Time Warner Buys 10 Percent Stake in Hulu to Help Bolster Live-Streaming Service

[sw1tcher]

This latest quarter they lost subscribers. Find that and post it. And be done with your games. Lol

Overall? No they didn't. Just admit you don't know what you're talking about.

http://files.shareholder.com/downlo...9/Q216LettertoShareholders_FINAL_w_Tables.pdf

Total U.S. streaming subscribers
Q2 2015: 42.30 million
Q3 2015: 43.18 million
Q4 2015: 44.74 million

Q1 2016: 46.97 million
Q2 2016: 47.13 million
Q3 2016 estimate: 47.43 million

Total International streaming subscribers
Q2 2015: 23.25 million
Q3 2015: 25.99 million
Q4 2015: 30.02 million

Q1 2016: 34.53 million
Q2 2016: 36.05 million
Q3 2016 estimate: 38.05 million

 

[Westside guy]

I like Hulu, the only grip i have is license prohibit showing *all* seasons,, only limited shows,,, and this doesn't get any better with the paid subscription, which i could also ague, if u pay more, u should get more than just no ads.

I don't think Hulu is at fault in this - the broadcast networks insist on it. This Variety story about why Hulu is losing CW's shows says as much, anyway.

So Flash and Arrow will now be on Netflix - but the current season's shows won't be include until after the season is over. That's not really a draw for me. Makes me glad we've still got our TiVo...

 

[2010mini]

Hulu is popular?

Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, Google play, Amazon.. Etc. are very important to content owners. They help stem the tide of pirating. The problem is they still don't want to see the light that our ways of consuming content has changed and the old model needs to be replaced to address the trend

 

[Creek0512]

CBS, please put Mr. Colbert's show on Hulu ad-free. Nobody wants your paid and still ad-infested CBS-only streaming service.

They put pretty much the whole show on YouTube the next morning.

 

[Rigby]

They put pretty much the whole show on YouTube the next morning.

I'm aware, but I don't want to click through clips when I sit down in front of the TV (especially not with the awkward Youtube app on the Apple TV). It's just not the same.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

You know they have a commercial-free tier, right? It's only a few dollars more.

I'm like Hulu. Their AppleTV app isn't great, but there is no other legal service that lets you stream new episodes the night after they air. It's basically like a cable box's on-demand service, but on AppleTV and no commercials.

Except that the so-called 'commercial-free' tier DOES have commercials. And for a higher price - they just promise fewer commercials! This is why I'll never subscribe to this service. Greedy bastards. The main point of the service really is to preserve the traditional cable model as long as possible AND to acclimate the consumer to a PAID service with included advertising. I remember the start of the cable networks -- once upon a time 'fewer commercials' was touted as a benefit. This is the same plan they have for streaming services such as Hulu.
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Umm.....

https://help.hulu.com/articles/52427902

Your guide to the No Commercials plan

Summary

Hulu now gives you a choice of two plans: Limited Commercials (our existing $7.99 plan) and our new No Commercials plan. With our No Commercials plan, you can now watch your favorite shows commercial free on all of your supported devices.




Commercials aren't the reason why "cable is dying"

Try reading the fine print -- the ' no commercials' plan DOES HAVE COMMERCIALS.

From Hulu's site:

all shows and movies be commercial free?
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.

And, there is NO assurance that the list of exceptions will not continue to grow -- in fact, I fully expect that the list will lengthen each year.

 

[CarlJ]

They didn't have losses. Netflix still grew this past year, even after the price increases. It just grew at a slower pace than before and at a slower pace than investors expected.

To be clear, I wasn't saying they had net losses. It was widely reported that they did lose some customers due to the price increase, that's what I was getting at. Perhaps these were replaced by other customers in the overall total, I could see that happening. But the graph doesn't extend to the recent months, so it's hard to tell, from the graph, what effect the customers lost because of the price increase had on total customers.

 

[Izauze]

Hulu needs to die. Such a POS service. Selection really sucks. And watching commercials on a paid service is a slap in the face. It's the reason cable is dying and why Hulu will hopefully die soon too.

LOL at the hate. They have no commercials. If you want to save $4, you can sign up for the "with commercials" plan, which I think is great that more people have that option. And their selection for TV is broader than anyone else's, hands down.

 

[CarlJ]

Except that the so-called 'commercial-free' tier DOES have commercials. And for a higher price - they just promise fewer commercials! This is why I'll never subscribe to this service. Greedy bastards.

