Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
2 Men Arrested After Teen Was Run Over For His iPad
Hulu could soon start charging for 'premium' content
Hulu, the online video service that allows users to watch television shows for free, is thinking about charging. Yeah, it sounds kind of strange to me too. In an effort to increase revenue, it looks like Hulu may put a premium price tag on some popular shows and exclusive web content.
It doesn't look like it's going to be all bad though. Hulu is going about this the right way and has taken the time to research what people are willing to pay for and what they expect to get for free. One plan is to allow free access to the five most recent episodes of certain shows but charge for older content. This is no real surprise as talks about a subscription service have been around since June.
Some of the shows that are in the hot seat to become "premium" include "30 Rock", "House" and "Modern Family". As of now, Hulu isn't commenting on their plans, or when this service may begin.
Comments
6
Subscribe to commentszmnatzJan 25th 2010 9:26AM
Damn it! I watch those 'premium' shows. Hulu, just charge for episode past the last 5 and most of your users will be happy. Don't charge for content you're currently giving for free or the internet will get angry and leave.
ArnieJan 25th 2010 10:01AM
What I dont want is for all good's and great on the Internet that Hulu gives me for 5$ all older episodes on a particular channel. I dont want the nonsense of paying for something I dont watch. If I want to watch only 30Rock then I should have the option to pay only for that. I dont want to pay for the other horrible shows on NBC. People have liked Hulu because its not cable. Dont make it cable Hulu.
NickJan 25th 2010 11:06AM
I like how the premium shows are all on network TV. Those are available over the air, and in HD - and FREE if you don't count the commercials. Buy your self a usb TV tuner( http://bit.ly/Amazon-EyeTV) and a decent antenna ( http://bit.ly/hdantenna )
mattozanJan 25th 2010 12:37PM
*Dont make it cable Hulu*
It's *already* cable Hulu, ever since Comcast bought it in December. They are going to monetize it and try to squeeze out all the revenue they are losing over in their traditional cable market (losses largely caused by Hulu and other On-Demand video sources).
Since Comcast can't doing anything right for customers, I fully expect Hulu to die an awkward and slow death.
If we'd just stop giving Comcast so much money, they wouldn't be around to pull these shenanigans.
michas_piJan 25th 2010 2:15PM
And nothing of value will be lost.
JamesJan 25th 2010 11:13PM
+1 for adding *extra* premium content, rather than paywalling stuff I can get now for free. I actually would think about paying to get access to e.g. more back shows, or exclusive webisodes, etc.