Hulu: We Know That Hulu Plus Sucks, But It's Not Our Fault
from the reading-between-the-lines dept
We were among many, many folks who were completely underwhelmed by Hulu's subscription plan for Hulu Plus. It was $10 for... not much. In fact, new reports are showing that 88% of Hulu Plus content is available via regular Hulu. On the whole, if they are going to lock up content, I'm actually glad to see them keep most content for free, but it's still not clear what additional value they're offering to get people to pay up, and customers are noticing. It seems that Hulu actually recognizes this, however. Consumerist has an email that someone from Hulu sent to an unhappy Hulu Plus customer about the weak selection and the need for ads even though she had paid, and the letter basically admits that Hulu knows Hulu Plus sucks, but they're limited by annoying contracts and they're trying to change it. Yes, it's a bit of a paraphrase, but that's certainly what's implied here:In the ideal world, we would absolutely love and want nothing more but to be able to get every popular show out there that users love, and acquire the legal rights to stream them across every fancy device imaginable at the price that everybody wants. Unfortunately, due to stringent contract agreements on how content can be shared through certain devices, we are not able to have all of the content that everyone wants at this time.Of course, this all comes back to the same thing we've said before. Hulu's in such a difficult place because the company needs to keep other companies so happy that it can't disrupt the businesses it needs to disrupt. You simply don't disrupt legacy businesses by working within their guidelines.
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Filed Under: content providers, hulu plus, subscription, tv, video
Companies: hulu
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subtext
"Sorry, we sold our souls to the devil. Turns out he's retarded."
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Re: subtext
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Re: Re: subtext
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Re: Re: Re: subtext
(Starts reading) Laying ground work for a possible joke. Feels smile muscles starting to constrict... (Keeps reading). Great satirical build, just about at the punch line! Starting to preemptively smile... Guessing something about “that white fluid isn’t milk stuck in your keyboard”... (finishes reading). Ohh... You’re just an unhappy douche with no sense of humor... (sulks in seat and starts to cry)
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too much credit
a not so thorough search of this magnificent site turns up a slew of similar entirely consistent stories, here's one:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090218/1627113821.shtml
may i suggest mike that in the future you drop the dichotomy: if they're being honest they must want to disrupt their patrons, if only said patrons weren't idiots, and get to the heart of the matter...
hulu is nothing more than internet protocol broadcasting, and broadcasters are, of course, fully deserving of your most withering sneer :).
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Re:
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Why Pay??
The paid content still has commercials.
Why Pay??
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Re: Why Pay??
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Re: Why Pay??
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You think I give a crap about your excuses?
With Love,
Your ex-customer.
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Re: cancelled
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Re: Re: cancelled
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Paying because I support Hulu
I was also underwhelmed with Hulu Plus' offerings. They have less content than Hulu.
But, I have been a huge fan of Hulu for a while. I don't care, for the most part, what my companies think/want/plan.
Hulu:
Are they offering me a product/service I want? Yes
Are they charging me a fair price (Free/ad supported)? absolutely
Hulu Plus:
Are they offering me a product/service I want? ability to watch TV on my phone/PS3 Yes, tho I want more content
Are they charging me a fair price? 10 dollars, yes.
I'm not pleased with the current product I've been given, but like any other product from a company who has made me happy in the past, I'm willing to give them a little time(a month maybe), to fix the issue. I consider what they have given me so far worth the investment of 10-20 dollars.
They offfered something which could be free for a price, and I considered that price worthwhile for wehat I was getting even though it was possible to get the same content I wanted for free. when I no longer feel like paying for the free content is worth it, I'll stop. It seems like this has been what Mike has been preaching all along.
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Re: Paying because I support Hulu
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Some content "web only"
But the only show I REALLY wanted to watch yesterday on a 3 hour bus ride was Persons Unknown.
But for some contractual reason that show is available ONLY on the web. Not iPhone or iPad.
