Hulu Will Require Proof of a Paid Cable or Satellite TV Subscription

[SemiExpert]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-pay-tv-subscription-olympics-317992Goodbye Hulu.

[lykwydchykyn]

Well, it was nice while it lasted...

[dniMretsaM]

This is one of the most stupid, head-right-up-your-butt moves Hulu could ever possibly make. I'll stop using Hulu now, I guess.

[synaptix]

I don't have a TV at all, what do I do now? :/

[dniMretsaM]

I don't have a TV at all, what do I do now? :/

You might try crying in the corner.

[Elfy]

I don't have a TV at all, what do I do now? :/

Read.

It's good for you :)

[CharlesA]

Read.

It's good for you :)
What is this thing called "reading" ????

[jmore9]

whats a hulu ? I watch very little tv.

[Copper Bezel]

Cute. It's like making boxed wine exclusive with purchase of a Gaja.

[CharlesA]

Cute. It's like making boxed wine exclusive with purchase of a Gaja.
Bing, bing, bing!

[synaptix]

Read.

It's good for you :)

I read your post, I'm done reading now. :P

[KiwiNZ]

Recouping costs is sound business practice. Streaming has a cost and there is no free ride.

[lancest]

IMHO much of what's on TV today is trash & lacking creativity.
Good riddance.

[synaptix]

IMHO much of what's on TV today is trash & lacking creativity.
Good riddance.


Good shows end (BSG, SG1, SGA, Firefly) while bad shows keep going.

It's a shame.

[synaptix]

Recouping costs is sound business practice. Streaming has a cost and there is no free ride.

Hence why Hulu was being paid by advertisers to show adverts at intervals in videos for free members, and payments for Hulu Plus.

[CharlesA]

Good shows end (BSG, SG1, SGA, Firefly) while bad shows keep going.

It's a shame.

Seriously. SGU had potential too.

[Uncle Spellbinder]

Recouping costs is sound business practice. Streaming has a cost and there is no free ride.
Hence why Hulu was being paid by advertisers to show adverts at intervals in videos for free members, and payments for Hulu Plus.
Exactly. HULU has never been a free ride.

This is an idiotic move from HULU. Much in the same way Netflix and Bank Of America had to cave recently due to user/customer pressure, hopefully the same will happen to HULU and rethink this insane idea.

[lykwydchykyn]

Recouping costs is sound business practice. Streaming has a cost and there is no free ride.

Doesn't mean I'm going to pay for it. That's all I'm saying. I can do without TV.

[sffvba[e0rt]

Seeing as my geoprahical location has made anything to do with Hulu (and Netflix and...) pointless I am not sure why I am posting in this thread...?!

):P


404

[Linuxratty]

This is one of the most stupid, head-right-up-your-butt moves Hulu could ever possibly make. I'll stop using Hulu now, I guess.

I stopped watching when they doubled the number of ads. Their goal is to make as much money as the cable industry.Hulu racked up $420 million in ad revenue last year and is expected to rinse and repeat this year. That's not enough though..it's never enough.

[synaptix]

Seriously. SGU had potential too.

SGU had potential, but turned into nothing but drama and sex.

[CharlesA]

SGU had potential, but turned into nothing but drama and sex.
This is true. I really like Eli tho...

Rush was insane too.

[skellat]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-pay-tv-subscription-olympics-317992Goodbye Hulu.

Now my big concern is how this would be counted in my Time Warner Cable subscription. Will this be available at all tiers of service? Will this be only on higher tiers?

This is why I try to buy DVD sets from Amazon. They're not nearly as complicated to use as streaming has become lately.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Looks like Hulu's gonna go under, eventually.

People highly likely are flocking to Crackle.

[lisati]

My geographic location makes Hulu largely irrelevant too.

Of more relevance to the situation some of our forum memebers might find themselves in, I'm anticipating a small possibility of support requests from family members when New Zealand's free to air analog TV gets switched off over the next year or so.

[skellat]

Looks like Hulu's gonna go under, eventually.

People highly likely are flocking to Crackle.

Crackle's selection of TV shows seems a bit too eccentric for my taste.

[skellat]

Of more relevance to the situation some of our forum memebers might find themselves in, I'm anticipating a small possibility of support requests from family members when New Zealand's free to air analog TV gets switched off over the next year or so.

The easiest way to ease the transition is to get a good tuner and a good aerial early. The switch from analog to digital TV here in the US still drags out in some areas. If I could do the switch-over over again I'd have built a Myth box and put up a huge Yagi-Uda array antenna.

[drawkcab]

I'm not advocating for piracy but rather pointing out that this move is likely to push consumers, who now feel entitled to digital delivery as they've abandoned cable, to piracy via either bittorrent, p2p streaming or flash-based sites. Not a smart move.

[lisati]

The easiest way to ease the transition is to get a good tuner and a good aerial early. The switch from analog to digital TV here in the US still drags out in some areas. If I could do the switch-over over again I'd have built a Myth box and put up a huge Yagi-Uda array antenna.

