for the first time, Hulu is giving subscribers the opportunity to request to see their own viewing DNA and the tools to proudly share, should they so choose, their streaming persona,” the company said in a blog post regarding the announcement. “Starting today, subscribers can visit YourTVDNA.com and request to see their personalized Hulu viewing habits throughout 2021.”

Image Credits: Hulu

The launch of the new feature comes as shareable end-of-year recaps have become increasingly popular thanks to Spotify’s annual Wrapped experience that is widely shared across social media each year. Given its success, it’s no surprise that other companies are mimicking the popular features. Hulu joins many other digital giants that have released their own Wrapped-like features. Last week, Facebook and Instagram introduced personalized “Year in Review” features to give users a way to reflect on the past year. Reddit also rolled out personalized recaps with stats about users’ habits last week; meanwhile, Snapchat launched its “Year End Story” this week.

In addition to the personalized recaps, Hulu also released information about overall trends on its platform. The company revealed that “Only Murders in the Building” was its most-watched comedy series and that “Nine Perfect Strangers” set a new record as its most-watched series ever. Hulu also notes that adult animation was the No. 1 genre on the streaming service based on hours watched.

The company also outlined that the most streamed day of 2021 was Sunday, January 31, largely because subscribers tuned into the previous evening’s “Saturday Night Live” episode hosted by John Krasinski. In terms of non-original series, the most-watched medical drama was “The Good Doctor,” which also topped this category in 2020. Other popular non-Original series included “Law & Order: SVU” and “Modern Family.”