Why is God's name am I paying for LESS content on the iPhone?
My subscription ends tonight.
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ijunk
There weak proccesors Don't live up to intel or AMD, And hardly can be called more then a kids toy. But in thir deffence hulu just a couple years back FINALLY got set up so they can play on laptops. So that does say somthing for their streaming values as it stands. Even on a computer their playback is low rate garbage anyway, so either way youre not missing much, try finding other sites, theres others out there way more updated and without the restrictions hulu suffers and WAY better playback. hulu pretty much sucks.
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It would be one thing if the people Hulu was trying to make happy was film studios with decades-long back catalogs of impressive footage. But they're not. All they're dealing with are a bunch of idiots who've way overvalued their own crappy products.
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If Hulu simply had the same content, but without the commercials, it might be worth paying for. But there's no way I'm going to pay for Hulu Plus as it stands now.
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If Hulu wants to stop the terrible reviews, they need to DUMP the Ads for paying customers and increase their selection
Otherwise, more will decide to stay away
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I got a message too
Hi Sepharo,
Thanks for writing in and I'm we don't currently have the content you want.
I can tell you that we want to add all of the content we can but there are licensing issue we have to overcome first. As some background, when we launched the free Hulu.com service, we obtained licensing to stream content direct from the PC – and only from the PC. With the launch of the subscription-based Hulu Plus service, we had to start over from scratch and acquire licensing to stream content on TVs, smart phones, and tablets as well as PCs. We tried to get as much overlap as possible (we want it all, of course), but there were some exceptions that we’ll continue to work to resolve. Any time we can push content to Plus, we do and we have heard a lot of feedback about SyFy's content library.
The Droid is awesome and I can tell you that in regards to new devices we intend to move onto as many devices as posisble. Customer demand is really the strongest force in determining which devices will be launched and when, and the Droid users have been adamant in their requests for support.
Plus will be getting better and offering more as we move to Public launch but if you genuinely are unhappy with our service let me know and I'll see what I can do to help you out.
Thanks,
Jordan
Hulu Support
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Re: I got a message too
It takes a little messing around but all you have to do is make hulu think your on a pc(desktop) your user agent string on your browser reports you as a mobile user and locks you out. Just change it to report you as a desktop. There are several tutorials on how to do this online just google them.
As far as Hulu plus is concerned all they seem to do is cut off a lot of the content that used to be free then make you pay for it. No way I'm shelling out $10 or anything so i can watch old re-runs with commercials that are freely available elsewhere. Frankly I was a big fan of Hulu but now I'm going elsewhere as it just makes me mad anymore.
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Re: I got a message too
It takes a little messing around but all you have to do is make hulu think your on a pc(desktop) your user agent string on your browser reports you as a mobile user and locks you out. Just change it to report you as a desktop. There are several tutorials on how to do this online just google them.
As far as Hulu plus is concerned all they seem to do is cut off a lot of the content that used to be free then make you pay for it. No way I'm shelling out $10 or anything so i can watch old re-runs with commercials that are freely available elsewhere. Frankly I was a big fan of Hulu but now I'm going elsewhere as it just makes me mad anymore.
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Re: I got a message too
It takes a little messing around but all you have to do is make hulu think your on a pc(desktop) your user agent string on your browser reports you as a mobile user and locks you out. Just change it to report you as a desktop. There are several tutorials on how to do this online just google them.
As far as Hulu plus is concerned all they seem to do is cut off a lot of the content that used to be free then make you pay for it. No way I'm shelling out $10 or anything so i can watch old re-runs with commercials that are freely available elsewhere. Frankly I was a big fan of Hulu but now I'm going elsewhere as it just makes me mad anymore.
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They might as well give up
I think the content companies are stupid too because the harder they make it to access content, the less likely it will be seen. ESPECIALLY in this era of streaming, YouTube and NetFlix. There's so much content out there that alot of it won't be missed if it's in accessible.
