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Hulu for iPad Likely to Be a Paid Subscription Service

Why are people comparing Hulu to iTunes tv episodes? They're not running the same service!

iTunes: buy an episode ($2-3 each) and it's yours, period.

Hulu isn't a purchase service, it's a rental service, funded by ads. Hulu rents the rights for TV shows for a limited time, making them available to the public. When the episode is gone, it's gone, even if you still haven't watched it in your queue.

So, the more appropriate comparison would be Hulu and NetFlix. Would you pay $8.95 / month for time-unlimited, commercial free access to your TV shows?

That, by the way, is the part of the service that people should be bitching about -- limited availability of episodes. If I'm going to be paying, then yeah, I don't want commercials in my programs... but I also don't want to find out "sorry, you can only access the four most recent episodes of your program"!
 
spillproof said:
Reason #406 why the iPad will fail.
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LOL. Obviously it's a reason why it will succeed. The iPad's success is entirely about content. The broader based the content and deeper the revenue stream it creates, the more likely it will do well.

The Hulu thing was inevitable, and is just the tip of the iceberg as the entire internet moves to subscription model for content.
 
AgingGeek said:
In the OLD days, TV was FREE. You put up your rabbit ears, and watched the major networks. It was FREE, because they paid for it by selling ADS. You put up with the ADS because if was FREE.
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It's still free to use rabbit ears and get the major networks.
 
Well guess what - I bought a netbook. NOT an iPad. ...for my kid. More functionality, better specs, and less money. Booyah.

Game changer my @ss.
 
angrynstupid said:
If Hulu wants to charge a subscription then there better be ZERO ads! In their defense... this is all new territory and these content suppliers really have no clue on what to do. Bottom line - it's all about supply and demand - if the demand isn't there for paid subscriptions, DRM ebooks, etc. then this kind of CRAP-OH-LAH will go away. Mark my words!
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Yeah like there are no commercials are cable tv channels.

oh wait, all the channels except the premium ones do have commercials and we still pay for them.

We have nobody to blame for this double dipping but ourselves.
 
Scarpad said:
Anyone who thought that the Ipad was'nt a platform for delivering content that was going to cost you money , was a fool. It's all about paying for content, that what the root of itunes is all about, eventually that will extend to magazine, books and other stuff. No one is forcing you to pay for Hulu or Itunes stores videos. If you don't want to pay, but the DVD, Rip it and put it on there yourself. Unfortunately other content like mags and books you won't have any choice. But really why would you expect to get this type of content for free? Do you walk into a Convienience store and walk out with a magazine without paying for it? Or a newspapr or book. C'mon people obviously moving content to a subscription model is where the industry is heading, apple is no different.
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Exactly. $$ for content is inevitable - the question is whether the content providers will actually provide additional value beyond what you can get for free. If they think they're just going to flop over to a subscription model and make mad money while delivering the same content that's currently available for free it's not going to fly.

Replace my cable subscription at a fraction of the cost, with better programming, easier searching etc. and I'll make the trade.
 
Fail hahahaha ROFL

spillproof said:
Reason #406 why the iPad will fail.
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Its no iPhone, but fail I doubt it will, it may take a year to figure out how to make it work for everyone, but fail not.

PC troll alert.

Apple Tv rocks, its failing because its to expensive due to the network, but if they could set it up with a better price, Apple TV would become the standard.

I know i love mine, true I don't use it as Steve would want but I do see its potential. Anyone who owns one can see what it could become.
 
Hmac said:
You say that as if you believed that all those services will continue to be free.

Hulu was free. How'd that work out for them?
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Surf the channel, mega video, bit torrent, Tube sites...

Yup, I believe ALL of them will remain "free". And none of them are available on the Iphone or Ipad.
 
cmaier said:
Um. You think Apple has any say in this?
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Before we wall Apple off in their defense, Apple could easily strike back at no financial cost to themselves or us customers by flip-flopping on the Flash player stance. No big work on Apple's part, no cost, no added cost to the iPad buyers.

Apple could even continue to push the idea of migrating to HTML5 + H.264 + javascript over Flash by incorporating a "compromise" with a Click4Flash type solution (user has to click to play a bit of Flash media, acknowledging that they'll burn their battery a little bit faster and/or they might crash the Safari browser).

Easy. Free. Terrific solution for us potential iPad users.

Not to mention that this one change of stance on Apple's part would make available MORE free games than there are in the App store, MORE free video content than for sale, or otherwise already available in iTunes or in HTML5 format, while also making the "ultimate mobile internet experience" actually deliver an "ultimate" experience.

One simple move on Apple's part could flip this- and many similar to come- scenarios, yielding a win for Apple (by making the iPad a lot more desirable) and a win for Apple's customers.
 
zweigand said:
I love watching people who don't know a damn thing about what is actually going to take place argue as if their lives depend on it.

If Hulu can give me commercial free shows for a small fee …sign me up. Especially if they include other devices like my Roku in the deal.
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I never use hulu. I think I have watched two shows/videos on it since it came into existence. I would probably not subscribe to it on an iPad.

If they have a subscription for Roku, though, I would be all over it.
 
Remember Napster? The cockroaches scattered the day it changed into a legit, paid service. Most people won't pay for something that they can still get, or used to get, for free.

I think Hulu will find it tough to make any real money charging for over the air shows. And do they intend to continue to serve ads to those who are paying for the content? I'm guessing yes, which will be a further deterrent. They would be better off keeping it free and partnering with Google to serve more effective targeted advertisements.
 
