There was a mini-internet revolt the last time
NBC Universal's TV chief started talking about ways to actually turn a profit from Hulu and the search for a balance continues. People familiar with the matter -- our favorite source by the way -- told the LA Times that the search in question could take another six months before official pricing is announced, but the latest idea being thrown around is to charge a $5 per month subscription for access to older shows. A quick search of Hulu just showed that only the past four or five episodes of newer shows are currently available, so charging for older shows means new access to additional content. We have to say that offering additional programming above and beyond what is currently free is a pretty good strategy, but the other one we'd like to see is a premium option to view content commercial free -- no word on if any of the paid content will still have commercials. The one thing this won't change is the fact that the content creators already sold the rights to these shows on the TV, which of course means Hulu won't be able to stop going out of its way to
block things like Boxee and the
PS3 -- still kind of shocked that
PlayOn isn't affected.
posted January 21st 2010 10:02PM
@redidas
I got a grease monkey script that got rid of all the terrible new engadget layout stuff. The only thing it didn't remove is the just moronic logo at the bottom left that half covers the "previous stories" button so you always accidentally go to the home page over and over like an idiot.
@redidas
Playon essentially manages to get content to home media streamers by running a service on your PC that acts as your proxy to access the content...and then streaming the content from there to another media streamer in your house (transparently to anyone using the PC). Thus, it can stream anything that Windows can since it uses all of the various CODECs (including those required for DRMed content) on the PC.
I bought it...and it worked...sort of. Fast forward was glacially slow (I have a gigabit network)...and the connection between my Playon "server" and my Popcorn Hour media streamer was a coin toss at best. Playon swears it is an issue with the Popcorn Hour...and they are probably right, but I stopped caring.
I now have a $300 Acer Atom 330 Ion-based nettop connected to my main TV and now we can watch everything - Hulu, YouTube, MLB.com, Netflix, whatever. If you can watch it on Windows, we can watch it on our TV. I am so over media streamers.
"still kind of shocked that PlayOn isn't effected."
Shhhhhh!!!!!! They're gonna hear you!
Recently my craptastic DVR from Time Warner Cable didn't record the Conan O'Brian Show which is one of a handful of shows I watch daily. So I went to the NBC site to watch them and didn't mind watching commercials. But since my DVR had missed about three shows I became tired of all the commercial breaks. So I just went ahead and downloaded this content through the usual sources.
So wait these companies want me to not only pay $5 extra for content I already have access to for the most part at home? Couple with that want me to sit through constant commercial breaks? Do you really think $5 is going to be commercial free? There is just certain threshold where either I just won't watch a movie or TV show because of the constant commercial skimming. If I do will just download it just so I won't have to sit through the commercials even though I already have access to it.
This old executives still play the rules as if there is still a handful of networks which control commercial entertainment. The old model of having three to four sponsors are over. I guarantee for the non-prime time shows eventually the 30 second to 90 second commercial break will become a thing of the past.
Does that mean the shows will no longer have ads? I refuse to pay if I will still get spammed
i don't really mind commercials. i'd take a little more of them if it meant i could get access to more than 5 episodes at a time. i'm just not gonna pay any actual money.
Not a bad idea for older shows. Like if I wanted to catch up on the first season of something I wouldnt mind paying $5...
@ComboBreaker
Honestly, you'd be better off either using the internets, or getting something like Netflix and just renting the seasons. No ads, and no TV compression quality issues (BR rip HD vs. TV version 720p is such a huge difference, even when the BR rip is compressed).
Kill the commercials and make everything available in a minimum of 720p and you've got yourself a deal.
As some have already said, it will just increase more bit-torrent activity.
$5 a month for a back catalog of all the shows hulu has? totally worth it.
I'll continue to pay nothing to watch TV shows and movies, regardless of what NBC decides to do.
one word: Booooo
screw hulus subcription goodbye
Well, what they can't block is using my TV as a secondary monitor and watching hulu full screen on it.
As long as they won't be charging for what's currently available $5 a month to get access to previous seasons of shows is actually a pretty good deal.
ok i will give you 5 bucks after it was free what a bargain hulu are a bunch
of thieves
NBC (and Comcast) go f*ck yourself...
they always gotta ruin a good thing.
no thanks ill watch it on my tv for free again
@buri0819 When you say you're watching it on your TV for free, do you mean you use rabbit ears, torrents, or do you mean you have cable and forgot that you pay for that?
I meant rabbit ears and its also HD
if I don't have to see those ridiculous advertisements every 10 minutes I'd gladly pay.
@BrownSound
I don't see the issue with the ads. For one, it's a single ad, appr. 5-7 times every 40 minutes of show. Compared to what we pay to what we get for regular TV (20 min ads/40 min show), I'd say 5 buckaroos are more than fair.
@ch3burashka
yep your completely right I'm of course speaking from back who knows when hulu stopped about 3 times for ads in every 30 minute show or i might just be recalling this from completely from somewhere else. who knows anymore
If $5/month includes HD quality video I can watch on my TV (through something like the roku), then sure. Else, no thanks.
