Hoping to trade in your expensive cable or satellite plan for a nice, juicy melon ball of cottage cheese-like... we mean, a
portable Hulu Plus subscription at $10 a month? Not so fast, my fine fingered friend, because Hulu CEO Jason Kilar has revealed that killing cable is
not a part of the company's evil plan, and he's not entertaining any ideas to the contrary. Kilar told
AllThingsD that the service is "broadcast-focused" and "complementary to your cable and satellite service" by design, which is a nice way of saying the incestuous relationships between cable companies, content providers
and Hulu itself keep it from offering premium programming -- at least, not at this sort of price.
Speaking of getting what you pay for, you may be surprised to hear Hulu Plus displays advertising even if you slap down currency every month, but the CEO said lengthy consumer research found that users were more willing to pay if the service were partially subsidized by ads. Think of them as tiny little brain tenderizers, and we're sure you'll be
just fine.
posted July 1st 2010 7:39AM
Yay
@clericva
Yeah?... no Kidding.
We have to pay for you now too....
I guess this is what "Complementary" means.....
In addition to paying for cable, you can pay for us too. And don't even think of getting rid of your regular broadcast service, or we will raise prices, and no more freebies.
@clericva
Yay? An internet tv site that makes you pay monthly for increased quality but probably just as many ads. Is a $120 a year really worth it? Maybe they can do it if they make Alec Baldwin more convincing.
@RhymeMaster
Jack Donaghy > you
@clericva that was sarcasm but the reality is hulu is something that is optional in life and if you don't think it is fair then don't use it. I don't know about anyone else but I have kids a wife and a job so really hulu doesn't rank high on my who cares meter and if is a high priority in your life you need to step back and look at your life oh and from the business side although hulu is owned by a few of the networks they they are a business and businesses exist to make money.
@RhymeMaster
Yeah, an Internet TV site that offers most shows on TV for free and only charges you if you want to watch full seasons of those shows in 720p across way more devices. And you pay way more for cable and still get ads too, right?
"...revealed that killing cable is not a part of the company's evil plan..."
Not PART of their evil plan, but they DO have an evil plan, eh?
@clericva I stopped using it at all the day they announce they were switching to a pay model. I'm sick of this happening on the web constantly. They get you hooked on a service and then once you depend on them, they yell, "Now you gotta pay bitch"!
I call BS. Media companies are some of the wealthiest, money grubbing companies in the world. They even rip each other off, like vampires feeding off one another but never satiated. I say stake 'em and move on.
@Worm in the Apple
You know you don't have to use Hulu Plus and can continue using Hulu Free right?
@clericva
punctuation is optional in life too
@clericva
.... and yet u think this is important enough to write a paragraph on here
@iwebadroidcom
...except we never see those ads.
You know those big shows that everyone whines about being on Hulu? Those tend to be shown 20 times a week by 5 channels on cable. The rest is on Netflix where streaming is a free bonus.
My DVR experience will be better than your Hulu experience.
@Worm in the Apple
So if they are the richest, then it shouldn't be to hard for you to start your own media company, make a little less than the current guys and sell cheaper product?
Always cracks me up when people say such dumb things.
If they made so much money every medium sized company would be getting in on it.
@iwebadroidcom
But if I go to hulu right now I still have to pay right, just like cable? Wrong, which makes your point ridiculous.
Do you think perhaps he meant 'complementary'?
@TheFrigginBox
Nah, he probably meant that it comes free with your cable or satellite subscription. Either that or it speaks highly of them.
@TheFrigginBox Maybe he just likes to say nice things about cable?
@db2
You suck at English. The word means that something actually supports something else by filling gaps instead of competing directly with it.
@db2
"complementary" and "complimentary" are 2 different words. The latter being incorrectly used in this post. TheFrigginBox is right on.
@Wesscoast Lol. It is always so funny when some know-it-all jackass tries to correct someone, or, in this case, correct a correction, and ends up looking like a completely uneducated douche tool (I was trying to decide whether to call him a douche or a tool, but separately they didn't seem to convey my disdain). Congratulations Wessscoast, (uggghhh, even your name makes me want to beat you silly) you win the "Dipshit of the Day" award!
@Wesscoast Wow...you're being pretty derogatory for someone who doesn't understand sarcasm. I'm guessing you didn't notice db2 gave both definitions of "complimentary" in his comment.
@Almo I'm pretty sure he realizes that and was just being sarcastic.
For the record, Engadget was quoting the All Things D article by Peter Kafka. So at least Sean Hollister wasn't at fault.
Now, what's interesting is: who messed up? Was it Kafka, writing down "complimentary" when Kilar said (out loud) "complementary?"
