

Rob

Premium Member

join:2001-08-25

Miami, FL Rob Premium Member Haven't been on their site in over a year... Had a plus membership, got tired of the ads. Cancelled, never went back to their website. Didn't they also discontinue their desktop application?

kxrm

join:2002-07-18

Fort Worth, TX 4 recommendations kxrm Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... I really don't get why people pay for tv and are ok watching ads. After cable I am done paying for content that has ads in it. If you want to display ads, make it free to the consumer.



MoreNames99

@charter.com -2 recommendations MoreNames99 Anon Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... said by kxrm: I really don't get why people pay for tv and are ok watching ads. After cable I am done paying for content that has ads in it. If you want to display ads, make it free to the consumer. be prepared for 15 minutes of show in a 1 hour show

rradina

join:2000-08-08

Chesterfield, MO 920.3 39.3

·Charter

rradina Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... That will never work. While I don't know what the maximum ratio is, at some point it becomes so high there's not enough time to capture an audience with uninterrupted content. For instance, 60 seconds of content followed by 60 seconds of commercials won't work. While five minutes of content followed by five minutes of commercials might work, folks will leave the room during commercial breaks which ultimately means it won't work.



IMO -- streaming is the ultimate advertising future if they know who is watching. There should be far fewer ads if the system is smart enough to knowing something about the habits of who is watching and shows them relevant ads. For instance, the evening national news marketers waste $ millions (billions) on various big pharma ads. With the baby boomers fading, the biggest generation is young and doesn't consume a lot of prescription drugs. Streaming would enable them to eliminate 75% of the off-topic commercials. The older generation could see pharmaceutical ads and the younger generation could see car, liquor and clothing commercials.



IMO -- commercialized content should be running as fast as it can toward streaming. This also doesn't mean the death of broadcasting. There's nothing wrong with time-slot TV as long as each stream's commercial slots are customized to each viewer.



MoreNames98

@charter.com -1 recommendation MoreNames98 Anon Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... said by rradina: That will never work. While I don't know what the maximum ratio is, at some point it becomes so high there's not enough time to capture an audience with uninterrupted content. For instance, 60 seconds of content followed by 60 seconds of commercials won't work. Well then enjoy re-watching old content because new content won't get made. Not any that s any good. People who make content do it for MONEY not art. They are not spending millions of dollars just to give you something for free just to be nice. When people get this point and also stop feeling entitled maybe thing will change. too many people want their content free or nearly free and also ad free. That's not reality. People are like a 6 year old that can't understand why they can't eat ice cream and cookies for breakfast everyday.



TechyDad

Premium Member

join:2001-07-13

USA TechyDad Premium Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year...



For the record, I don't mind Hulu's ads, but I've turned off other services that insisted on frequent ad breaks that totaled to be longer than the show I was watching. If you get to the point that you are watching a series of commercials punctuated occasionally by a few minutes of showtime, then it doesn't matter what your advertisers are paying you. People will turn it off. (Which will then result in no ad revenue.)



There's a balance to be struck between length of the commercial break and the show's length. I don't think rradina was saying that streaming selections should be free and without ads. Just that paying for a subscription and then seeing ads as well isn't optimal.For the record, I don't mind Hulu's ads, but I've turned off other services that insisted on frequent ad breaks that totaled to be longer than the show I was watching. If you get to the point that you are watching a series of commercials punctuated occasionally by a few minutes of showtime, then it doesn't matter what your advertisers are paying you. People will turn it off. (Which will then result in no ad revenue.)There's a balance to be struck between length of the commercial break and the show's length.

rradina

join:2000-08-08

Chesterfield, MO rradina to MoreNames98

Member to MoreNames98

I never said content should be free and I even promoted streaming's potential to reduce ads by making them more effective, not by eliminating them. Did you read my entire comment?



bionicRod

Funkier than a mohair disco ball.

