Now & Next: Hulu Plus or Minus?

BiB Contributor | Krista Homiak

I can’t help but be excited for Hulu Plus and what it has to offer. At first paying $9.99 monthly for this service seems a bit absurd. My household dropped cable some time ago due to how pricey it gets after that 6-month new customer freebie upgrade wears off. I solely rely on our Roku box and Wii console to watch my choice entertainment. So for me paying $9.99 for current seasons of my favorite shows available from my TV, phone or computer is more than reasonable.

Every household these days is not limited to just a TV set. You can usually find a PlayStation, computer and other devices lying around all of which are capable of streaming media. Remember the days you’d pick up the TV guide and mark your calendar to watch that one show you were die hard about? With my schedule I end up missing them anyways, so what’s more convenient than being able to watch on my own time as I ride the bus to work or late at night instead of those infomercials. You have to admit though infomercials are quite entertaining at times. Who doesn’t want to slice and dice things at 2 a.m. on a Saturday?

Hulu is not the only company making their content available across multiple platforms. Rogers in Canada, taking the non-official name of “the Hulu of CA”, offers a subscription to their services via cable, Internet and as a mobile operator. This is a one-stop shop accessible wherever you are. Point being this pattern of companies offering multiple platforms continues to grow.

With subscription services that are ad driven you are guaranteed a pay out unlike downloadable video services where consumers are choosier on what they purchase. The best way to make an impact in a subscription service model is placement and volume. Getting content less than 5 clicks away from the user will help. Content within multiple categories or simply owning a category with just your content offered are other ways to help improve your views. The more your media is viewed the better the payout. All you can eat, so bon appetite!

Krista Homiak is the newest contributor to the Breaking into Broadcasting project. For more about Krista, check out her bio in the about section of this site.