Monday, October 31, 2011

'Gossip Girl,' other CW shows coming to Hulu

Hulu is a popular website that allows people to watch TV shows, movies, clips, and trailers at any time, and with HuluPlus one can watch shows almost immediately after they air by paying a monthly subcription. Previously, Hulu featured shows from ABC, NBC, Fox, and Univision, but recently signed a deal with The CW and will now include them. Hulu now features shows from five of the largest six broadcasters, CBS being left out. Some shows on Hulu can be viewed freely, but others require an $8 per month subscription for HuluPlus. Under the subscription for HuluPlus, viewers will be able to get the five most recent episodes from The CW the day after they are broadcasted on television. Those same episodes will appear on Hulu 8 days later for a free viewing experience. Both versions, Hulu and HuluPlus come with ads, yet those ads are much shorter than commercials on TV, lasting only about half the time as regular commercials. For many, Hulu has several benefits that make it preferable over regular television. Shows can be viewed at any time during the day, and the commercials are significantly shorter. They can also be paused and picked back up at any time, and can be viewed portably on laptops. Hulu hopes to attract many more uses by adding The CW, targeting young women age 18-34. Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries are both shows on The CW and are widely popular among young women. Hulu hopes by adding a larger selection of shows to their library, they will receive more subscriptions, and therefore pulling in larger revenue. For the consumers, they must consider the costs and benefits of subscribing to Hulu. The benefit of subscribing to HuluPlus is that it would allow consumers to view the show immediately after it airs. The benefits also include shorter ads, and to ability to view the show whenever it is desirable. However, the cost would be $8 a month, or nearly $100 a year. It is all up to the consumer: Is it worth paying $96 a year to view the show 8 days earlier? Does the cost outweigh the benefit?

- Christina B

http://news.yahoo.com/gossip-girl-other-cw-shows-coming-hulu-194615329.html

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I myself am a fan of hulu and can spend hours watching tv shows, but I would not pay a monthly fee. Why pay for tv on your computer if at home you already pay for a system to record shows on tv? However, I do think that the CW should make their shows viewable on hulu. It will attract more viewers who may not be aware of all of the programs the CW offers. The CW would gain exposure that could get viewers hooked on a show that they may want to regularly record at home. I think hulu will loose part of its niche if they start to charge for a better experience.
-Katherine T

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Katherine, I completely agree with you. I would not pay $8 a month just so I could watch shows a couple days early. The CW will be providing a free viewing experience but not until 8 days after the episode aires on live television. I personally can wait to watch it, or simply record it on my TV as you had mentioned.

nataliejohnston said...

I agree with Katherine and Christina regarding the ability to record TV rather than streaming it online. Recording television shows, in my opinion, is the absolute best device available. It makes it possible for viewers to watch their favorite shows at any time while fast-forwarding through all commercials. Direct TV gives the ability to record to anyone that pays for its service. Although this too is expensive, why would you pay $8 a month to watch a television show online, which would still preview at least one or two commercials? Why wouldn't you invest in a Direct TV or Tivo system instead, so you could watch your favorite shows any time without disruptions? Lastly, another negative factor of streaming online television shows is the occasional lack of internet connection. Doesn't everyone hate waiting for online videos to buffer?
-Natalie J

Anonymous said...

Natalie, I think you brought up a great point about internet connection and the annoyance and hassle of having to deal with buffering and waiting for videos to load. This is another great factor that needs to be considered when weighing costs and benefits.