Premium Member

join:2009-07-06

united state bionicRod to MoreNames98

Premium Member to MoreNames98

said by MoreNames98 : Well then enjoy re-watching old content because new content won't get made. Simply not true, and Netflix proves it every year. You can give people what they want, at a price they will pay, while producing great new content and still make a killing. You can't say something can't be done when it has been done for several years now.



TechyDad

Premium Member

join:2001-07-13

USA 1 recommendation TechyDad to kxrm

Premium Member to kxrm

I like Hulu Plus. Not as much as Netflix or Amazon VOD, mind you, but it is better than cable TV. I think of the $7.99 I pay every month for Hulu Plus as a DVR - giving me access to TV shows I would have gotten from cable TV (at a much higher cost) with fewer ads than cable had.

adam1991

join:2012-06-16

united state adam1991 Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... said by TechyDad: I like Hulu Plus. Not as much as Netflix or Amazon VOD, mind you, but it is better than cable TV. I think of the $7.99 I pay every month for Hulu Plus as a DVR - giving me access to TV shows I would have gotten from cable TV (at a much higher cost) with fewer ads than cable had.



My DVR is like Netflix for current TV. Your DVR, apparently, is like Hulu Plus.



I'm sad for you. yeah, except my DVR skips commercials automatically.My DVR is like Netflix for current TV. Your DVR, apparently, is like Hulu Plus.I'm sad for you.



TechyDad

Premium Member

join:2001-07-13

USA 1 recommendation TechyDad Premium Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... Since we cancelled cable, there are some channels we can't get (e.g. Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network) that have shows my kids watch. Hulu Plus lets us watch those shows without a cable subscription. Plus, we can watch shows that we could get via OTA but that we don't have a DVR to record.



We could buy a TiVo, but it costs $14.99 per month for the service. Even if I bought the lifetime service at $500, I would need to be signed up for 63 months (over 5 years) before TiVo would cost less than Hulu.



At some point, I might repurpose an old laptop we have and turn it into a DVR to record OTA shows, but we would then need to buy those non-OTA shows separately - possibly spending more than Hulu Plus costs.

Steve991

join:2015-03-09 Steve991 Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... Look up channel master dvr+, it's really quite sharp. It cost us 249, they are having a 199 sale this Monday though. Records and works just like our old cable dvr except that it's much more responsive, it's also rolling out linear tv internet channels soon. Best part, no monthly fees.



TechyDad

Premium Member

join:2001-07-13

USA TechyDad Premium Member Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... Thanks. That looks interesting.



Koil

Premium Member

join:2002-09-10

Irmo, SC Koil to Steve991

Premium Member to Steve991

said by Steve991: Look up channel master dvr+, it's really quite sharp. It cost us 249, they are having a 199 sale this Monday though. Records and works just like our old cable dvr except that it's much more responsive, it's also rolling out linear tv internet channels soon. Best part, no monthly fees. Reviewer: Debora Porter from Mesa, AZ United States



I took the DVR home and followed the instructions for set up. I bought the HTML cable and hooked it up. Still nothing. The person who does the Mr. Antenna installs was supposed to "talk me thru" the install, but she refuses to call. I have gone to the Channel Master office with the TV and DVR for help. NOTHING. I want to return the DVR to Channel Master since I can not use it. When I was there with the TV and DVR, I should have gotten the set up help I requested. Was checking this out and had to post this 1 star review...this is awesome:



Flyonthewall

@teksavvy.com 2 recommendations Flyonthewall to kxrm

Anon to kxrm

I'm with you on that. The only people who would like ads on paid services are the people who make money from those ads. And strange people who like to watch commercials. And shills. Shills love everything they're told to love.



Rob

Premium Member

join:2001-08-25

Miami, FL 1 recommendation Rob to kxrm

Premium Member to kxrm

said by kxrm: I really don't get why people pay for tv and are ok watching ads. After cable I am done paying for content that has ads in it. If you want to display ads, make it free to the consumer. I tivo my shows so I can fast forward through the commercials.



