(Source: The Dallas Morning News)
Broadcasting & Cable magazine delivers the news that Hulu will start charging for at least some of its content by 2010:
"It's time to start getting paid for broadcast content online," News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey said in a press release.
"I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value," Carey said. "Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business."
I don't think a pay model is necessarily the end of the world. Netflix's streaming video service, for example, is a pay service, and it's top notch.
I think it will be a problem, though, if Hulu simply keeps its offerings exactly the same but adds a price tag. If Hulu wants me to pony up a subscription, then I want more and better-quality HD videos, zero commercials and access to the entire library of previous seasons of TV shows, not just the current season.
If Hulu can do that _ and maybe throw in one movie per week or per month to download and permanently keep _ then I wouldn't mind paying, say, $10 per month.
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Get more technology news on the Dallas Morning News blog: http://techblog.dallasnews.com/
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