Yes, I'm posting about subscription based media services. Netflix, as everyone knows, charges a monthly fee, but I get DVD's delivered to my house every month too. Now Hulu wants to join in on the money train and start charging a monthly fee for it's services I could see at anytime with the help of my DVR. I don't know if I really want to bite the bullet and pay for the subscription or just forget about it and just stick with Netflix. I think this is only the beginning of a slew of new subscription based media coming to the iPad (and mobile computing in general). Who's next? Pandora, ABC, Slacker, Slingbox, Cnet...etc.?
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Netflix does it, but now HULU?!? Who's next?
- Thread starter LadyHoneyBabe
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Netflix has always charged. It wasn't free at first like Hulu then they charged later. If Hulu charged from the beginning no one would be making a big deal about it. Also Pandora is only free for 40 hours a month.
What Hulu will or will not do is entirely theoretical. However, ABC has at least made their content available for free on the iPad as has some of the stuff on CBS. At this point if other networks begin charging they will be at a disadvantage.
What may happen is the netflix model. Although you pay a monthly subscription, you aren't charged twice for watching content at home and then again for watching it on a mobile device--which is what a lot of cable channels seem to want you to do.
What may happen is the netflix model. Although you pay a monthly subscription, you aren't charged twice for watching content at home and then again for watching it on a mobile device--which is what a lot of cable channels seem to want you to do.
Please do your research before jumping to conclusions. Hulu will still be free as it is today, the $10 monthly fee is for users who wish to view older content. Nothing you see today will be taken away.
Well the way Hulu is setting it up seems to give you choices while still providing some free content. As far as the others you listed some do already have a pay offer like pandora. The networks already make money from advertising and what trickles in from sites like hulu. It's all about choice, you don't have to subscribe if you don't want the "extras" they promise to offer.
Yet people pay initiation fees and 30+ dollars a month for the gym and barely go.
It's 10 bucks. If you really want hulu, adjust your lifestyle to compensate. People think these companies make these kinds of services and expect nothing in return?
That's like going to dinner and being upset that you have to actually PAY for your serviced food.
Come on guys.
It's 10 bucks. If you really want hulu, adjust your lifestyle to compensate. People think these companies make these kinds of services and expect nothing in return?
That's like going to dinner and being upset that you have to actually PAY for your serviced food.
Come on guys.
I'm always amazed that people think everything should be for free. Like these companies don't have a right to make some money off the time and effort they took to create a show?
Frankly I like these pay services because they force me to think about how I'm spending my time. It's easy to waste a few hours watching a movie or some shows if they're free, but if I'm paying $10/month to do so then I wonder whether I could better use that time and money.
Frankly I like these pay services because they force me to think about how I'm spending my time. It's easy to waste a few hours watching a movie or some shows if they're free, but if I'm paying $10/month to do so then I wonder whether I could better use that time and money.
Again, lots of ignorance. ABC app will only have the same free content as hulu, it will not have an archive. We are not 100% sure if iPad will be $9.95 a month for the stuff that is now free. If it is, so what? It's your choice. As I stated in another thread, you are paying for convenience. You are still able to record it to your DVR, rip it from there, compress it for your iPad, then sync it... all totally free. If you want to watch 20-30 shows a month on iPad, $10 to avoid the above is really a bargain. If you only watch a couple shows a month, who cares anyway, you won't be missing much.
ash =o)
ash =o)
It doesn't matter why Hulu is charging, it's the fact that they will be charging and I think many others will start charging subscription fees too. Right now they are clearly testing it out, probably to see how many people will pay to see older episodes. However, News Corp. (Fox), NBC Universal (NBC) and Walt Disney (ABC) which all supply Hulu with the media rights to broadcast are figuring out ways to get more money from consumers. Nevermind that Hulu made 100 million in advertising alone for the past 2 years, the parent companies want more. So, I still think this is only the beginning and with mobile computing taking off as it has with the iPad, and other devices launching in the near future, there will be tons of companies ready to get on the bandwagon.
