HULU to start charging in 2010...

[firehawk12]

Well, the other way was to do the thing Whedon did with Dr. Horrible and charge for downloads. Either way, that model seems to work well with dedicated niche audiences.

The money the government gives to TV/film productions is meant to create jobs and convince people to come up here to shoot stuff. It's like how Delaware has insanely low taxes, which is why all major corporate headquarters in America seem to be located there.

 

[Hermiod]

Stargate hardly qualifies as premium anything, so it's not the same idea as HBO. The DVDs are more analogous to tie-in novels and other merchandising aimed at the most fanatical fans who will stop at nothing to get more Joe Flanigan.

Does he know about the candle-lit shrine yet ?

 

[T'Bonz]

I already pay for cable (which is rather high, unless we want satellite, which is a bad idea in the stormy summer down here) and for Netflix. That's not even counting Internet costs.

No way am I paying for rebroadcasts of shows on free TV. I've only used Hulu when I miss new episodes of The Office, so if it's no longer available, the world won't end. I'll just have to wait 'til a show reruns on TV or comes out for rental on Netflix.

 

[Sakrysta]

If they started charging for Hulu, I would CONSIDER subscribing to Netflix. Or not. But I wouldn't subscribe to Hulu. Their selection isn't good enough, especially for movies.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Well, the other way was to do the thing Whedon did with Dr. Horrible and charge for downloads. Either way, that model seems to work well with dedicated niche audiences.

There's a long ways to go before 100% online shows constititue a serious revenue stream. I'm not convinced that aping the movie/TV non-interactive format is the way to go. Something more similar to multi-player games makes more sense as the dominant format for online entertainment. But games also are stuck in a ghetto - their appeal is not expanding beyond the gamer market and their focus on fighting scenarios is too limiting.

Stargate hardly qualifies as premium anything, so it's not the same idea as HBO. The DVDs are more analogous to tie-in novels and other merchandising aimed at the most fanatical fans who will stop at nothing to get more Joe Flanigan.

Does he know about the candle-lit shrine yet ?

I've tried to tell him! Dang restraining order.

The money the government gives to TV/film productions is meant to create jobs and convince people to come up here to shoot stuff.

Why bother with the film industry? Underwrite something more stable, like the pet food biz or toothpaste manufacturing. That will also create jobs and isn't subject to the same fluctuations. It's ok if government wants to invest tax money in something they think will get a good return, but TV/movie production would not be my first choice.

 

[Hermiod]

I've tried to tell him! Dang restraining order.

Funny, getting around the one Christina Hendricks has on me was easy enough.

 

[StarshipDefiant]

I don't know how up to date or applicable this still is, Hulu charging and what not, but...wouldn't them charging for the content online, be proving the WGA's point? If memory serves, charging for online content is one of the grievances they went on strike for, isn't it?

Anyway, I don't use Hulu all that much, and I certainly wont if it costs something to do so, I have no money to begin with (no job and what not), but if I did? I still wouldn't. Hulu doesn't always work that great for me, and quite frankly if I am going to pay for programming, I'd rather be buying the DVD or something. Maybe that makes me seem like an asshole, but so be it, and before anyone objects, I don't have a problem helping to pay for programing I like, but at the same time, it's not my fault that Hollywood's economic model is built so that an episode or movie, whatever, has to make 3-4 times as much as it cost before it's considered a profit. So I guess, to have to make so much, is why they'd have to charge as often and as much as they can.

Hmmm...I think I kind of lost track here... My entire point is, I am not going to pay to use Hulu, it just doesn't work good enough for me.

 

[Mojochi]

All I know is this. What they offer won't be getting any money from me, & I am by far not unique in this matter. Therefore, it's sounding like less traffic for Hulu, if there's less for us there. Usually that means somewhere else is picking up your traffic. Good news for them, I guess

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Hulu Plus service preview invites starting

This post pertains to USA only:

paid-subscription and still ad-supported
With Hulu Plus [paid subscription service] starting this Summer

Hulu would charge slightly less than $10 a month to watch TV shows and movies with fewer ads than currently available on the free service and on television, according to one person familiar with the matter.

The service would also be introduced on new devices, including Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 game consoles.

Support for the Xbox 360 will be coming in early 2011.

FYI the XBox 360 will require a Xbox Live Gold subscription which is $49.99/1 year (less than $5.00/month)
Hulu pay version launch imminent

preview now via email invite:
http://www.hulu.com/plus

Library contents includes
The X-Files All 9 Seasons 201 Episodes
Buffy the Vampire Slayer All 7 Seasons 144 Episodes
Heroes All 3 Seasons 53 Episodes

All broadcast networks except CBS.