Omega

Displaced Ohioan

Premium Member

join:2002-07-30

Golden, CO Omega to kxrm

Premium Member to kxrm

said by kxrm: I really don't get why people pay for tv and are ok watching ads. After cable I am done paying for content that has ads in it. If you want to display ads, make it free to the consumer. It is odd, that people accept ads with cable, but don't accept ads on streaming services. Maybe this is because Netflix kick-started the trend and never had ads, so people expect any paid streaming service to not have ads.



NV19901

@cox.net NV19901 Anon Re: Haven't been on their site in over a year... if the goal is to get pirates to shift from pirating ad-free, and no need to have cable/satellite, they they are failing, why would a pirate want both - shift from 100% free to low cost, no ads will get some of them to switch, switch from 100% free to free but with some ads, but switching from 100% free to both pay and ads, just get cable, or they won't switch at all, which is what is happening, they still pirate, getting the content ad-free and w/o a cable/satellite subscription. It's a no brainer to most, give them the content they want, but don't be so damn greedy you scare them from doing the right thing.

elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY 1 recommendation elefante72 to Omega

Member to Omega

Also back in the 80's you may have 7 min of commercial per hour...Hulu problem is also windows and platforms...Hulu+ only on Roku, but ok on a PC. HGTV ok on hulu, but not on hulu+. Go and try to figure out windows.



It's like they took the pablum known as linear TV and tried to shoehorn it into an on-demand OTT service. Fail in it's current implementation.



Too many masters, not any entrepreneurs.



Anonymous_

Anonymous

Premium Member

join:2004-06-21

127.0.0.1 Anonymous_ to kxrm

Premium Member to kxrm

DVR that is why if I want to watch a movie that is on network tv I just record it and watch it the next day



or a make a 1/2 hour to 45min buffer



Agree

@charter.com Agree to kxrm

Anon to kxrm

I have been but the ads totally suck and yes if you pay then NO ADS!



aaronwt

Premium Member

join:2004-11-07

Woodbridge, VA 901.8 127.8

Asus RT-N56U

Asus RT-ACRH13

aaronwt to Rob

Premium Member to Rob

said by Rob: Had a plus membership, got tired of the ads. Cancelled, never went back to their website. Didn't they also discontinue their desktop application?

I'm paid up through December 2015 with Hulu+...errr Hulu I don't use Hulu much but it's nice to have when I need it. But it's also basically free for me to keep a subscription. I use free Bing reward points to keep a membership with Hulu. Since I get over 750 free points a month, and Hulu only takes 420 points for each monthly subscription, I can keep a Hulu subscription indefinitely as long as Bing continues offering it with their program.I'm paid up through December 2015 with Hulu+...errr Hulu

devolved

join:2012-07-11

Rapid City, SD Ooma Telo

devolved to Rob

Member to Rob

said by Rob: Didn't they also discontinue their desktop application? Nope. I'm registered at Hulu, purely for the ability to create and store a watch list, but with adblockers on Firefox, I don't see ads.

talz13

join:2006-03-15

Avon, OH talz13 Member Still 2 services? Now with 1 name? So are they still going to continue with two fairly separate services? Are they going to go all free? All paid subscription? How will this affect streaming to my Roku, if I ever sign up for their service?

smk11

join:2014-11-12 2 recommendations smk11 Member Re: Still 2 services? Now with 1 name? said by talz13: So are they still going to continue with two fairly separate services? Are they going to go all free? All paid subscription? How will this affect streaming to my Roku, if I ever sign up for their service? "Free Hulu killed off" should be the title.



Evergreener

Sent By Grocery Clerks

join:2001-02-20

Evergreen, CO Evergreener Member Profitable? Is Hulu profitable?



