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Boxee to remove Hulu content
What sets Hulu videos apart from the TV episodes you can download for free from BitTorrent trackers is that Hulu includes ads and requires you to be sitting in front of a computer with an active internet connection in order to watch. In other words, Hulu and the studios that own the rights to the videos you're watching are able to make money off of the videos you watch. And that's true whether you're watching videos at Hulu.com, TV.com, or using a third party application like Boxee.
Apparently the folks at Hulu aren't particularly pleased with the situation either. In a blog post, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar says the company is only asking Boxee to remove content because of requests from content owners.
There are still a few other third party apps that still provide access to videos from Hulu. But it's anyone's guess how long they'll be around.
Comments
12
Subscribe to commentsSid DasFeb 18th 2009 7:36PM
So any ideas on which of the content providers decided to do this?
Aaron SobelFeb 18th 2009 7:31PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
MrSmegzabushFeb 18th 2009 8:16PM
*shurg* oh well, back to mininova.
JamesFeb 18th 2009 8:50PM
If I could give you 35 upvotes instead of 1, I would.
zimbu1234Feb 18th 2009 8:43PM
I am a huge fan of Boxee on my Mac, mainly because I can easily watch both my local videos as well as Hulu all from the comfort of my couch and my Apple remote. I guess I will be going back to Front Row.
Aaron StevensFeb 18th 2009 10:39PM
The issue (for the content creators) isn't a question of increased ad revenue (a good thing), but an issue of increasing ad revenue at the expense of their ENTIRE BUSINESS MODEL. CBS and FOX, and whoever else is putting content on Hulu, want Hulu to be the media hub of the internet... If Boxee and Tv.com have Hulu's content; plus all the other online media that hulu doesn't have... why would anyone go to Hulu? Why would CBS and FOX continue a business model that's being eroded by parasitic websites who aren't creating their own content?
DoogsFeb 19th 2009 10:14AM
I can see why Hulu would pull content from TV.com. If I recall correctly, Hulu's mainly owned by NBC Universal, and TV.com is a Viacom/CBS thing. But pulling Hulu from Boxee has nothing to do with your "repackaging" argument. People watching Hulu through the Boxee interface are still watching the shows, and more importantly (to the content providers), still watching the ads.
The great sin of Boxee is that it gives people an easy way to access Hulu on their TV, which makes it a viable alternative to cable/satellite.
Personally, I've always viewed the Boxee+Hulu setup as complimentary to more traditional television. All things being equal, I'd much rather watch Lost or 24 or Fringe in sweet, glorious HD, but if my DVR screws up a recording, or if I discover a new show a season in, or decide to revisit my childhood with some Airwolf goodness, Hulu provides a great way to access these shows, albeit at a compromised resolution.
If Hulu's content provider-owners were smart, they'd be getting Hulu embedded into EVERY DEVICE THEY COULD, just like Netflix is doing. It's a no-brainer.
Aaron StevensFeb 19th 2009 2:41PM
Thanks for the clarification... I wondered why CBS had limited content on hulu.
Complimentary is right. While I understand the desire to maintain their cable business and try and monopolize their own content online. In the end, it seems as misguided as DRM on music files... it just ends up aggravating paying customers in a market where alternatives (or torrenting) are readily available.
VaginaFeb 18th 2009 11:00PM
Boxee to remove Hulu content by Brad Linder Feb 18th 2009:
Hot on the heels of TV.com, cross cross-platform media application Boxee will be removing all video content from Hulu Friday.
"Related Articles From Download Squad powered by Sphere
Hulu pulls video from TV.com"
Why can't reporters in Sphere write concentric titles?
ThomasFeb 19th 2009 8:41AM
I was thinking the exact same thing.
RocketboyFeb 19th 2009 7:46AM
Wow. So, how long will it be untill people start torrenting stuff they once could watch on Hulu?
BenFeb 19th 2009 9:05AM
I don't like it, but it does make sense.
The point of Hulu is to make more money, not less. If Hulu can be easily consumed on the TV, then you might cancel your cable or stop watching commercials via OTA. This means the money they make now won't be there. Now one day they may be able to make more money via Hulu because they get to cut out the middle man and keep all the ad revenue, but we're not there yet.