To be honest, I personally don't use Hulu that much anymore. Most TV shows are available on DVD now, and I, and probably most people here that are in the US, already have a netflix subscription. Sure, Hulu may be useful if you want to watch something on-demand, but the fact that they ration which episodes to be available made it even less useful. I used to use Hulu when it was built-in with Boxee to watch Family Guy, but that was it. When Hulu pulled from Boxee, I simply queued FG DVDs on netflix. Didn't miss it at all.
Now if the subscription means that you can access Hulu anywhere in the world, then maybe it may be useful for some people.
well there is always just downloading your shows legally of course..of course
Hulu and their execs will never get it... never ever...
I think 5 bucks for Hulu is fair, but not right now. If they open up their selection and show episodes the same day they air on TV (none of that week-long delays bullshit), then I'd love to drop 500 pennies on Hulu.
That goes for Netflix, too.
Scanning my comment, it seems like I'm poo-pooing on Hulu for being restrictive. By 'open their selection' I'm referring to the networks that still treat Hulu like a second-class service.
@ch3burashka
true there are a poop load of ristrictions for hulu. I remember the good old days where hulu had every episode of scrubs known to man without video adds. sigh where have the days gone
With all we know about them getting 10 times as much for commercials on stream content (ex, hulu, nbc, abc, etc. etc.) This is just another try to grab more cash. You know for $5 they will still have the ads that they are making big time dollars off and guaranteed that price starts floating up every year.
I have a cable with a DVR, on-demand, & a HTPC, so why on earth would I pay for something that I can find easy enough on any of those three?
@NetNed
"There was a mini-internet revolt the last time NBC Universal's TV chief started talking about ways to actually turn a profit from Hulu"
I love this how NBC still wants to act like they are losing cash on hulu.
YEA, NOT BUYING IT.
You charge ten time more for commercials, so is there ten times less commercials on hulu or any other stream show/content? NO
This just a ploy to make MORE money & it will fail.
$5 a month would be worth it if they ad more content partners and also more catalog shows, that aren't on hulu, as well as more eps for current series and older series full complete series eps. also no commercials and they must allow hulu on tvs that support net content, as well as game consoles or set tops like roku and bluray players. then and only then will be be worth $5
NBC ... here's how to turn a profit ... make better shows.
"The Marriage Ref" is NOT the answer.
Well this is just comcastic.
This is the story that breaks my heart. I love Hulu. But the fact that I gotta pay for something I dont physically own kinda freaks me out. Streaming Netflix make sense because you can rent the dvd if u want, I'm not paying $5 to watch The Cleavland Show (Maybe for an entire season, but one episode is BS). I guess its back to OVGuide for me.
Hulu is great-found sime sneak peeks that can be watched from Australoia (wouldn't mind paying say $5 for a subscription option.)
Here is the solution, you listening JZ? Hands off Hulu and just charge for High Def Ad free series content. Example: Many would be ok with paying for a High Def commercial free version of a series (i.e. $10 for the High Def ad free version of Warehouse 13 season X).
PS Now don't botch this like the tonight show. The consequence would be a Tora! Tora! Tora! correction, TORRENT, TORRENT, TORRENT type Pearl Harbor attack on content. Just Sayin...
Broke ass bitches can't pay $5? Even you grocery bagging 15 year olds should be able to afford that.
I only use Hulu to supplement shows I could not record on my DVR. If this change is only to allow people to watch older shows, but still keep the last 4 to 5 free it would be fine by me.
Hulu should just charge $30 month and let us have it everywhere. Then I could ditch my dish/cable. Probably have to bump up my inter-webs connection though....and there goes that 100GB cap.
I'm fine with the 5 bucks, but they better do some server upgrades. Hulu is unwatchable currently during peak times on my cable internet connection, I've speed checked my connection when the freezing occurs and it's still running around 6mbs, easily over what Hulu requires.
For those looking for Hulu on a boxee like platform, check out Plex.
Yeah, if I can watch full catalogs, $5 is nothing. Lets be honest. More than happy to pay that. I assume it would be more than $5 (anybody who'd pay $5 would certainly pay $10).
However, commercial free option would be good, and getting shows the night of, rather than the next day, would be pretty sweet too.
I should just get cable again. I hate cable.
I'm guessing that this was all part of the long term plan.
1. Put tons of content on for free, with few/no commercials, going back several seasons. Use this to gain recognition and grow user base.
2. Gradually restrict seasons to newer episodes and add a few commercials. Boil the frog.
3. Charge $5 for access to older episodes. Add a few more commercials.
4. Add new $10/month tier with access to movies to compete with Netflix. Add a few more commercials.
5. Gradually increase prices and add more commercials.
6. Goto 5.
Pretty soon, we'll be right back where we started: paying for content with loud, repetitive commercials. I'm so sick of TV.
Hulu is free and should remain free.
Hulu should charge $1 per month, that's the deal TWC customers got from FOX.
and if i'm paying FOX my $1 per month through TWC then I should have free access.
fucking lame
Man I hope hulu doesn't start charging. That would suck.
Meh, between my Netflix blu-ray/streaming account $10 a month and my DVR free for now, Im fine, until boxee gets 64bit going.