For most people, it already has. Understand that you’re dealing with a service only costing $7.99 a month, and you get to stream shows through your internet connection directly to your TV via a Roku, Playstation 3, XBOX, Wii, or even just a basic Blu-Ray player.
I’m talking about real TV here: Vampire Diaries, Dancing With the Stars, CSI, the stuff you’d normally watch under regular cable service.
It’s like having your own personal on-demand service. For only $7.99 a month. Yes, you need the internet connection, but who doesn’t have that these days? And truly, if you don’t have a gaming console or even a Blu-Ray player, all you need is a desktop jacked up to your TV, and your Hulu streams to the computer, which filters to your flat-screen with ease.
For what you’d normally pay 50 bucks a month, you’re only paying 8 bucks a month – all because of Hulu Plus!
The Question Still Remains, Though….
Entertainment has always been a big financial issue, though. And us citizens who want our NBC, ABC and CBS TV shows do make it a big deal to always get the cheaper service. Dish Network? DirecTV? Comcast? Charter? How much cheaper can they go?
Here’s the thing, though: news has stated that while Hulu has scored for the longest time this dynamite deal with their $7.99 a month for primetime coverage of some of our favorite shows, it may not last. We’re talking serious financial solutions, such as Direct Lending here, and actors, production studios, directors, and even the key grips do need to get paid somehow.
$7.99 a month is hardly going to do that. So the partnership Hulu has with all the networks can get a little shaky.
The “Authentication” Model
We may see in a couple years or more Hulu requiring their subscribers to authenticate their service by providing their subscriptions to Dish or cable services! The result is this: if you don’t have regular subscription to cable, the shows you love won’t be available on Hulu until possibly 30 days after they air on the networks. Or maybe they just won’t air on Hulu at all.
Excuse me: what? Subscribing to Hulu only to have to subscribe to cable or Dish to watch the same stuff? Basically turning Hulu into a faithful on-demand service that will only work if you’re already subscribed to those pricey plans with the dish or cable connection to the wall.
What Makes Hulu Succeed
Hulu Plus is revolutionizing the entertainment industry in a way that YouTube revolutionized internet video. You utilize your internet connection to watch the shows you love – at a very good price.
I’d say continue to push the service. Don’t limit it. The cable or dish providers are money-hungry beasts not requiring internet connections, obviously. And that’s obviously why they charge more per month to have your TV running the shows and movies you love.
But these days who doesn’t have an internet connection? This is the way and wave of the future. Let it be. Let the big boys hate the new sensations, Hulu, Netflix, Blockbuster, and – dare I say it – YouTube.
This is the way I see it: if you already pay your premium for internet connection and own a reputable streaming device like a Roku or Playstation 3, why should you have to pay more money to watch your TV or movies when the internet provides it for you at a low cost?
Just sayin’. Now let me get back to my episode of the Vampire Diaries. I love you, Stefan.
From a Small Business Perspective….
Here we are talking about pasty-faced vampire boys and remote controls when really we should be talking about auto attendants, call centers, and small business technology, but let’s face it, people:
To really get in on the idea of good small business practices, sometimes research is essential. Hulu Plus is a good example of this: common sense. What it all boils down to is success — don’t fix it if it’s working just fine, and have a little faith in the service you provide. Have common sense.
Compared to the big cable giants of the entertainment industry, Hulu Plus can be considered a “small business.” But they’re making “big money.” The way to keep it going is to not tweak the money-making machine. Just let it roll. And don’t worry about the big boys.