Color me sad/angry/annoyed. According to The Los Angeles Times, online TV portal Hulu may start charging its viewers to watch content. The company is looking for new ways to draw revenue, and it seems only logical that they’d make users pay for the most popular shows: 30 Rock, Modern Family and House. (Ironically, last night’s Modern Family included a joke from daughter Haley, who asked her dad why she’d need to learn to use the TV remote when she watches TV on her computer.)
Hulu has spent months studying how to strike a balance between what people expect to watch free online and what they would be willing to pay for. One plan being considered would allow users to view the five most recent episodes of TV shows free but would require a subscription of $4.99 a month to watch older episodes. Hulu believes it will need at least 20 TV series — both current ones and those no longer on the air — to make such a pay service attractive to users. A firm pricing model could emerge within six months, the sources said.
Would you continue to watch shows on Hulu if you had to pay? I wouldn’t – but I also pay a hefty monthly cable bill. If Hulu offered every show I wanted to watch, maybe it would be more cost effective than traditional cable…but you would also have to rely on your Internet provider, and watch shows on your computer. I don’t think we’re there quite yet.
I find it ridiculous that huge sites like Hulu that are backed by Fortune 500 Companies are greedy enough to take fee’s from there loyal customers. It is ridiculous to charge a monthly fee. It’s a good thing we have sites like http://www.WorldWideTVonPC.com that let people get thousands of channels in HD. Shame on you HULU!!!!
Sounds like Jon is just wanting to promote their business, of which I have no interest. Hulu is a pretty good service and I would pay a small monthly fee to use their service.