It seems like they should be spending money on Original Content rather than just re-airing tedious drivel from the networks.



aaronwt

Premium Member

join:2004-11-07

Woodbridge, VA 901.8 127.8

Asus RT-N56U

Asus RT-ACRH13

aaronwt Premium Member Re: Profitable? said by Evergreener: Is Hulu profitable?



It seems like they should be spending money on Original Content rather than just re-airing tedious drivel from the networks.

They've had over a dozen shows of original programming. With half a dozen more coming soon. Including The Mindy Project which moved to Hulu for season 4. Hulu does have original content.They've had over a dozen shows of original programming. With half a dozen more coming soon. Including The Mindy Project which moved to Hulu for season 4.

Slyster

join:2015-01-08

Sugar Grove, VA Slyster Member Same thing different platform.. Trying to get people to pay a subscription and watch ads at the same time. The double dipping works with TV providers ( Not sure why ) but not for paid streaming. The ads on TV are out of control as to how many play. ABC family had a Harry Potter weekend this past weekend. They had an hour+ worth of ads on each movie... Hulu needs to distance itself from that type of behavior.



The most obvious and simple thing for them to do is have Hulu Free that contains ads after every show / movie ( NEVER during ) and Hulu Premium that contains no ads.

ISurfTooMuch

join:2007-04-23

Tuscaloosa, AL 2 recommendations ISurfTooMuch Member Re: Same thing different platform.. Just remember who owns them. These companies don't want Hulu to succeed because it would undercut their traditional TGV business.



MoreNames99

@charter.com -1 recommendation MoreNames99 to Slyster

Anon to Slyster

said by Slyster: Trying to get people to pay a subscription and watch ads at the same time. The double dipping works with TV providers ( Not sure why ) but not for paid streaming. The ads on TV are out of control as to how many play. ABC family had a Harry Potter weekend this past weekend. They had an hour+ worth of ads on each movie... Hulu needs to distance itself from that type of behavior. The most obvious and simple thing for them to do is have Hulu Free that contains ads after every show / movie ( NEVER during ) and Hulu Premium that contains no ads. Sorry TV doesn't exist so you can get free entertainment. TV shows were invented as a way for advertisers to get their products out there. when people get this they'll know why there is TV.Which no one will watch and thus advertisers will demand lower fees.Be prepare to pay more than $8 a month

TechnoTech

join:2015-01-12 TechnoTech Member Re: Same thing different platform.. Or I can decide that I don't like it enough to pay even $8 a month and thus pay them nothing.



Wrong attitude here, they need to convince me to buy it, I don't need to convince them to sell it to me.

silbaco

Premium Member

join:2009-08-03

USA silbaco Premium Member Re: Same thing different platform.. They don't need to convince you of anything. They have very high operating expenses. They are not going to operate at a loss so they can pick up a few subscribers that are unwilling to watch ads. If you don't like what their service has to offer then their service isn't for you.



RussW

@everestkc.net RussW Anon Re: Same thing different platform.. wtf? They most certainly -do- need to convince prospective customers to buy the product. If they can't do that, they have no business at all. Even you said it, they're not going to operate at a loss. And no customers is a -huge- freaking loss.

Slyster

join:2015-01-08

Sugar Grove, VA Slyster to MoreNames99

Member to MoreNames99

said by MoreNames99 : said by Slyster: Trying to get people to pay a subscription and watch ads at the same time. The double dipping works with TV providers ( Not sure why ) but not for paid streaming. The ads on TV are out of control as to how many play. ABC family had a Harry Potter weekend this past weekend. They had an hour+ worth of ads on each movie... Hulu needs to distance itself from that type of behavior. The most obvious and simple thing for them to do is have Hulu Free that contains ads after every show / movie ( NEVER during )



That is acceptable IMO for a free streaming package. and Hulu Premium that contains no ads. Sorry TV doesn't exist so you can get free entertainment. TV shows were invented as a way for advertisers to get their products out there. when people get this they'll know why there is TV.Which no one will watch and thus advertisers will demand lower fees.That is acceptable IMO for a free streaming package.Be prepare to pay more than $8 a month



If you actually thought before giving your input you would know that there are ways to prevent that particular issue. After every show a few minutes worth of ads would play that cannot be skipped even if you exited the website / app. It would be kept track of either way.