Or did the interview take place via email? In that case, it was Kilar who wrote "complimentary" (a Freudian slip, perhaps? Ha ha!) in the email, and Kafka copy-pasted it. Even though Kafka says "I talked with Kilar yesterday about Hulu Plus," that could've meant they talked via email. (Although, if that was the case, Kafka-- or Hollister-- should've put a [sic] next to the word.)
Who knows?
@Smart People Play Tuba : "For the record, Engadget was quoting the All Things D article by Peter Kafka. So at least Sean Hollister wasn't at fault."
Interestingly, the CNet article *did* correct the misspelling.
@TheFrigginBox
I don't know. He might be saying all sorts of great things about cable.
@John Stracke
Engadget just now fixed it too, apparently. So I guess that's that.
Look, Hulu . . . either we pay OR we watch ads.
Not both.
Duh.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Do you pay for cable? Do you watch ads on TV?
Do you pay for Internet? Do you see ads in your browser?
Do you pay for turnpikes? Do you still see billboards?
companies will always pay for you to see their message. Even if you have paid someone else
@JXCGunrunna
I torrent, there are no ads
:)
@JXCGunrunna
True, but the typically on the internet, things are either ad-supported or fee-supported. Besides, you can get TV free over the air if you're set up for that. You're paying for the convenience and relative reliability of cable/satellite.
@JXCGunrunna
I never understood why cable tv has ads. I'm paying for the service I don't want ads. This is the main reason i stopped watching TV.
@JXCGunrunna
I pay for netflix and I don't watch ads. I actually pay less for netflix that I would for hulu.
@Missing Matter
good point. Netflix/Game Fly are really the two standout services that are free with no ads. Even Engadget is getting full page ads that pop up every once in a while when loading the page.
@JXCGunrunna
Do you pay for engadget???? If you do you should ask for your money back, because I get it for free!
@JXCGunrunna
Last time I checked, neither Netflix nor Gamefly was free.
Going back to your earlier point, the problem is that Hulu (unlike cable/sat, ISPs, and the turnpike system) is not an established service we're USED TO paying for. If Hulu wants to get its "foot in the door" with the American public, they're going to have to nix the ads in the paid version. Many of the comments on this post reflect this sentiment.
@acme64
You are paying for the upkeep and purchase of new equipment by the company you are getting the service for. The ad's pay for the stuff on the studio end of things.
@JXCGunrunna Last time I checked NBC, ABC, and Fox aren't 'cable'. HBO is cable, yes I pay for it and no I don't get ads.
I'm sick of the stupid you pay for cable argument. Netflix can give me streaming with no ads on a subscription, hulu can suck it.
@JXCGunrunna OK you must be really insane. The services you mentioned are not free, Netflix is not free, Gamefly is not free and OTA television signals while being broadcast and received for free are supported by the Commercials that are included in those broadcasts.
You pay for your netflix account, you pay for your Gamefly account. Just because your parents pay for it doesn't make it FREE. I tried to ignore your repeated ramblings about how these things should be free when in fact the examples you gave HAVE NEVER BEEN FREE!!!
I'm willing to pay, but I will not pay for ADS any more, I PURCHASED Tivo's etc and then switched to iTunes and Netflix for exactly this reason. They can have my money for NOT FOR ADS!!!
@Missing Matter
Netflix has advertisements on the envelopes they send you.
@yenlai
Oh, I didn't realize; I don't handle them. My girlfriend is usually the one who puts the disc in the drive while I make the popcorn. At least the ads don't periodically inturrupt my show for 30 - 60 seconds every so often. Also, I find the instant streaming to be of more value than the disc delivery.
Either way i'm getting a hell of a lot more with Netflix for $9 than I would with Hulu for $10.
@JXCGunrunna
> Do you pay for cable? Do you watch ads on TV?
Yes and No. I've owned a DVR pretty much since they were available.
> Do you pay for Internet? Do you see ads in your browser?
Yes and No. Blocking ads in data you have control over is pretty freaking trivial. That's why people who own DVRs don't have to watch any commercials they don't want to.
> Do you pay for turnpikes? Do you still see billboards?
Yes and No. I pay attention TO THE ROAD when I am driving.
that's good.
Hulu has been so blunt before about their evil plans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m71m-LBqFQ
There all sleeping together.can't trust anyone.
I'd rather pay and skip on the ads, thanks you very much!
Wel you pay for cable and get the same amount of commercials as those few people with antennas
Hulu replaced my cable long ago. And I'm not even planning on getting Hulu Plus.
@jiggpig
So you're a cheap bastard.
OMG...
Is this Engadget??
sark.
@Wesscoast
If Hulu has all the shows you watch, then why not? The only reason I haven't canceled our satellite yet it because the shows my kids love aren't on Hulu.
Jiggpig, I envy you.
Just another added monthly bill. Netflix much?
$10/month is robbery for this service.