The iPad is slowly becoming more and more of a sad joke as time goes on. I think it's becoming clear to everyone that $499 is NOT the price you'll be paying after all.
 
Also have there not been rumors that Apple is trying to come up with some kind of subscription package for itunes for tv shows/channels?
 
Razeus said:
So first I have to pay just to get 3G access. Then they want me to pay again for content access? All these monthly bills start to add up, for something I can get for free in the wild. No thx. iPad fail.
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i agree

starting to sound like cable tv 2.0

yuck
 
I think there's an important challenge that companies like Hulu and newspapers are trying to come to terms with. Creating content costs money but the public have an expectation that it is and will continue to be free.

Advertising is not providing sufficient revenue and if things continue as they are now then the Hulu's of this world will start to disappear.

I think we are all going to have to realise that devices liek the ipad and our laptops and our pc's are pretty dull without content - we will produce it ourselves (video/photo/authored) or we will download it.

I think the free download model is seriously under stress.

All of the media outlets are looking for ways to claw back their investment. The only way to do so is to provide an experience and standard of content that people will be prepared to invest in.

So, if I was Hulu, I'd ramp up the Ipad offering and use the current Hulu experience as a free sampler to entice potential customers to buy superior paid content (either through the ipad or via a paid service). Yes I mean by downgrading the content or experience available for free.

The challenge is the price point. I currently read my news direct on my iphone as a download. I used to be perfectly happy to pay for the real version and to be honest I'd be happy to pay for the electronic version too. It would be great if it was less that the actual print version as I think the distribution and material costs are lower. The problem is I'm used to getting it 'free' so I object to a charge being applied - I need to realize that this is not a sustainable economic model - sorry! Someone has to pay the journalists, the actors, the writers and yes the shareholders.

I think unless we actually pay for this content the net result will be less choice, lower quality and a reduced experience. Perhaps we will have to wait for this before we are prepared to pay for quality content.

The arguments about the ipad are irrelevant. Whether it's the pad or other web capable mechanisms the charging model has to change.
 
They want it all and for free

Stella said:
Why are people surprised - the iPad is all about paid content? ( With free Apps from AppStore )

iPad is designed to be a revenue stream for content providers - otherwise, why would they ( content providers ) bother?
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Well said, someone with brains. :D

Does anyone here work for free, I have lots of grass cutting and painting for you. And after that I need a full wax job on my jaguar xj8, someone please work for free then live under the bridge on the south side its really nice there. hahahaha

I hear they are looking for a few good men to go to Cambodia and help out.
 
Well, if I buy an iPad, it will be for Brushes, or Sketchbook Pro, not the crippled Internet Experience.

But I don't think anyone should be surprised that the internet is becoming more like TV, with tiered services, and pay-per-view type events. It seemed like a logical conclusion.
 
RazHyena said:
The iPad is slowly becoming more and more of a sad joke as time goes on. I think it's becoming clear to everyone that $499 is NOT the price you'll be paying after all.
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then why are you in a thread about the ipad if it is a joke?
 
SteveSparks said:
Well, This is one more reason for all the haters to post SJ is the devil.
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Good point. While I personally don't think he is satan in the flesh, it is another reason to call him that.

If we had flash, this would be free. Oh wait, I forgot, the world doesn't use flash. Oh yeah, and if we got rid of flash, then all ads would go away and the advertisers wouldn't make annoying ads in HTML5 either.
 
OpenWheelFan said:
Sure you were around for the start of cable? The initial promise of cable was "better reception, more channels, no commercials"! Of these, "no commercials" didn't last too long...
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I keep waiting for the next-next shoe in which they decide to show those of us who skip the commercials with DVRs, by squeezing the shows down to a smaller size and running commercials continuously in the margins... DURING the show. We're already seeing a first step toward this by putting commercials as animated graphics on top of the show, often at the bottom left or right of a program. It seems like it is only a matter of time until they reduce the show playback area and use the free space for continual commercials.

Apply this to Internet distribution and we'll be paying for the connection (3G or broadband), paying for the subscription for the show that then shows us more commercials than ever before. Why not just do away with the show and have us pay to pay to watch the commercials only. They did figure out a way to get a lot of us to pay for water.
 
roocka said:
I mean seriously, RETARDED... Aren't laptops "mobile devices" as well. I love how just because apple creates a game changer, then people discriminate on what it is or isn't. If Hulu wants to charge, they should charge across the entire platform.
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If Apple supported Flash thered be no way for Hulu to prevent iPad users from accessing it.

you Apple lovers miss the point of the iPad. This type of thing is the point. To monetize the delivery of web content with Apple being in the position of broker. I'm no Apple hater but I honestly believe they are trying to position themselves as a broker of content. Music, video, ebooks... they want to be the provider of online and digital content and they don't want or plan to do it for free. The iPad is a big step in this direction
 
Disc Golfer said:
This only makes sense if you can access as much content on hulu as you can with $70/month cable, and last time I checked hulu was unbelievably limited in what you can access. As it stands now hulu doesn't provide content worth paying for. It barely provides content worth sitting through ads for.
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Your missing the point, considering its the networks that run it, I can see them adding a lot of content over time plus things like hourly news, the possibilities are endless with pay subscription. The real question is will they have the B*lls to take the chance and do it. That is the 100 million dollar question.

Love to see HBO specials on there also, I am so tired of the lame 10 religion channels I pay just to have cable. :mad:
 
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