Yes, greedy bastards. Or maybe they just didn't want to do the jail time associated with murdering the people who have pre-existing contracts that preclude them from airing a few shows commercial-free. That's currently 7 shows out of hundreds, and the commercials amount to one before the show and one after, preceded by an apology from Hulu for the commercial being there. Nothing to interfere with the enjoyment/drama of the show while the episode is running. But, please, continue to rant and call them names.

 

[nagromme]

What amazes me is how deeply Hulu now hides the free (ad-supported) tier that I still use to follow a couple network shows.

Go to the Hulu site, click Terms at the bottom, then click the Hulu logo at the top. You're in! No need to log in or even create an account.

Jeez. Either offer a free tier or don't.

 

[iceknyght]

I've been a paid (the one w/commercials) subscriber for like 4 years now and honestly, other than the commercials being repeated too often, it's been fine... Usually 1-3 commercials per commercial break and sometimes there are no commercials at all! Depends on what and when you watch...

Although, with their new "Watchlist" feature (it's horrible) and losing of CW (I watch a lot of CW), I may be re-thinking keeping Hulu... Which is sad, cause I have loved it up until this latest update!

 

[kemal]

They bought Hulu just to mock me in my efforts to be free of Time Warner.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Except that the so-called 'commercial-free' tier DOES have commercials. And for a higher price - they just promise fewer commercials! This is why I'll never subscribe to this service. Greedy bastards. The main point of the service really is to preserve the traditional cable model as long as possible AND to acclimate the consumer to a PAID service with included advertising. I remember the start of the cable networks -- once upon a time 'fewer commercials' was touted as a benefit. This is the same plan they have for streaming services such as Hulu.
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Try reading the fine print -- the ' no commercials' plan DOES HAVE COMMERCIALS.

From Hulu's site:

all shows and movies be commercial free?
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.

And, there is NO assurance that the list of exceptions will not continue to grow -- in fact, I fully expect that the list will lengthen each year.

So they have one commercial before and after 7 shows, but not during those shows. The episodes themselves are thus commercial free. Indeed, many don't care or watch any of those 7 shows, so for many it's a total non-issue.

Moreover, they announced this a year ago, and so far have added no shows to this list. In fact, the quote you pasted yourself says this is a function of rights from the shows owners. There is no basis to assume this list will grow.

Plus, even if they do add shows to this list, you are free to cancel whenever you want!

You know who is greedy? The cable companies, who change you way more than Hulu, show more commercials than Hulu, and sometimes lock you into a contract you can't cancel.

I'll take my money to Hulu anytime compared to the (legal) alternatives.

 

[497902]

The main reason I don't subscribe to Hulu is the lack of HTML5 support on the Mac. The same applies to Amazon and HBO. (at least on Safari)

 

[paulyras]

As someone living outside the US but still watches a lot of US TV shows (by whatever means necessary), I cannot wait for streaming / recordable content. My VPN awaits...

BTW- Why bother with DVR like capabilities, when the stuff streams anyway? Make it like HBO Now, and allow streaming form the moment it airs. Problem solved.

The only other thing I ask is for the love of god, please give us offline viewing. I spend about 30-60 hours per month on airplanes (seriously- It's a lot), and prefer my own content to the onboard entertainment.

 

[neutralguy]

Hulu needs to die. Such a POS service. Selection really sucks. And watching commercials on a paid service is a slap in the face. It's the reason cable is dying and why Hulu will hopefully die soon too.

I bet based on your logic, nobody buys kindle that has ad support! Do you agree

 

[497902]

I bet based on your logic, nobody buys kindle that has ad support! Do you agree

You can buy a Kindle with ads and remove them for free, simply by asking Amazon Support.

 

[44267547]

Wasn't Time Warner purchase by Charter Communications two months ago? Maybe the merger has not been completed or won't take effect until 2017. Either way, I believe this is accurate.

 

[moeafg]

++++++++++++++++++
You said it...all it has is "re-runs" movies that have been out there for 30 years......Who wants to pay for old stuff??????????

Antique collectors.

 

[vikingjunior]

AT&T/Direct TV offering standalone live streaming packages that include NFL Sunday ticket and DVR later this year. Hopefully they"ll offer a ROKU and Apple TV app. This is what I'm looking forward to not some TWC/HULU nonsense.

I can't wait to drop my TWC box off at their doorstep!

