I actually really like Hulu. We've never had any problems with it. We do the no commercials plan which is $4 extra per month, but in our opinion, completely worth it. Combined with Neflix, you can cover 95% of what's offered on cable, assuming you don't include sports.
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Time Warner Buys 10 Percent Stake in Hulu to Help Bolster Live-Streaming Service
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I actually really like Hulu. We've never had any problems with it. We do the no commercials plan which is $4 extra per month, but in our opinion, completely worth it. Combined with Neflix, you can cover 95% of what's offered on cable, assuming you don't include sports.
I can't imagine paying Hulu $40 a month. Combine that with separate subscriptions for Netflix, HBO and Showtime plus all the premium programming that I'd have to buy off iTunes and old fashioned cable is still cheaper--at least in my area.
CW shows are leaving and criterion movies as well, this made me not renew my no adds sub.
Worse? The large font size ensures you can't unsee the misaligned artifact in the lower right corner of the U's in Hulu.Can not unsee.
/still can't unsee the jags in the U's in hulu
AAAAH no, why'd you have to point that out??!! My toes are curling.
Yes, losing the Criterions is sad. The CW doesn't bother me much since I don't watch any of their shows (and if I did, they eventually show up on Netflix anyway).
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That reminds me:
CBS, please put Mr. Colbert's show on Hulu ad-free. Nobody wants your paid and still ad-infested CBS-only streaming service. 
They don't fit your needs, so they need to die? Do you apply the same rule to everyone you meet?
I switched from traditional cable TV with a set-top box to Hulu's commercial-free tier on the Apple TV and I've been extremely pleased. It costs a tiny fraction of what I was paying the cable company. I've gained easier access to a lot of shows that interest me (including back seasons) all on-demand and don't miss the "200 channels of nothing's on". The interface could be improved a bit, sure, but it's miles better than the cable box and actually does improve over time. All in all, I really enjoy it. But it doesn't fit your needs so it has to die, and I and the rest of those who enjoy Hulu will just have to do without. That sucks.
Commercials on a paid service are not a slap in the face. It's simply a matter of economics. The service would cost substantially more without the commercials. It's okay to decide a funding model is not for you without feeling insulted that it exists. At least Hulu gives you the choice. Try asking a cable company for that option.
Timewarner helping out Apple to get a better user interface?! This seriously made me LOL. Cable companies and their device's interfaces are the poster child for horrendous interfaces.
Okay, let's stick to media then.
You're telling me no one has ever purchased or rented 30+ year old movies like Terminator, Grease, Saturday Night Fever, The Godfather, Rocky, Aliens, Mad Max, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Jaws, Goldfinger, Dr. No, American Graffiti, etc. from the iTunes store before?
When I first got Hulu on a free trial about 5 years ago, when there was a free tier, it was abysmal. We just recently subscribed, ad free, to complement our Netflix subscription. Include the prime streaming service, talk about nothing on, and we actually love it. Avoid all the commercials and what one may not have, the other likely does. We don't watch a bunch of tv in the grand scheme of things, but when we do there's not an atrocious bill at the end of the month for the 2 shows and 1 movie we actually did watch.
Let's not forget the original content these services are also providing. While not a deal breaker, it's a great perk.
Let's not forget the original content these services are also providing. While not a deal breaker, it's a great perk.
You can pay 4 whole dollas more and have no commercials...
Timewarner helping out Apple to get a better user interface?! This seriously made me LOL. Cable companies and their device's interfaces are the poster child for horrendous interfaces.
What's that from, 1995?
And, shocking development... Time Warner and Time Warner Cable are not the same company. In fact, Time Warner Cable will soon be known as Charter as the rebranding is well underway...
Hulu is the best reason for Apple to forget about having their own TV packages. It's my go-to cord cutter cable. I still subscribe to Netflix, but rarely watch it, and have no idea what the hell it is anymore. It's the reason Netflix has been losing customers.
Hulu is owned by the networks themselves and it's still losing money. So why would Apple want to compete with them when they already provide the service Apple wants, and Apple doesn't have to invest a dime to have it on Apple TV. Let Hulu lose money and let the consumer get a great deal.
