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T-Mobile Offers Free Ad-Supported Hulu to Subscribers

Don't like ad supported streaming services. Better to pay for it and avoid all ads. But still getting a free access to streaming service may be beneficial in some cases.
 
So they include Hulu with ads without any option to opt out? That seems like a bad deal, because I am not willing to pay for content directly or indirectly.
 
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Ken Linger said:
We've come so far and yet lost so much. I could DVR or record to tape shows 20 years ago and skip ads. Some VCRs and early DVRs (that weren't made/sold by cable companies) were capable of ad-detection and skipping past them. Even if yours wasn't fancy like that, you could still fast-forward through them. On a DVR, you could pause live TV when you wanted during the show, grab a snack, come back, keep watching, and then fast forward through the ads until you caught up to the live broadcast.

Today, it's not the technology that requires the ads or blocks you from skipping them but rather a bunch of backroom contracts that all but guarantee ad viewership. Of course, enough people rejoice at the $2 savings/month that this strategy isn't going anywhere.
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Boeingfan said:
It's madness isn't it. We've gone backwards, driven by greed. It's the same as digital photography in the 90's that swept the film industry; how shortsighted that was. Some of the first movies to come out on 4K were some of the oldest, shot on film, not pixels, and could therefore be shown in whatever resolution you choose, unlike digital content. Anoth backward step.
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Ah, the golden age of ad evasion, where fast-forwarding through commercials was our superpower. Now we're in a twisted timeline where the ads have become the overlords, and we're just trying to sneak in some snack breaks. It's like our tech went from rebellious teenager to strict parent overnight! And don't get me started on the pixelated past haunting our HD dreams—turns out, progress has a wicked sense of humor.
 
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Think|Different said:
...after they just gutted their included Netflix offer, raising the price again! And all of these have ads...Sheesh.
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They had no choice. Netflix keeps raising their prices, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I’m not switching from Magenta Max anytime soon.
 
Guess the upside is MLB.TV is still a freebie through T-Mobile Tuesday (soon to be renamed) every year. Everyone is getting into this side of the business, especially Verizon. Don’t know if my Netflix premium will be affected through my Magenta Max plan yet, but I’m sure I’ll see an email at some point. Netflix on Us was a cool idea, but I would imagine they’ve been a horrible partner to deal with through all the price increases and instant customer charges when you switch plans (Netflix will auto charge your credit card if you change anything on your T-Mobile account).
 
minimo3 said:
Netflix with ads, Hulu with ads, Amazon prime will soon have ads… pretty soon the streaming providers will come up with their latest innovation: shows only play at a specific time and schedule, you’ll just have to tune in then to watch!
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And then the real game changer - bundles so that you pay just one low price of $80/mo for all the channels *err* subscriptions!
 
Skyscraperfan said:
So they include Hulu with ads without any option to opt out? That seems like a bad deal, because I am not willing to pay for content directly or indirectly.
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They aren’t raising your rates. So you’re not paying for it. And you still have to sign up and link your accounts. Or don’t.
 
ericg301 said:
They aren’t raising your rates. So you’re not paying for it. And you still have to sign up and link your accounts. Or don’t.
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If that plan usually costs $7.99 per month, I do not think Hulu will give it for free to all customers of that plan by T-Mobile. Otherwise they could also offer that plan to anyone. So T-Mobile will likely pay Hulu money and that can lead to a price increase later. At the moment Hulu and T-Mobile might just test how many customers will really watch Hulu. So maybe T-Mobile does not have to pay for the first free month or so. In life nothing is for free. No even death.
 
Chaos215bar2 said:
I’m sorry, is it free, or is it ad-supported? Because it sure as heck isn’t both.

Can we stop buying into this “free with ads” nonsense? If it has ads, you’re paying with your time and attention.
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Aren't you mostly watching the show with your time and attention? And who pays attention to the ads in the first place? Go pee. Get a drink or snack. Feed your pet. Mute it and converse with whoever is in the room.
 
toobravetosave said:
This was a thing because it actually subsidized the buildout of physical infrastructure users would otherwise not been able to afford.

They're just streaming over the internet we already pay for and are milking subscribes to pad the accounts
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Ad-free premium steaming services are being offered today for much less (inflation adjusted) than what premium channels could cost decades ago. It's still not cheap enough for some subscribers so various streaming services now offer ad-supported options for even less but not free. There is no rule or guideline that says ads should be able to support the entire cost of producing and delivering content.
 
Skyscraperfan said:
If that plan usually costs $7.99 per month, I do not think Hulu will give it for free to all customers of that plan by T-Mobile. Otherwise they could also offer that plan to anyone. So T-Mobile will likely pay Hulu money and that can lead to a price increase later. At the moment Hulu and T-Mobile might just test how many customers will really watch Hulu. So maybe T-Mobile does not have to pay for the first free month or so. In life nothing is for free. No even death.
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Hulu isn’t giving that plan away. T-Mobile is buying it in bulk for their customers. I’m sure they are getting a discount on it.

T-Mobile plans also have price lock so your rate won’t rise in your current plan. They would love for you to switch to a more expensive plan, however.

If I’m reading between the lines, T-Mobile decided to stop playing catch up with Netflix’s ever increasing rates and decided to offer Hulu and Netflix with ads for the same price as Netflix without ads. So in their minds, it quantity (2 services with ads) over quality (without ads).
 
technole said:
The non-bundled plans are the $60 / 50GB data, and $70 / unlimited options.
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T-Mobile also offers an "Essentials Saver" plan for $50/month (1 line), $80/month (2 lines) or $100/month (3 lines) which includes Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE data 50GB of Premium Data, Unlimited talk & text, Unlimited 3G mobile hotspot data, Unlimited text in 215+ countries & destinations, Unlimited talk, text & data (up to 128 kbps) in Canada & Mexico, and Nationwide 5G coverage.

They also have prepaid options.
 
I'm still on the Magenta plan and not even opt-in for Netflix on us promo, there's no reason for me to switch to this Go5G Next plan for Hulu.
 
I received a text about this yesterday. I’ll pass since Hulu ads are pretty intolerable. I have the Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ bundle without ads for $24.99 and I get a $7/month cash back through my AMEX card, so I’ll stick with that. This was after receiving a separate text that TMO is raising Netflix standard from $6.50 to $8.50/month.

Nice try though, TMO…
 
This would be much more attractive if it was the ad-free option, and it was well under the price they're asking

MVNOs like Visible, Boost Infinite, Mint Mobile, and the many others that have sprang up over the years are a much better deal than the big 3 now
 
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