Hulu mounts push to draw and keep subscribers: executive

The HULU Plus app is played on a Samsung Galaxy phone in this photo-illustration in New York, December 23, 2013. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

NEW YORK: Hulu has beefed up its customer service staff and is hiring executives from outside and within the online video business to slow subscriber defections ahead of the introduction of its live TV service, a top official of the streaming company said. 

"As we think about that offering of live TV, (viewers) are going to be more important to us than they ever have been," Ben Smith, a senior vice president and head of experience, said in an interview.