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Hulu Updates 'Hulu Plus' iOS App, Lowers Subscription Pricing

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Hulu today released an updated version of its Hulu Plus [App Store] application for iOS devices, bringing several enhancements including a new split-screen player for the iPad version and improved management of subscriptions and queues.
What's new

- New split-screen player on iPad
- Enhanced queue and subscription management
- Improved playback performance
- New thumbnail viewer on iPad
- Miscellaneous bug fixes
Click to expand...
The update comes just as Hulu announces that the Hulu Plus premium service has exited preview mode and is now officially launched to the public. With that announcement, Hulu has dropped the subscription price on Hulu Plus to $7.99/month from the $9.99/month rate that was charged during the preview period. Customers who signed up during the preview period will be credited for the difference.
I am happy to announce that today we are launching the Hulu Plus subscription service out of preview. With this launch, we are proud to offer our users the only subscription service with the full current season of hit TV shows like Glee, Modern Family, The Office, House, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, and more, with minimal ad-load, across computers, TVs, mobile phones, and tablets.
Click to expand...
With Hulu Plus officially launching today on Roku boxes and support for TiVo Premiere boxes coming in the near future, some have hoped that the service could make its way to the new Apple TV, but no such announcement has yet been made.

Article Link: Hulu Updates 'Hulu Plus' iOS App, Lowers Subscription Pricing
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/11/17/hulu-updates-hulu-plus-ios-app-lowers-subscription-pricing/
I think $4.99 is the winning price here. Still, having inline ads for a service I am paying to use, is unattractive (unless this has changed).

IMHO, this is more proof that Hulu doesn't understand this market , but it's not like anyone has gotten it 100% correct either.
 
I love watching Hulu Plus on my BluRay player. But the fact that it doesn't have a lot of the shows that even Free Hulu has bugs the hell out of me.
 
Put it on the Apple TV and I'd buy one today. Been with out cable for years but won't touch web based streaming services.
 
840quadra said:
I think $4.99 is the winning price here. Still, having inline ads for a service I am paying to use, is unattractive (unless this has changed).

IMHO, this is more proof that Hulu doesn't understand this market , but it's not like anyone has gotten it 100% correct either.
Click to expand...

I think Netflix has it pretty good. Commercial-free content though less content than its DVD-based service.
 
I don't mind the price or the Ads. I like that the Ads count down so that I know how long I have to wait. If the adds were as long as regular TV Ad breaks and I couldn't skip them, then that would suck.

The best part for me is moving from device to device. Like watching on my TV and then finishing a show on my iPhone.
 
840quadra said:
I think $4.99 is the winning price here. Still, having inline ads for a service I am paying to use, is unattractive (unless this has changed).
Click to expand...

How is this different than the $100/month cable subscriptions most people have?
 
This could be big news indeed.

Hulu Plus + :apple:tv 2 (+ AirPlay, if necessary) would = me immediately cancelling my satellite service. Fo'serious. Only thing I'd miss is The Walking Dead, and not even that really, because iTunes has that covered.
 
Do you have to watch the same quantity of ads with Hulu Plus as you do with regular Hulu?
 
I don't care about Hulu Plus. Wake me up when their free service comes to the iPhone.

Their services need to be platform agnostic.
 
If I could use hulu while on international travel, I would surely pay for it. Sadly I can't, so I will continue to que up the DVR. They need to get over this pay thing though. Advertisers pay them. I am already paying to view online when I pay my internet bill. I am already paying when I pay my cable bill. Sometimes i shell out a little more and buy an episode or two on iTunes.

I can see anyone's arguement for not liking the price.
 
Cubsfan said:
How is this different than the $100/month cable subscriptions most people have?
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I pay $0 for cable/satellite.

Over the air has 16+ free channels in St. Louis where I'm at, with at least 6 of those channels broadcast in HD.
Netflix costs $7.99 or $8.99 (depending on if you want DVD access), much of their content is HD, and it's all commercial free.

Why would I pay for cable/satellite or even Hulu?

Like someone else said, when Hulu drops to $4.99, then I may take a look at it.

For now, I will stick with my $8.99 TOTAL entertainment/TV/movie plan.
 
ob81 said:
I am already paying to view online when I pay my internet bill.
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Paying Hulu? No. Paying someone else for the ability to get online? Yes. How does that support Hulu again?

And if you think the advertising model that Hulu has now is profitable, it isn't. Just because its on the internet, doesn't automatically make things free.
 
If I pay that much per month, there better not be any ads on it. It should be like cable TV. I mean, when I pay for cable, there are zero ads on it...right? Else, we can opt out of paying for our cable and just have ad-based, "free" cable. I mean, it would be totally silly to pay 40-60 bucks a month AND get ads on top of that. Just silly.

Which is why paying $7.99 a month AND getting ads is insane. That dog won't hunt, monsignor.
 
snebes said:
Paying Hulu? No. Paying someone else for the ability to get online? Yes. How does that support Hulu again?

And if you think the advertising model that Hulu has now is profitable, it isn't. Just because its on the internet, doesn't automatically make things free.
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They get paid in Internet Dollars. :D
 
Several things have to happen in order for Hulu Plus to be relevant (and I preface these comments by saying that I've been a subscriber to it for two months now.)

First, they need to amp up the content selection. The fact that free Hulu on the Web has vastly more content than paid Hulu Plus on various devices is absurd. Yes, I understand that their hands are at least partially tied by their various content agreements, but let's get real here; the notion that content providers can limit their content to display on specific screens is asinine. Content is content. Screens are screens. It's futile retrograde thinking to try and target specific content to specific screens. It's the kind of backward strategy that led to so much trouble within the RIAA.

Next Hulu, Netflix or some other streaming content service needs to start providing local news and sports content. Without those everyone will continue to be locked in the grip of Comcast and the other cable/satellite providers.

Furthermore, unless Hulu intends to be a TV exclusive portal, they need to really amp up the amount of movie content that they serve. At the moment movies on Hulu are a joke.

Finally, Hulu Plus needs to be on the AppleTV ASAP.

So, the bottom line here is that Hulu Plus has a LONG way to go before it's a viable product. Meanwhile Netflix is a good 18 months ahead of them and looks to be increasing their lead by the day. Personally, I think Hulu is ultimately doomed and will disappear sooner or later with their content being picked up by Netflix and Netflix becoming the de-facto standard for streaming content on various hardware platforms.
 
To much for a service still full of ads like the free Hulu site offers. Top that off with the fact many current shows are not eve available on Hulu+ (unless that has now changed). $4.99 is imo a much better price point if they cut the ads by 50%, make it 2 or 3 ads max per show.
 
ksgant said:
If I pay that much per month, there better not be any ads on it. It should be like cable TV. I mean, when I pay for cable, there are zero ads on it...right? Else, we can opt out of paying for our cable and just have ad-based, "free" cable. I mean, it would be totally silly to pay 40-60 bucks a month AND get ads on top of that. Just silly.

Which is why paying $7.99 a month AND getting ads is insane. That dog won't hunt, monsignor.
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Nice sarcasm. Thing is, there's already a successful example of a streaming service that charges $10 per month and offers TV content free of ads. It's called Netflix.
 
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