Hulu is owned by the networks themselves and it's still losing money. So why would Apple want to compete with them when they already provide the service Apple wants, and Apple doesn't have to invest a dime to have it on Apple TV. Let Hulu lose money and let the consumer get a great deal.
You can always guarantee that someone will go on a rant about Time Warner Cable when Time Warner is mentioned because they assume they are the same company.
Charter will not exist much longer either. When the merger is complete both Time Warner Cable and Charter will be known as Spectrum. At least that will avoid any future Time Warner confusion.
I’m not surprised that the two are courting. Both are purveyors of a hated and outdated business model that only benefits the seller and content makers. Hulu pretends to be a member of the new delivery model that Netflix defined with its service, but when you look closer, its offerings are like crumbs and littered with inconvenient limitations that barely qualify as on-demand viewing.
Meanwhile, Netflix is demonstrating what is possible. Their mix of popular reruns, international hits, and original content is spot on when you consider how affordable they made it. I supplement it with an antennae for live broadcast TV—which I may no longer need since Network shows are unoriginal and news apps are improving—and rented movies. Sure, there’s the cost of Internet broadband too but I would need that service anyway.
For those who complain that Netflix doesn’t offer enough new movies, that is not their niche nor what they advertise. No one can offer unlimited current movies that cheaply. If you aren’t satisfied with Netflix’s content, it’s possible you don’t know how to exploit it. I had the same initial impression but once Netflix monitored what I liked for a while, its AI recommended content that I didn’t realize was available! Much of it is not visible. In fact, there are websites that dig into Netflix’s catalog and expose what is awaiting manual searches and AI selection.
Meanwhile, Netflix is demonstrating what is possible. Their mix of popular reruns, international hits, and original content is spot on when you consider how affordable they made it. I supplement it with an antennae for live broadcast TV—which I may no longer need since Network shows are unoriginal and news apps are improving—and rented movies. Sure, there’s the cost of Internet broadband too but I would need that service anyway.
For those who complain that Netflix doesn’t offer enough new movies, that is not their niche nor what they advertise. No one can offer unlimited current movies that cheaply. If you aren’t satisfied with Netflix’s content, it’s possible you don’t know how to exploit it. I had the same initial impression but once Netflix monitored what I liked for a while, its AI recommended content that I didn’t realize was available! Much of it is not visible. In fact, there are websites that dig into Netflix’s catalog and expose what is awaiting manual searches and AI selection.
Hulu is popular?
My understanding was that even their for-pay tier included commercials. That's why I've never seriously looked into it. Is this a recent change?
Yeah, I wasn't sure how Spectrum comes in as a name - either as a brand name for the service offered, or the overall registered company name. So the omission is squarely on my end.
I remember when Hulu first came out. They had their free with Ads and ad free tiers (among other benefits) for a small price. Over time they added commercials to the paid tier and over more time kept adding more and more. Then they introduce a third tier which they advertise as ad free. Thing is, it isn't truly ad free. Sure it is nothing compared to the second tier (which was supposed to be ad free years ago) but some networks still have ads on their shows. I forgot which ones did but I know I saw commercials on their third tier. So enjoy it while you can but that third tier will have ads on all shows over time in the next 3-5 years.
Why? They have to get money somehow for their original content plus for expanding their services. I'm not blaming them for having commercials but I left because I don't like their shady misleading advertising. Though it isn't true false advertising because they tell you that their commercial free tier is not fully commercial free:
https://help.hulu.com/articles/52427902#list
In response to feedback from our viewers, we started offering a commercial free experience on Hulu. For a small number of shows, however, we have not obtained the rights to stream commercial free and they are not included in our No Commercials plan. You can still easily access these shows with a short commercial before and after each episode with no interruptions during the episode. Specific shows that still have commercials accessible through the No Commercials plan will be noted throughout the signup, switching and playback experience. While the list of shows may change, they are currently: Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scandal, Grimm, New Girl, and How To Get Away With Murder.
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The article says nothing about Apple buying Hulu. It mentions Apple buying Time Warner.??