I was very, very happy to finally see Hulu on the Apple App Store last night. The television streaming service has been a major hub for some of my favorite shows, including my newest TV obsession Glee.
Of course my dreams of watching Family Guy on the bus ride home were dashed when I read the terms of the app. It turns out it is apart of a new subscription service called Hulu Plus, where you can watch full current and past seasons of television shows for $9.99 a month.
Ugh.
What really, really irked me was the fact that, despite actually paying for online television now, we will still be subjected to those ads. The ads aren't that annoying to be honest, but if I am paying for Hulu, shouldn't it be ad-free, like every other paid app on the store?
I think Hulu should rethink its strategy a bit, and since this a trial, there is still time. I think that Hulu should offer two types of device viewing, just like online. If the new tiered viewing is anything to go by, then regular Hulu on devices should have access to the last 3 to 5 episodes of shows for free with the ads, while Hulu Plus has unlimited access without ads. I feel like this way would offer two types of revenue without alienating fans (like me).
Of course, they aren't going to do that and I just won't watch Glee on my iPhone (although I can always buy it on iTunes).
1 comment:
its a licensing issue, hulu isn't allowed to put content on mobile stuff unless its for a subscription.
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