Also in the works is support for TVs and Blu-ray players from both Vizio and Sony,

iPhone & iPad too.
Hulu Launches Premium Subscription Service ‘Hulu Plus’, Coming To iPhone, iPad & PS3 & Hulu Plus announced: iPad, iPhone, Sony, and more on board

it asks you if you have an android phone, so I am sure that Android Hulu Plus is coming.

-commenter

Pretty cool.
I guess it will now be a quality and price war with Netflix Instant streaming (without any commercials)

What do you guys think? Will you ditch cable television and get a 'rabbit ears' antenna for over-the-air HDTV service and supplement it with Hulu Plus?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

If people are paying for it, it had better be "no ads," not "fewer ads."

I'd be interested to see the full library of Plus-only content. If that's good, and they'll be expanding it on a regular basis, then I might be inclined to pay.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I already pay to get shows w/no ads. It's called Netflix. What is Hulu doing that Netflix doesn't?

 

[firehawk12]

I already pay to get shows w/no ads. It's called Netflix. What is Hulu doing that Netflix doesn't?

New shows, presumably?

 

[bigdaddy]

I already pay to get shows w/no ads. It's called Netflix. What is Hulu doing that Netflix doesn't?

Hulu gives you commercials it seems.

But it much be newer shows, like the current season shows.

I see no point in spending $10 a month

 

[Mr Light]

So... can we still see the last 4 or so episodes of a show for free with ads?

 

[Davros]

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/10/22/hulu-to-start-charging-in-2010/

At an industry summit in NYC on Oct. 21, News Corp Deputy Chairman Chase Carey revealed that online video hub Hulu will begin charging users for content as soon as 2010...

I've always liked Hulu (never minded the commercials)...but, I don't know if I would want to pay for it. I'm already paying for Netflix.

Thoughts?

fastpasstv

 

[bigdaddy]

So... can we still see the last 4 or so episodes of a show for free with ads?

Yep, by the sounds of everything hulu itself will be the same.

But who would pay $10 a month to see shows you can for free, and they still have ads?

 

[Professor Zoom]

I already pay to get shows w/no ads. It's called Netflix. What is Hulu doing that Netflix doesn't?

This.

There's no point to paying for Hulu for "fewer" ads when I have netflix.

I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years Hulu is either commercial free with it's subscription or gone.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

content provider models

There's no point to paying for Hulu for "fewer" ads when I have netflix.

Netflix is not the next-day business model of almost-live television. It's a different model. It's much more of a print magazine subscription model as the revenue Hulu & the TV content producers get are the advertising and the subscription fees.

But who would pay $10 a month to see shows you can for free, and they still have ads?

It is the current consumer mindset of 'free'. It is advertiser supported currently.

From April

Hulu is under pressure from its owners to collect a subscription fee to both bolster revenue and train viewers to pay for online access to professionally produced content.

Shows on Hulu also carry commercials, however there are fewer spots there than on regular television. Ultimately, Hulu is expected to adopt the same commercial loads as network television. April 21, 2010
latimesblog

from my post $9.95 Hulu Plus subscription service May 2010

Let me repeat:

Ultimately, Hulu is expected to adopt the same commercial loads as network television.

It is similar to The Howard Stern Show on the Howard 100 channel of satellite radio service Sirius XM which is an extra subscription to the satellite radio service, very similar to a premium cable channel in addition to cable TV service.

I brought this up on the Future of Trek thread poll provider for new Trek series as original series download.
The discussion covers paying for a subscription for a season of a future Star Trek series similar to a sports tv Season Pass for your football team if you have moved across the country. If it is no advertising it is a model similar to fans paying for production.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I rarely ever use Hulu anyway. I stream Netflix to my TV and that's way better. No way I'd pay for Hulu.

 

[propita]

We just got directv. I love the dvr and setting it to record all new episodes of whatever series I pick. That said, it's still not cheap, and that's without movie channels.

I've used Hulu only before we had this, when we still had basic+ comcast and a vcr, to watch the occasional missed episode. Other than that, if we like a series, we wait and get the dvd set, don't worry about missing episodes at all.

As I told Hubby, we are SO getting "The Middle" and "Modern Family" and "Community." He was working those nights and we had comcast, so I didn't tape the episodes. He finally saw an episode and agreed that we'd buy the dvds.