Hulu Wants to Charge You to Watch Old Shows

April 22, 2010 By Ryan Fleming

Streaming content on Hulu may cost $9.95 per month with the launch of Hulu Plus.

The halcyon days of free TV on the internet may be coming to an end. The LA Times is reporting that starting on May 24, Hulu will begin to test a subscription-based model for old episodes of TV shows.

The service would cost $9.95 per month, and include a larger and more comprehensive selection of programs than is currently offered. The subscription service would be renamed “Hulu Plus,” but no word yet on what this increased content would include.

Hulu is currently the second most-viewed video site on the Internet, behind only YouTube. Despite the traffic, and despite generating over $100 million in advertising revenue, the execs at Hulu – which is owned by News Corp., NBC Universal and Disney – have been considering ways to raise revenues for some time. While $100 million is a successful pull, it pales in comparison to the revenues the companies receive through their standard broadcasting mediums.

According to the report, Hulu will continue to offer the five most recent episodes of currently airing programs.

Showing 4 comments

2goofy at 8:19am 1st October 2010 I think the content for plus members is much more current. I have Hulu Plus and I can get all local (including cbs) and cable network shows the day after they air which is great since I can only record 2 shows at a time on my DVR and there are more shows I would like to record. It also has all previous seasons of those shows and all seasons of many older shows that have ended where regular Hulu often only has the most current season or the last few. The other nice feature is that none of the shows expire like they do on the website. I think it's worth the $10 just to have iPhone and iPad access! You definitely get your money's worth.
Ian Bell at 2:42pm 28th April 2010 No they should not pay for old shows. Thats what Nick at Night is for.
18WheelCowboy at 2:16pm 28th April 2010 Damn, you're cheap ... shouldn't people be paid when they provide us a service?
Ian Bell at 11:17am 22nd April 2010 $10/mo is ridiculous, especially for older shows.