Hulu’s days of freedom are numbered
Posted on January 21, 2010
Filed Under Hulu, TV networks
Hulu may shift to a partial subscription model within six months, meaning the all-free party is almost over.
The big-media online video site is working on a plan that would allow viewers to access the five most recent airings of hit TV series, but older episodes would require a subscription fee of something like $5, the Los Angeles Times said in breaking the paid Hulu story.
Not all series would require paid access, the Times said, speculating that 20 primetime shows would be involved.
Hulu is owned by News Corp., Disney and NBC Universal, an arrangement that has long fueled speculation that the online video site’s days were numbered, at least as a free entity.
Not a shocker. NewsCorp. bigshot Chase Carey signaled the bad news about Hulu last fall:
“I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content,” Carey told a conference put on by Broadcasting & Cable. “I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value. Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business.”
Comcast’s takeover of NBC Uni probably figured into the subscription-model thinking, as the cabler seeks to wall off network programming on the Internet, a fear of consumer groups.
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3 Responses to “Hulu’s days of freedom are numbered”
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I did hear that consumers like me will have to pay for watching or downloading videos from YouTube and Hulu. If so, I may be watching less. I think that if these companies do charge, they should not charge more than what they should.
I am broke. I don’t have that much money because I am currently unemployed.
I think Hulu and You tube are good sights now if they sart to charge in a recession with alot of people unemployed people out there they will ruin it people wont go to the sights as much knowing you have to pay to watch.Dish network ruined a great free website watch cinema now movies it was a free sight now dish took it over as a money maker for them and charge for everything.These cable and satellitte companies already charge for pay per view and all of there programming i feel pay per view is far to expensive at around 4.99 a movie almost 5 dollars pay per view should really be free when you look at how much it costs to get these companies programming if you want to get all the programs you have to pay over 100 dollars a month as it is it hurts the poor people who cant afford that.Satellitte and cable companies are for the rich that can afford to pay for everything now they want to steal free internnet away instead of helping people they are hitting them hard in the pocket book good thing if your rich but most of us unfortunately are not.
William and Ernest:
Yeah, there is a nasty irony that free broadcast network TV programming is almost certain to cost online viewers going forward.
Limiting online viewing to existing cable/satellite customers is another grubby prospect.
Apple has floated the concept of offering TV programming for a flat fee of $30 a month, a price point that could be reasonable if enough content is offered up.
And, the iTunes Store appears ready to drop the price of TV shows from $2 to $1, so at least we’re seeing some market pressure to keep things reasonable.
One of the great values out there in the age of digital TV is an up to date roof antenna, assuming you have reception and a good number of local stations. They run about $100, a one-time cost. Over the air TV is no longer a crappy option.
Thanks for the comments.