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A little bit about me
Whats up? My name is Seth Rubenstein I'm a web developer and designer living in Charleston, South Carolina with my wife Rachel.
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Howdy there,
I'm Seth Rubenstein: web developer, designer, and gamer
Hulu Is Not A Website
Hulu is not a website, well it is but not in the traditional sense that YouTube or Vimeo are video websites or that iTunes is a video rental or video buying service. Hulu is neither of these things. What Hulu really stands to become despite the hesitance of the networks is the post-cable, post-satellite delivery channel for television to multiple devices via the internet.
The main complaint people have about Hulu Plus is really it’s saving grace and the one aspect that gives it greater breathing room with studios and networks. It’s advertising stupid. NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS they can’t stay alive on you purchasing a show at $.99 a pop or getting a cut from $9.99 a month from Hulu or even really from the $60.00 something you pay for cable or satellite a month those prices represent operational costs for the provider. Networks have always and will always make their money from ad revenue. iTunes takes the approach of you rent a show, and you get no ads and thats what people want. I think thats rather misguided. What people really want is TIVO, except it’s not that they want to skip past the ads it’s that they, we, yes me, want to play their favorite shows on-demand on their own schedule and more importantly they want to be able to catch up on their favorite entertainment wherever they may be on whatever device that may be; iPhone, iPad, TV via Xbox 360 or PS3 or a Roku box, etc…. that’s what people want. Unfortunatly if you go the iTunes route you’re stuck at $1.99 an episode, or $.99 an episode to watch it one time and thats only for the networks that are giving it shot.
The future of television friends is unfortunately not iTunes it’s Hulu. It gives consumers what they truly want on-demand anywhere entertainment. More importantly it gives networks what they want the ability to advertise on their shows and in some way thats not exactly clear yet it also gives local affiliates a place at the table something thats been ingrained as part of the American network television system since its inception, to see what I’m talking about watch No Ordinary Family and you’ll see your local ABC affiliate in the bottom left hand corner just as you would on cable or satellite.
Ask yourself, $10 bucks for 10 shows a month ad free, or $10 bucks for all you can eat tv anywhere and on-demand. Pretty simple decision right?