Think about it, how many people were upset at the Wall Street Journal when they found out they had to pay money to read it? Also, think of how many free apps are out there, but after you download them, you find out you have to pay more money to use the app...otherwise it's worthless.
Please don't take it personaly, but I find these statements to be simply ridiculous. Hulu is not a public service but a for-profit entity and is free to charge whatever it deems fair. Don't like it? Vote with your dollar.
Yeah because the Wall street journal should write and develop their content FREE for you..
Jesus.
Let me tell you a secret, businesses like profit. They are making their current content free and archived content 10/month. They offer a great service, it's about time they start charging a nominal fee.
If iTunes did something like this everyone would be jumping for joy, god forbid another company charges for its service..
But what exactly is your point??
What do you want us to do about it? Networks and companies have to run a business. My 2 cents is that "WE" internet users get so much for free than we deserve. Years back before the web, we couldn't have gotten any of this content or information for free.
We don't know that for sure yet.
From the front page:
That means that all of the older episodes that are on the site will not be available anymore.
Plus, who knows what they will do with shows that are no longer on the air. Will that stuff remain free? Will that stuff slowly become Hulu Plus content (or whatever they plan on calling it)?
Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with them charging $10/month for content. But if they do that, they'd better remove all advertising from paid content.
I'm getting way more use out of my Netflix membership than I ever did out of Hulu.....
This.
It's really not a big deal. In fact, I don't really see it working out for Hulu in the long run. By the time you get to be five or six missed episodes into a show, you may as well just wait and rent the DVD when it comes out, especially if you have Netflix.
Ok, ok...You are assuming something about me that's not true. Did you know that if you already subscribe to WSJ and then download the app, you only get it free for 2 weeks and you have to pay for another subscription? Did you know the WSJ is twice as much as the regular digital subscription? Do you think that's fair?
If you want to watch stuff for free then cancel your cable or satellite and put an antenna on your roof.
It costs money to make TV shows and movies. If you expect them to keep existing, then we are all going to have to pay for it one way or another... whether directly out of our pockets, through subscriptions or buying, or by being subjected to advertising (or a combination of all three).
And who exactly is forcing you to subscribe for both? Or either?
It costs money to make TV shows and movies. If you expect them to keep existing, then we are all going to have to pay for it one way or another... whether directly out of our pockets, through subscriptions or buying, or by being subjected to advertising (or a combination of all three).
And who exactly is forcing you to subscribe for both? Or either?
I agree with everything you've said here up to the point where we should be expected to watch a show with commercials *and* pay a fee on top of that.
Assuming I'm willing to watch the same amount of commerical content in a show that is broadcast free as one on Hulu why is it ok to watch the broadcast show without paying but be expected to pay to watch the same show with the same commercials on Hulu?
Anyway, Hulu will *only* be able to charge a subscription if they can get the networks on board with them and prevent them from offering their own programming directly to iPad users with an application or compatible website. Otherwise, its not that much trouble to have an application for each network and/or navigate to a compatible website. ABC already has their own app and we'll see if others follow.
If they do succeed and Hulu essentially becomes the new cable company for the iPad, I'll not buy another iPad.
But what exactly is your point??
Hi, and thanks for asking me to explain my point.
My point is this is only the beginning of subscription services. I think everyone saw Hulu and thought I was only posting about them. Therefore, they totally missed what I was saying. I think there will be many more apps that will require some sort of additional puchase after you have downloaded the app. It's already starting to happen, and it's only going to growing. Before long, every app downloaded will have additional charges attached to them. This is a huge change from my iPhone apps and I think more and more companies want in on the money making machine and will not hesitate to jump on the bandwagon. So, it's not just about Hulu charging, it's about the direction all these apps are headed...free to download, pay to use.
Think about the apps that have subscription or additional prices, Netflix, Hulu, WSJ (even if you already have a print or online subscription, you have to pay for another subcription to read the WSJ on your iPad), and many more to follow. So just naming those 3 apps, comes to about $37.00 a month. So, again, what I'm saying is, this is only the beginning slew of apps that will have additional charges after downloading them.
You're still missing my point.