We've already taken care of the basics in the Lisati household, originally with a Freeview (http://freeviewnz.tv/) box (since donated to the sister-in-law) and more recently a Tivo with home networking activated. Sure beats the horrible quality of the reception we were getting for most of the analog stations in our area. The 5.1 sound we now get on some shows is better than the Nicam stereo too.

[QIII]

What, pray tell, will be required as "proof"? Monthly statements from cable TV providers? Give HULU permission to thumb through your records? Give hackers yet another opportunity to grab sensitive financial information from HULUs user lists?

Brilliant stuff, this.

Since my cable TV bundle allows me to browse HULU content anyway, does that mean I'm in? Or just that there is another back door for my personal information to leak out of?

[Gremlinzzz]

I don't have a TV at all, what do I do now? :/

Just go to the main channels sites
todays T.V lacks imagination:popcorn:
here ya go a sample of what you can find

http://www.cbs.com/classics/the_brady_bunch/video/


click on top where it says shows

[synaptix]

...

I've just logged into Hulu, and typing up an email via Contact Us to see if this "requiring proof" is really real or a hoax, and if true what form of "proof" is needed.

EDIT;


Hulu Support


Thank you for submitting your question or feedback to Hulu. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
NOTE: You should receive a confirmation that we received your request within 15 minutes, and a reply from our Support team within 24 hours. If you don't see the confirmation email, look for it in your junk-mail folder. If you find it there, please add @hulu.com to your address book to help ensure that you receive further responses from our team.

[skellat]

I've just logged into Hulu, and typing up an email via Contact Us to see if this "requiring proof" is really real or a hoax, and if true what form of "proof" is needed.

EDIT;

I eagerly await what response you get in this.

[synaptix]

I eagerly await what response you get in this.

Well I got a response:


Daniel B., Apr 30 05:28 pm (PDT):

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for writing in! People are always writing stuff about Hulu. For anything official, keep an eye out on blog.hulu.com (http://blog.hulu.com). Rest assured, any changes made to your subscription or our service will most definitely be communicated in the form of an official statement from our PR team.
If you have any other questions, just let me know!


Thanks,
Daniel B.
Hulu Support
Skimming through the Hulu blog, I see absolutely no mention of upcoming/future service change in regards to this issue.

[Bandit]

There is no telling.. Idiots run out world these days.. :p

NBC networks has made a ton of stupid moves in regards to shows these days. Never mind online views have sky rockeded over the past few years. But no one has time to setdown to watch something when NBC wants you to set down and watch it. So they say a show has no raitings.. It has viewers just everyone works so much these days to make ends meet. /end rant.. I really liked Kings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_%28U.S._TV_series%29)

[CharlesA]

Skimming through the Hulu blog, I see absolutely no mention of upcoming/future service change in regards to this issue.

Thanks for posting that.

I was figuring it was rumor cuz the site linked in the OP is the equivalent to a tabloid.

[synaptix]

Thanks for posting that.

I was figuring it was rumor cuz the site linked in the OP is the equivalent to a tabloid.

Going to send another support request, see if I can't find a way to contact PR department for Hulu and talk to them directly via phone or email.

[CharlesA]

Going to send another support request, see if I can't find a way to contact public relations department for Hulu and talk to them directly via phone or email.
Good luck!

[oldos2er]

IMHO much of what's on TV today is trash & lacking creativity.

I mostly agree with you, but Hulu also a decent collection of vintage tv shows I like, e.g. Alfred Hitchcock, and Night Gallery.

[thatguruguy]

As it happens, the Huludesktop app has problems with the latest Flash, so this is all kinda academic to me.

[MisterGaribaldi]

They used to have the remastered versions of ST:TOS but they all got pulled down.

Honestly, I rarely ever used it anyhow, so it doesn't matter to me.

[synaptix]

Good luck!

Well....


Daniel B., Apr 30 06:49 pm (PDT):

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your prompt reply! Once again, nothing has changed for our service, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to any articles speculating otherwise. We are always working on improving our service for all users, so if we ever add any new features, we'll be sure to announce them on our website and blog ( http://blog.hulu.com ).
I'd be happy to help with any account matters you may have. For any non-support related inquiries, please contact .
I hope I've answered all your questions. If there's anything else you need, please write back.

Thanks,
Daniel B.
Hulu Support

[sffvba[e0rt]

Well I do like their support...


404

[lisati]

They used to have the remastered versions of ST:TOS but they all got pulled down.

/me goes funny colour, having purchased some ST:TOS episodes on DVD a year or so back, and then discovering that they weren't the remastered versions. :(

[aaaantoine]

All this hulabaloo over an an article from an online news site which bases its report around a New York Post (read: 1 notch above tabloid) article which returns a 404 when clicked?

[CharlesA]

All this hulabaloo over an an article from an online news site which bases its report around a New York Post (read: 1 notch above tabloid) article which returns a 404 when clicked?
Yep. The internet is a marvelous place isn't it?

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

IMHO much of what's on TV today is trash & lacking creativity.
Good riddance.
Good shows end (BSG, SG1, SGA, Firefly) while bad shows keep going.