Hulu WAS a great idea. I was paying up until I lost the entire series of episodes I was watching IN ONE DAY. I cancelled the service and went to a better service provider that happens to be free.... torrents. Content companies cannot legitimately call it theft when they have voluntarily withdrawn content from me that I was willing to pay for!
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hulu
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Re: hulu
I cancelled my huluplus after 10 minutes. The shows I wanted to watch were all web only which defeated the purpose. If I'm at a pc then i already have 15 sites I can watch what i want for free already. I wanted to stream to my phone all the shows that I miss like Psych which are harder to find on mobile internet. The site is very hit or miss though. Sometimes there are only current seasons, every season but the current, or no season at all. At least with netflix i can get a disc if the season im on isnt available to stream.
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Hulu PLus
I buy Google TV and and returned to Hulu and Fancast are blocked, ridiculous, but so is ...
Listen
Read phonetically
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commercials
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My reasons:
* WAY too MANY commercials
* Mcdonalds caramel mocha commercial shows up NON STOP. Enough is enough guys, not only did you make me hate McDonald's but also the actors in that commercial as well.
* Not enough shows
In short.. Hulu Plus is nowhere near where they should be. If I wanted this many commercials to intrude upon watching my shows I would have stuck with the regular ass tv.
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Re:
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Plus will fail
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BOY DO I FEEL STUPID BUYING THE LATEST ROKU w/HULU PLUS
I'm so glad I found this page. I was getting ready to fork over the VISA card and yahoo'd "whats better NETFLIX or HULU PLUS I think this link was the third down.
I thought the big boys could snuff out us little guys with a big opinion. Glad to ee free speech doing what it was meant to. There are to many similar opinions for merit not to apply.
My VISA card will stay in my pocket for now. I've only looked through plus a little but noticed 3 movies from 2.99 to 3.99 that were also available on NETFLIX. Who in their right mind (as a movie watcher) would pay per movie. Who knows maybe NETFLIX will triple their prices now that we have purchased all these streaming devices.
Maybe they are targeting soap opera fans. They must have a strategy.
I can tell you one thing for sure. I WOULD HAVE NEVER bought this new ROKU BOX XD|S April 6 2011 if I knew ROKU dropped HULU FREE. ROKU must make a royalty on H PLUS's sales. Why else would they drop FREE. When word gets out that HULU FREE is no longer available potential ROKU USERS should look elsewherer...
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Hey ROKU better be glad that you made the firmware upgrade where your ROKUs usb port now streams usb video and music. Or I would return this box for sure.
I don't want BJ's to blacklist me otherwise this box would go bye bye.
Now all I need to buy is another laptop where all the keys work.
I
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Go for free linker sites instead of crappy hulu+
ttyl
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Thanks alot
Now the amount of Hulu Plus content is more like 60-70% while the standard hulu content is 30-40%.
Thanks! keep your suggestions to your self.
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Re: Thanks alot
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Re: Thanks alot
Dude, you really need to get a grip on reality. Hulu+ is a disgusting internet scam that is masquerading as a Netflix.
...just sayin. lol.
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HULU PLUS LIES
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is hulu trying to get money for crack?
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Advertising issues
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Whiners!
Now for a solution to the problem that is ALSO not going to be popular: stop offering free hulu. It's simple. With the revenue generated from plus membership, hulu would easily be able to renegotiate contracts with its partners because they would be able to offer them a lot of money. Just like Netflix. There is a reason that the Netflix model has not been bettered in any other area of media . It is the best. OFFER the trial service for free. Then if people really want to see their shows they can pony up the $96 they will need to enjoy it for a year. Stop offering the free version, and then those of us who are happy to cough up the cash for hulu+ won't have to deal w/ "web only" BS or ads.
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Re: Whiners!
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Re: Whiners!
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Re: Whiners!
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Hulu Plus has too many ads
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RE: Dustin and Some more.
