Fox, which in May said it would start to count online viewers as part of its audience and to set ad rates, is planning to put its programming behind a paywall starting Aug. 15.
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Fox programming, like Glee (pictured) and Family Guy, will be behind a paywall starting Aug. 15. |
The move is the first of its kind by any of the Big Four broadcasters and, if successful, is likely to trigger copycat moves by the rest of the industry.
Fox said only authenticated subscribers of pay-TV companies, and of Hulu Plus, Hulu's premium service, will be able to see current episodes of shows like Glee and Family Guy the day after they air. Non-subscribers will have to wait eight days for the content to stream free.
Fox said it is in talks with an array of pay-TV operators but, so far, has only signed Dish Network to a deal.
"We're concerned that cord-cutting is going to be a problem," Mike Hopkins, Fox's president of affiliate sales, told the Wall Street Journal. "The more you enable it by putting content out there for free without any tether to a pay-TV subscription, the bigger that danger becomes."
For more:
- see this WSJ article (Sub. Req'd.)
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