Under pressure from its corporate parents to start turning a profit, Hulu has introduced a subscription model for viewing certain television series. For $9.99 a month, users can access the full, current season of popular shows from ABC, NBC, Fox and several cable outlets.
The service also allows viewing of multiple back seasons of shows.
The new site is initially available by invitation only on computers, Apple’s iPad, iPhones and on TV using certain Samsung Blu-ray players.
It’s coming soon to Sony’s PlayStation 3, and there are plans to launch on Microsoft’s Xbox early next year.
“More wherever. More whenever. Than ever,” the company says in an explanatory video.
The long-awaited move should be a boon to Hulu’s corporate parents: News Corp., General Electric’s NBC Universal, The Walt Disney Co. and Providence Equity Partners.
The paid section will show the same number of ads to viewers as on the free site, but it has more content available.
Subscribers can watch shows in high definition — at up to 720p, compared with 480p for free. Automaker Nissan and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA are advertising partners for the launch.
Keeping ads helps keep the monthly subscription fee low, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar wrote on Hulu’s blog.
“For our end users, we’re offering them the most convenient way to access their favorite shows, on devices they love, in high definition, at a fair price,” he wrote. “For our content partners, we offer revenues that compensate them fairly for bearing the cost of producing the shows we love.”
A free, ad-supported version of Hulu remains available, but with only recent episodes of shows.
“Keeping ads helps keep the monthly subscription fee low…” As low as premium cable stations like HBO and Showtime… of course, you get more content, AND the bonus is you still get the commercials.
I am not going to pay for ads anymore than I have to. To me this is just another rip off of the consumer. Instead of offering quality programming to draw more viewers we are getting force fed crap and now they want us to pay for more ads???? I am not going to pay to see fat people lose weight, lousyt comedians or some hack eyed Talent show. The whole reason I have and use my DVR is to record everything and SKIP the ad’s otherwise I would live off of Netflix. If this works look for more people to charge to watch free TV. If you notice these are publicly broadcasted channels that are FREE if you go over the air. The cable company charges you and you have to watch the ad’s. If you get it free now then why pay later? I will gladly pay for commercial free programming but if there are ad’s I will do everything in my power to skip ad’s. At 15 minutes of ad’s per hour do you realize how much more you can watch without them?????
From what I can tell there is very little being offered from cable networks through Hulu Plus. Nothing past or present from Syfy, USA, or TNT is in the current “Plus” catalog. The only thing from FX was “DIRT” starring Courtney Cox. They did seem to have a decent selection of anime including Robotech, Full Metal Alchemist, Astro Boy, and Gurren Lagann among others.
Right now this appears to be a big “meh!”
We vote with our dollars on this stuff people. I’m not against paying for content or a service that brings value to my life (even if it is just TV shows). I would pay maybe $2-3 a month for something like HuluPlus. But $9.95? They’re smoking crack.
NO WAY NO HOW.
Hulu completely missed the opportunity here. Bringing their service to the iPad alone and charging NOTHING (but keeping the ads) would have what…doubled…tripled…their audience? That says nothing to the integration into living room sets that is coming down the line.
I would have thought simply enabling it via a free app (like ABC.Com’s app) on the iPad would have generated a huge increase in ad revenue for them due to the millions of additional (potential) viewers, but I guess that wasn’t enough for them.
Screw Hulu!
Good luck with that HULU, I think I’ll pass.