Premium Slate

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A Premium Slate is a :05 to :07 custom title card with “Presented by” messaging and voiceover that appears in premium positioning before video creative in the first pod before the beginning of a show. This unit offers enhanced creative flexibility for a client to leverage their own video, dynamic visuals, and sound. This added creative flexibility helps to:

  • Improve brand recognition
  • Improve visibility of the brand on Hulu
  • Drive creative innovation
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Turnaround Time

12 business days from the receipt of the final assets and copy.

Available On:

Creative Best Practices

  • When thinking about your creative, remember that the Premium Slate comes immediately before the same brand’s commercial. As such, it’s a best practice to avoid repeating the same creative in the commercial.
  • Use strong brand visuals and be brand-forward.
  • Video is not mandatory. Visuals can be static or animated.
  • Messaging should be easy to digest with voiceover that aligns with what’s on screen.
  • Mandatory “Presented by” text (in Hulu’s font), voiceover, and logo should be featured for a minimum of two seconds. Watch out for copy or voiceover that’s too long.
  • In addition to voiceover, it is recommended to have music/audio for the duration of the slate.

Video/Audio Tech Specs

Edited Video, I.E. Commercial Creative

  • 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 (16:9)
  • Letterboxing on native 1.78:1 (16 × 9) content is not allowed. 
  • Constant bitrate (CBR) 10–40 Mbps. 
    • EXCEPTION: For 100% graphic videos the minimum bitrate is 2 Mbps.
  • Main Profile @ Main Level (MP@ML)
  • 4:2:2 color space
  • Single video track

File Formats / Max Size

  • Quicktime movie (MOV)
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • Max File Size: 10GB

Codec

  • Apple ProRes 422 HQ
  • H.264

Frame Rate

  • 23.98, 24, 25, or 29.97 or 30 fps based on native frame rate. 
  • Constant frame rate only.
  • Content must be progressive scan.

Audio Tech Specs

  • Audio is required.
  • Two-channel stereo only.
  • 192 Kbps minimum bit rate. 
  • 16- or 24-bit depth only
  • 48 kHz sampling rate.

Audio Codec

  • PREFERRED: Pulse-code modulation (PCM)
  • ACCEPTED: Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)

Split Track Audio

  • A split-track audio is required for videos with existing dialog and/or voiceover. If not available, we will ask for separate audio stems. If stems are not available, we will ask for a music track.
  • Final mix of dialogue, SFX, and music (DME) stems delivered as WAV or AIFF files.

Additional Tech Specs

Animation Assets

If Changes / Revisions not Required

  • PREFERRED: ProRes 4444 (for alpha footage) or ProRes 422 HQ (for non-alpha)
  • ACCEPTED: TIFF sequences

If Changes / Revisions Required

  • Collected Adobe After Effects files (AEP)
  • Cinema4D files for 3D (C4D)

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Static Assets

Brand Logo & "Presented by" Text

  • PREFERRED: Vector Adobe EPS or Illustrator (AI) files
  • ACCEPTED: High-res layered Photoshop (PSD)
  • “Presented by” text will be placed centered above the title treatment. whenever possible.  Please allow room for this. 
  • The “Presented by” text CANNOT be customized. It must be in Hulu’s standard font, size, and color. Except for special situations, the “Presented by” text will be added by Hulu. 

Photographic Asset (Product Shots, Video Stills, Etc.)

  • High-res layered Photoshop (PSD) or TIFF files.
  • Largest dimensions possible. (Minimum 1920×1080)
  • Highest resolution possible. (Minimum 72dpi) 

Fonts (if applicable)

  • OpenType Font (OTF)

CTAs, URLs, Hashtags & QR Codes

  • Because premium slates are not directly clickable on most devices CTA buttons that look clickable and include copy such as “Learn More” or “Buy Now” are not allowed.
  • URLs and hashtags are accepted.
  • QR Codes are NOT accepted.

Voiceover Script

Recommended Format

  • English: “Presented by [Brand Name + Tagline (optional)]” 
  • Spanish: “Presentado por [Brand Name + Tagline (optional)]”
  • If a client has a specific creative direction for the VO that should be sent with the script.
  • Please provide phonetic spellings of all ambiguous words that could be mispronounced. 

Talent

  • Client may use their own VO talent but script must be pre-approved by Hulu creative to ensure it follows our guidelines.
  • Voiceover can be read by official Hulu talent.
  • Please note your preference for either a male or female reading.

Length

  • No syllable/length restriction
  • Must fit comfortably within :07 duration.

Versions & Guidelines

  • One creative version per flight.
  • Cannot include CTAs such as “Learn More” or “Buy Now”.
  • Please ensure VO script is approved before production begins. Re-records may incur a change fee.

Third-Party Tracking Tags & File Hosting

Tracking Tags

  • Clients can provide third party 1×1s and click trackers.

File Hosting

  • Files are hosted by Hulu.

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The use of Graphik is acceptable in cases where the Client cannot supply their own typeface.
On living room, mobile, and tablet devices, the color gradient overlay is dynamic and will change based on the cover story art. It is not something we can control on our end.
If the tagline/date messaging doesn’t fit within the 11 syllables max, it can be included as text.
Stress mark should be marked with [capitals] to indicate the primary stressed syllable, as in: news・pa・per [NOOZ-pey-per] in・for・ma・tion [in-fer-MEY-shuhn]
  • No symbols such as registered marks, copyrights, etc.
  • If symbols are required, they will be presented in standard text such as” Brand (TM)”

Q: Why do you prefer PCM codec?

A: PCM codec is lossless audio quality, so whenever possible, please deliver PCM audio.

Q: What does native frame rate mean?

A: Native frame rate refers to the frame rate the source footage was shot. Whenever possible, we require all videos to be delivered in their native frame rate. This means that no frame rate conversion should be performed, which includes adding 3:2 pulldown for broadcast.

Q: Should the bitrate be constant if delivering ProRes codec?

A: No, since ProRes codec is built to be variable, this is waived.

Q: Can you accept bitrate higher than 30 Mbps?

A: Yes, we can accept bitrate beyond the recommended range for H.264 and ProRes. In the case of ProRes, bitrate will often exceed 30 Mbps due to its variable setting.

Q: When is letterboxing allowed and not allowed?

A: When the native aspect ratio is 1.78:1 or 1.33:1 throughout the entire program, there should not be any letterboxing (black bars on top and bottom). We should see an active picture take up the full frame. If the aspect ratio is wider than 1.78:1, such as 2.35:1, matting on the top and bottom is permissible. Additionally, if there is a creative choice to add matting or if there is a mix of native aspect ratios, this is usually waived, but please reach out to your Hulu representative to confirm.