 

[BuffaloTF]

Wasn't Time Warner purchase by Charter Communications two months ago? Maybe the merger has not been completed or won't take effect until 2017. Either way, I believe this is accurate.

NO.

Time Warner spun off Time Warner Cable nearly a decade ago. Charter bought Time Warner Cable over a year ago, and closed the deal a few months ago and they're underway rebranding to Charter's Spectrum brand. Time Warner is Time Warner and they own television networks. It even spun off the Magazine division, so Time Magazine? It isn't Time Warner either.
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AT&T/Direct TV offering standalone live streaming packages that include NFL Sunday ticket and DVR later this year. Hopefully they"ll offer a ROKU and Apple TV app. This is what I'm looking forward to not some TWC/HULU nonsense.

I can't wait to drop my TWC box off at their doorstep!

Time Warner Cable does not exist any more, and Time Warner and Time Warner Cable *are not* the same company and haven't been since 2008. Time Warner owns television networks. HBO, CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network... movie studios like Warner Brothers, Castle Rock, New Line... they also own DC Comics thru Warner Brothers.

 

[milo]

Hulu is going to get hit hard this fall when they lose all their CW shows. I'm sure there are a significant number of subscribers who watch a lot of those shows.

You know they have a commercial-free tier, right? It's only a few dollars more.

Except that even when you pay the extra fee, some shows STILL have commercials at the start and end. They have an announcement that some contractual obligation doesn't let them show it without commercials. Pretty damn lame.
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This latest quarter they lost subscribers. Find that and post it. And be done with your games.

That includes Q2 this year which would be the latest. Every quarter has gone up, both US and international.

How about instead of whining about "games", next time you actually look the facts up yourself instead of being wrong. Repeatedly.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

So they have one commercial before and after 7 shows, but not during those shows. The episodes themselves are thus commercial free. Indeed, many don't care or watch any of those 7 shows, so for many it's a total non-issue.

Moreover, they announced this a year ago, and so far have added no shows to this list. In fact, the quote you pasted yourself says this is a function of rights from the shows owners. There is no basis to assume this list will grow.

Plus, even if they do add shows to this list, you are free to cancel whenever you want!

You know who is greedy? The cable companies, who change you way more than Hulu, show more commercials than Hulu, and sometimes lock you into a contract you can't cancel.

I'll take my money to Hulu anytime compared to the (legal) alternatives.

I agree with you that the cable companies are greedy -- but due to the lack of legitimate and widespread competition in MOST major markets (U.S.) -- that will not change. I expect prices to continue to rise. I live in a small building in downtown Manhattan - prime real estate neighborhood - and I have ONE wired cable broadband option: TWC (now Spectrum post-Charter purchase). Verizon sent me and everyone in my building a letter a few months ago (YEARS after their supposed build-out in my neighborhood) in which they stated that if EVERYONE in my building subscribes on a 3+ year contract, they will connect us to their service. Ridiculous. And I know it is the same for many of the smaller buildings in the neighborhood, I have asked neighbors.

Re HULU, again, yes right now it is only a few shows which include commercials at the highest-paid tier. I choose not to accept this as a viable offering (FOR ME). But as long as you and others support this business model - by accepting this as 'ok' - they will continue and ultimately they will expand the exclusions. Wait and see. And yes, you can cancel anytime. But consumer support drives business decisions. Executive management will take acceptable risks to increase exclusions in exchange for ad dollar growth - up to a certain percentage of subscriber loss/loss in growth.

I am perfectly fine with waiting for shows to either arrive on Netflix or Amazon Prime (to both of which I subscribe). I don't care if I see them months later. For major network offerings, if I really want to watch something while it is relatively current, I can watch on-demand via my basic internet TV subscription (which TWC offered me after years of my refusals to resubscribe to the standard cable TV crap) -- which arrives via an app on my Roku. This is NOT the same as the "TV anywhere" offered to standard cable subs.

Some commenters above take issue with my labelling this service (Hulu) as "greedy." That is fine - that is an opinion.
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Yes, greedy bastards. Or maybe they just didn't want to do the jail time associated with murdering the people who have pre-existing contracts that preclude them from airing a few shows commercial-free. That's currently 7 shows out of hundreds, and the commercials amount to one before the show and one after, preceded by an apology from Hulu for the commercial being there. Nothing to interfere with the enjoyment/drama of the show while the episode is running. But, please, continue to rant and call them names.

Who said anything about murder? You did.
Maybe you are the rant-writer.