It would only be more than $8 due to who owns them. Just like them wanting subscriptions AND ad revenue. They want streaming to be just like pay TV so they can sell ad space. It isnt about costs but greed. I dont know about you but I pay for my entertainment. It sure as heck isnt free. TV was WAY different back then than it is today. Comparing them just makes you look ignorant.If you actually thought before giving your input you would know that there are ways to prevent that particular issue. After every show a few minutes worth of ads would play that cannot be skipped even if you exited the website / app. It would be kept track of either way.It would only be more than $8 due to who owns them. Just like them wanting subscriptions AND ad revenue. They want streaming to be just like pay TV so they can sell ad space. It isnt about costs but greed.



mackey

Premium Member

join:2007-08-20 mackey to MoreNames99

Premium Member to MoreNames99

said by MoreNames99 : and Hulu Premium that contains no ads. Be prepare to pay more than $8 a month



Wait... Which is why Netflix has so many ads.Wait...



Different

@comcast.net Different Anon Re: Same thing different platform.. They are completely different services. Hulu has mostly newer content that shows up the day after it originally airs. Netflix has mostly older content that consumers don't get to see until 6 months to a year (often even longer) after it originally aired. If Hulu didn't show ads then the content providers likely wouldn't give them the permission to use the brand new content which is what differentiates Hulu from Netflix.

silbaco

Premium Member

join:2009-08-03

USA silbaco to Slyster

Premium Member to Slyster

Having ads after the show would be idiotic. No one would watch them and as a result they wouldn't make any money. In fact they would lose money because of licensing costs.



SomeOldAnon

@twtelecom.net 1 recommendation SomeOldAnon to Slyster

Anon to Slyster

That used to be what Hulu did when it first came out. Hulu free had ads, and the paid subs had no ads. Then their masters wanted more money so they told them to double dip :-/

silbaco

Premium Member

join:2009-08-03

USA silbaco Premium Member Re: Same thing different platform.. I don't remember Hulu Plus ever intentionally being ad-free. That was why the launch of the tier made so much controversy because many people didn't think it was worth the money. It may have been ad free temporarily because they didn't have everything in order or wanted to lure trial users in. But it was never intended to be ad free.

devolved

join:2012-07-11

Rapid City, SD Ooma Telo

devolved to SomeOldAnon

Member to SomeOldAnon

Hulu free always has had ads. When Hulu first got started, they would show several minutes of commercials before your show or movie started. Once your program started it was commercial free.



Once they started changing things around and putting ad breaks at different points of the movie I ditched it. It was annoying to have ads breaks right in the middle of dialogue.



woody7

Premium Member

join:2000-10-13

Torrance, CA woody7 Premium Member Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm why pay for something and still get ads,no matter how little....



rit56

join:2000-12-01

New York, NY -1 recommendation rit56 Member Love? "create commercials viewers and advertisers love." Typical corporate bullshit. Not one viewer loves commercials. Idiot.



CosmicDebri

Still looking for intelligent life

join:2001-09-01

Lake City, FL CosmicDebri Member free vs paid When your paying for a streaming service, that payment should cover the service, no need for ads. That's how cable was In The Beginning (tm). It's free content and services that need the ads to support them. Paying for service AND getting ads is just effing stupid.



And that's why I cut the cord on cable tv 10 years or so ago. I used to use Hulu when there was no paid version. When they got a paid version and it said you would still see ads, although fewer, I said nay, doesn't compute, and then they moved some shows to paid only tiers, and I stopped using it.

mmay149q

Premium Member

join:2009-03-05

Dallas, TX mmay149q Premium Member Another major issue with Hulu If you have ANY ad blocking technology, like Adblock Plus or etc, Hulu will flat out tell you that you have to disable it if you want to watch their content, plain and simple, I refuse to use their site because of that, Hulu is trash, always has been, never used it more than 5 times in it's lifetime....



