And in the disappointing news of the day, it appears Hulu.com is planning to start charging. The website has made it possible for TV and movie fans to watch an expanding variety of programming through their ad-supported streaming video format that’s both free and legal.
Free and legal? I knew it seemed too good to be true. Broadcasting Cable.com posted the following:
“News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey opened the B&C OnScreen summit to discuss where he sees the business going. “It’s time to start getting paid for broadcast content online,” he said. Carey said that while everyone cites the infamous Jeff Zucker quip that “We’re exchanging analogue dollars for digital dimes,” the industry continues to do exactly that. The strategy needs to be more than just fighting piracy and Google, he says.“I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” Carey said. “Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business.”
No official decision on how the pay-system will work has been decided on, though it looks like the changes could be coming as early as 2010. Carey did say that “throwing up a pay-wall around all content” isn’t the answer but that there might be fees for specially created content. That seems more reasonable to me than the site turning into just another way for fans of TV shows to have to pay.
For me, Hulu has been a convenient way to catch up on shows I neglected to TiVo. For example, I fell behind on Grey’s Anatomy after the season premiere and just yesterday, visited Hulu.com and got caught up on the recent episodes so I could watch tonight’s episode when it airs. I pay for cable and for TiVo. I’m also a fan of purchasing my favorite shows on DVD. There’s no way I’m paying even more to watch something online. In all likelihood, if those unseen Grey’s episodes weren’t free for me to watch (and easily accessible due to Hulu’s reliable player, unlike ABC.com’s spotty video player), I wouldn’t have bothered trying to get caught up with the show, nor would I make any effort to tune in to tonight’s episode when it airs on ABC. If Hulu decides to get charge-happy with their service, I would hope that the networks might consider an alternate way for viewers to screen their episodes free of charge.
Jason Hughes (our latest and greatest addition to the staff here at Cinema Blend) raised a good point in comparing this move to what Napster did a decade ago. How did people react when Napster went subscription-operated? They found other (less legal) ways to download stuff for free. Whether that'll be the case with Hulu, remains to be seen. It all depends on what they decide to do to generate revenue for their services. I could definitely see a spike in iTunes sales for people who would prefer to get their internet-TV legally and have the option to save the purchased content on their computers or view them on portable video players.
