It's finally officially going to cost money to watch some programming on Hulu, the "free" Internet TV site owned by News Corp., NBC Universal (for now) and Walt Disney Co. Hulu formally announced what everyone had been saying for about a month: it will charge $9.99 a month for Hulu Plus and offer it on multiple screens.
Ostensibly, the Plus package will offer a wider selection of programming, such as full seasons of popular programs that aren't available on the Hulu website. Hulu also hasn't abandoned its free advertising-supported model and will continue to offer a library that contains content from more than 100 providers.
Hulu's move is part of an overall no-free-lunch approach being taken by content providers. Cable has TV Everywhere, which gives viewers access to cable programming anywhere they go--as long as they're cable subscribers. Video rental delivery service programs have long rented DVDs for a monthly fee. Now Hulu is joining the parade.
"This is a manifestation of our original mission statement, which was to delight consumers as well as content owners," said Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar, reaching back to the ‘90s for his wording. "We see great opportunities for both sides."
For more:
- see this story
- and this blog
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