Packeteers

Premium Member

join:2005-06-18

Forest Hills, NY Packeteers Premium Member pro tip on ebay



gift|bonus coupon codes for a year of viewing.



I got mine for $24 - that's $2/mo - bitches you can buy 100% legit and fully transferrablegift|bonus coupon codes for a year of viewing.I got mine for $24 - that's $2/mo - bitches



xirian

Premium Member

join:2003-01-26

Beacon, NY xirian Premium Member Re: pro tip on ebay or you can use bing rewards and pay nothing.



Packeteers

Premium Member

join:2005-06-18

Forest Hills, NY ·Verizon FiOS

·Charter

Asus RT-AC3100

(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

Packeteers Premium Member Re: pro tip on ebay good to know - but i use duckduckgo as i value my privacy.



that's another reason why i buy subscription codes from others,

hulu tracks viewing habit - but they have no idea who i really am,

all they have is my ip, bogus name, email and zip code.

RustyDonut

join:2013-05-28

Boston, MA 1 recommendation RustyDonut Member Hulu Is owed by NBC/Comcast, Disney and more The owners of HULU dont want it to replace Regular traditional Paid TV. Hulu Is more of a supplement or alternative to such a service. This is why HULU+ had advertisements despite years of Customers demanding Ads be removed and never played shows live.



I would say that a Mixture Netflix, online renting/streaming and pirating are the way to go for watching TV entertainment now.



MemphisPCGuy

Taking Care Business

Premium Member

join:2004-05-09

Memphis, TN MemphisPCGuy Premium Member Multiple Choice Ads - I back out The Ads are bad, but not as bad as OTA, or at least they weren't. Sometime last year they kicked it up a notch, showing upto 3 ads per cycle and doing that 4-5 times instead of 2-3 times.



But what I really hate are the "Pick Which Ad You Want To See" - I back out and start again.



Anyone remember when Hulu on Roku was so bad that all you got were the initial Ad and then it would stall... you'd restart it and see another ad, stall ... grrr



But my wife loves Hulu so I'm stuck with it, and I like it for watching John Stewart and Wicked Tuna. Still a great way to watch network shows the following day with less ads, although not as few as when I started with them 5 years ago.

silbaco

Premium Member

join:2009-08-03

USA silbaco Premium Member Re: Multiple Choice Ads - I back out Do you have Hulu Plus? I personally find there are less ads on Hulu Plus than regular. But it seems to depend on what you are watching and who the license is from.

GinBoy2

join:2014-03-05

thailand GinBoy2 Member I Like Hulu I like Hulu, Hulu Plus or whatever they are going to re-brand it as. Few ads I can deal with...Oh but then again, I'm one of those evil doers who illegally subscribe and watch from outside the US. Ad's I guess are the price I pay for 'evildoing' LOL



newview

Ex .. Ex .. Exactly

Premium Member

join:2001-10-01

Parsonsburg, MD newview Premium Member As long as Comcast has their finger in this pie ... ... I will NEVER be a HULU subscriber, no matter what they name it

Body Count

join:2010-09-11

Columbus, OH Body Count Member Well I would subscribe and pay money for Hulu if there were zero ads. I'm not paying them a monthly fee so they can feed me ads and get even more money from me.



Until then I won't sub to Hulu.



buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME buzz_4_20 Member Until The number of ads reaches 0 they aren't getting a cent of my money.

devolved

join:2012-07-11

Rapid City, SD devolved Member Ads Ads are the reason why I didn't get Hulu Plus in the first place.



Amazon Prime and Netflix are more attractive to the average consumer because you pay a fee and there are no ads.