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Hulu working on a subscription-based video service
Over the past year or so Hulu has quickly become one of the most popular online video sites even though it's only open to US viewers. Hulu's success likely comes from a number of factors including a focus on high quality professionally produced content including network TV shows and movies, a simple user interface, and relatively unobtrusive advertisements that are much easier to put up with than the 18 minutes of ads in every hour of US broadcast television.
But Hulu's focus on advertising supported content has likely prevented some premium content owners like HBO and Showtime from making full length content available. Now it looks like Hulu is testing out a subscription-based service.
I really hope any subscription service would offer content that's not currently available to Hulu customers. I'd hate to see some of the content that's currently available for free disappear behind a paywall. But at this point it's too early to say exactly what the service will look like, or even it will ever appear.
[via Business Insider]
Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsW.WolfSep 18th 2009 11:42AM
If they do make us pay for HBO, Showtime etc., I hope they lets us choose individual channels to pay for and not act like Comcast and make us pay for all of them even if we only want to watch one of them.
ToddSep 18th 2009 11:47AM
"...I'd hate to see some of the content that's currently available for free disappear behind a paywall."
If they're smart ( and remember this is a bunch of old dinosaur TV execs ) the big divide will be:
1 - image resolution ( free is low res, pay is full blown 1080p )
and/or
2 - Cut deals with one or more of the set top boxes, IPTV channels like U-Verse.
But not mentioned in this post are all the SAG union entanglements. Reminder, hulu has dodged an epic lawsuit from actors, writers and directors only because hulu is free to use. Change it to pay and hell is gonna break loose over residuals.
W.WolfSep 18th 2009 11:55AM
I should probably ask if I have to pay for it does that mean the advertisements go away? I mean all of them, banner and standard TV style ads.
JeffSep 25th 2009 1:44PM
W.Wolf nailed it. Paid content should be advertisement free.
And to add to Todd's thoughts, I'd rather they offer up micropayment plans so I can pay to see the one good movie/show HBO is showing this month and not pay for the other crap they spin up.
JamusSep 18th 2009 12:04PM
Here we go down the greed road again. I am betting they they would force a bundle on subscribers. Or maybe not "force", but something like pricing it so 1 channel of HBO is $9.99 a month or you can get all 6 for $10.99.
darrenryallSep 18th 2009 12:58PM
Access outside the US? No?
Took too long, not listening!
Let the rest of the world know when Hulu and others like Pandora finally open up, until then we'll be at places like Last.fm or Grooveshark.
MichaelSep 18th 2009 8:54PM
You let me know when spotify opens up. Until then I'll be on pandora.
Thanks.
Rocket RaccoonSep 20th 2009 8:13AM
I was going to comment about this very thing. I don't mind watching commercials first. Hell, I'd watch twice as many commercials if I needed to. There aren't any borders on the internet, let me watch the videos!