Casual, Hulu

Syracuse native Michaela Watkins stars on Hulu original comedy series 'Casual.'

(Video still)

Time Warner, Inc. may have a plan to fight the cord cutting trend.

The Wall Street Journal reports the company is considering buying a 25 percent stake in Hulu, the streaming service best known for making new episodes of many TV shows available the day after they air. "People familiar with the discussions" say Time Warner wants episodes from current television seasons off the service to prevent more customers from leaving.

"Time Warner believes that the presence of full, current seasons on Hulu--or anywhere else outside the bounds of pay-TV--is harmful to its owners because it contributes to people dropping their pay-TV subscriptions, or 'cutting the cord,'" the publication writes.

As Perez Hilton explains, the proposed deal would mean seasons of shows currently on the air wouldn't be available until after the season finale airs. In other words, fans could binge-watch the first season of "Empire" because it already aired, but would have to wait to watch new episodes until after the entire second season wraps.

Hulu does offer original programming, such as "The Mindy Project" and Syracuse native Michaela Watkins' "Casual," and some movies, but has differed from rivals Netflix and Amazon by offering next-day streaming to subscribers. Netflix typically doesn't get access to new episodes until after a season or midseason finale.

"Most of [Hulu's] value lies in users who really want access to cable or broadcast programs but who don't want to pay the heavy fees," Cinema Blend writes. "For a small percentage of the money the average cable purchaser shells out, Hulu's audience can still catch shows... from the comfort of devices as varied as tablets, TVs and computers."

Time Warner has reportedly said removing episodes of current seasons from Hulu "is not a condition for its investment," so the deal could still happen without changes to the service. Time Warner separated from Time Warner Cable in 2009, but Time Warner's assets still include HBO, The CW, CNN, Warner Bros. and more.

Would any changes at Hulu stop cord cutters in the long term? According to CNN, one in four adults currently don't pay for TV and by 2025, half of all adults under the age of 32 are expected to be cord cutters.

And more a la carte options are being offered than ever before, from big streaming services (like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu) to individual content providers (like CBS All Access, Nickelodeon Noggin and HBO Now) and offerings of both live and on demand video (Apple TV, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue). Of course, an Internet connection is still required -- and cable companies can still hang on to some customers that way.

Note: This story has been updated to clarify that Time Warner, Inc., is reportedly in talks to purchase a stake in Hulu -- not Time Warner Cable, which has operated as an independent company since 2009.