It's a shame.
so true
only thing TV's are good for is game systems and monitors anyway

[synaptix]

All this hulabaloo over an an article from an online news site which bases its report around a New York Post (read: 1 notch above tabloid) article which returns a 404 when clicked?

Regardless of that, the very thought of Hulu doing something like this makes me rather...uneasy.


Yep. The internet is a marvelous place isn't it?

Sure is!


so true
only thing TV's are good for is game systems and monitors anyway

Boring PowerPoint presentation on a 72" Plasma, OK GO! xD

[mamamia88]

If they really did this it would be the death of hulu. Most of their stuff is free ota anyway. For less than a months worth of cable you could add a usb tuner to you computer. And cables to connect to tv are practically free. If you have a 360 or ps3 you can stream the video to your tv without connecting your computer to the tv. I cancelled my hulu subscription a few months ago and don't miss it at all. Thinking of doing the same for netflix because there's nothing i want to watch. Only reason i would continue to pay for hulu plus is to watch the daily show on demand because it would add up quickly to buy each episode separately

[CharlesA]

Heh. The only thing I've been watching on Netflix lately are old TV shows like AirWolf, of The A-Team. Oh and TNG, DS9 and the like. ;)

[synaptix]

I watched a video last night, quite a few of them actually...and you know what the watermark was at the lower right hand corner?

Crackle.

[tjeremiah]

I rarely watch HULU to begin with. Some COPS episodes when im bored or some random movie once every 4 months and thats it.

[jockyburns]

What is this thing called "reading" ????

I read somewhere that drinking alcohol is bad for you. This affected me so much, I've given up reading.:lolflag::lolflag::lolflag:

[forrestcupp]

Heh. The only thing I've been watching on Netflix lately are old TV shows like AirWolf, of The A-Team. Oh and TNG, DS9 and the like. ;)

I just made it through Eureka, seasons 1-4, in time for the last season. That's one show that's on that is still good.

[CharlesA]

I just made it through Eureka, seasons 1-4, in time for the last season. That's one show that's on that is still good.
Nice! I still have it in the queue to watch after I finish the other shows.

[RJARRRPCGP]

All this hulabaloo over an an article from an online news site which bases its report around a New York Post (read: 1 notch above tabloid) article which returns a 404 when clicked?

New York Post sux.

[forrestcupp]

Nice! I still have it in the queue to watch after I finish the other shows.

Now you'll have to wait about a year or so before they get the final season on there. I wish they'd get more seasons of Warehouse 13 on there.

[synaptix]

I wish Hulu would get Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis back on. I'm hoping maybe one day they get BSG on there too.

[SeijiSensei]

The Hollywood Reporter article wasn't very clear on the specifics, but I'm guessing this has something to do with NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics.

Now it's certainly true cable operators don't like Hulu because it threatens to divert people from watching TV shows on their cable services to online viewing instead. But requiring that people have a "pay TV" subscription to use Hulu seems implausible unless they're equating having a cable television subscription and "pay TV." There are services like ESPN3 that are available over the Internet only via connections from "partners" like Verizon. Hulu's situation is even more complex since one of its owners is Comcast via its newly-acquired NBC/Universal subsidiary. Another major owner, though, is NewsCorp, the parent of the Fox broadcasting network. NewsCorp owns no satellite or cable television systems as far as I can tell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assets_owned_by_News_Corporation#Cable_ass ets), so I don't see why it would want to restrict access to Hulu.

Plus, as someone mentioned above, the original story appeared in the New York Post, not the most reliable of sources, though it is owned by NewsCorp.

[SeijiSensei]

Yes, it's all about the Olympics (http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/05/02/151797082/nbc-will-stream-the-london-olympics-live-but-only-to-tv-subscribers). NBC will be streaming the Olympics live but will only deliver it to cable and satellite TV subscribers who will need an operator-provided username and password to connect.

As the interviewee in the linked story details, NBC has been willing to lose money on the Olympics to insure that cable operators carry NBC's various cable network services like MSNBC and CNBC.

[aysiu]

I don't really see what the big deal is. If NBC doesn't want to put the Olympics on Hulu, it won't put the Olympics on Hulu. If they want to change their policy so as to lose a lot of subscribers, they'll lose a lot of subscribers.

Look at what happened when Netflix tried to do their Qwikster change. Customers got upset and started canceling their Netflix subscriptions, and then Netflix couldn't backpedal fast enough.

I don't worry too much about what rumors there are of what a company might do. I don't even worry about companies making announcements about planned changes in policy.

We, as consumers and potential consumers, have power. Vote with your wallets. You don't like what a company's doing, take your business elsewhere.

[SeijiSensei]

I think people were over-reacting to the original story and thinking all of Hulu was going to be blocked to people who don't subscribe to cable or satellite services. That's clearly not what's happening.

[skellat]

I think people were over-reacting to the original story and thinking all of Hulu was going to be blocked to people who don't subscribe to cable or satellite services. That's clearly not what's happening.

It was well written enough to confuse at least one PCMag Digital Network analyst over on Twitter even.

[randlieb]

An article I read on-line about this isssue says if it happens it's going to take place over a couple of years or more....whatever that means.