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hulu plus
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Why I will never buy hulu plus
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Free
Gotta love my google talent ^ ^!
Here's a website..only a few shows for ya...but really its not that hard to find portal sites for any other shows ; )
http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/
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Hulu plus really does blow
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I have Netflix too and love it, however, they don't most current shows and if they do have the series there is often only just enough episodes to get you hooked (with like half a season of shows or less). And there's no telling how long it will take them to get new episodes. They just updated family guys after about what seems 3 years .
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Pfff
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Re: Pfff
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Boingggg
*side note: not all Europeans are jealous and ignorant
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Re: Boingggg
Anyway what I meant to say is...
Yeah blame us Americans, obviously using Hulu in the first place enough to care to comment about it you watch our programs, why don't you just keep your mouth shut!?
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Hulu suck
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HUH?
But, if you pay for Hulu Plus for "extra content," clearly you are missing the point completely.
The only reason to pay for Hulu Plus is so that you can watch TV through Hulu in your bedroom, on you phone, on an iPad, or anywhere away from the computer. Who told anyone that they would get extra content? I've never even heard that!
The marketing plan was, step 1) get college kids to use it free, because they usually have a bigger computer monitor in their dorm room than a TV. 2) after it's popular, charge for making it usable in any reasonable way a normal person watch TV ("Plus" is only to access from devices other than your computer).
Although, since it won't play more than 10 seconds without pausing now (even though my bandwidth is the same), I'm ready to cancel my subscription.
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Yes But
Now I have cable again... and find myself paying $100+ a month again for channels I don't care about and shows I don't watch.
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hulu
I prefer you tube at this point.
Commercial TV sucks.
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Hulu makes no sense
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30 seconds
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SO FAR HULU SUCKS
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Re: SO FAR HULU SUCKS
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The Netflix model works, Netflix itself is proof of that, and Amazon Prime streaming video is proof that it works twice. Amazon is actually a little cheaper than Netflix on a month to month basis, and has, at this time, a better selection of TV shows IMO. So that's 2 companies that don't even own the content they are streaming (an advantage that rests solely with Hulu at this time) and are still able to make lots of money at it, even after licensing fees paid to, in some cases, the very 2 companies that own Hulu. It seems like Disney and News Corp should be able to make money at the same model as well.
So, either they are able to make money with a Netflix model and are choosing not to, or are not able to monetize it in a non-annoying way and are desperately trying to scrape what cash they can back out of the huge investment that was Hulu before the board dumps it.
Either way, no good for the consumer of Hulu. It really just shows how stuck in the old way of monetizing TV and movies the media empires really are. They could charge us directly for the viewership of streaming video, but for some reason would rather get paid by advertisers instead. Cut out the middleman already!
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random blocking of shows
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Ads
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Hulu Plus sucks
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hulu ads
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2013
Thank you for listening. This is why Hulu Sucks.
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Re: 2013
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Adverts
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only reason i see
The problem I have is that Hulu is no different than Verizon when it comes to new release shows. they only retain the last 5 episodes.
I would gladly purchase a Hulu Plus subscription if they would provide ALL episodes for the shows they have available. Hulu Plus execs need to grow some balls and make that a demand for their contracts with the tv studios.
Netflix may take a year to provide a show I want to watch, but at least they have every episode available. I'll stick with netflix and just wait til next year to watch this years shows (the ones that I don't watch live on Verizon).
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episodes of The Blacklist missing from hulu plus
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Huluplus
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Re: Huluplus
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Hulu sucks
Sucks!!!
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Save your money
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hulu fucking sucks
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your a fuckin idiot if you pay for hulu
Top of that you have shit tons of commercials that are poorly placed/targeted/repeated/bugged.
For me there is no real streaming company that is doing it right, but at least netflix is commercial free I guess.
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stop hulu bashing
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Hulu lost my subscription too
It happened one night when I watched commercials then the opening theme to the show and then right back to commercials agian! THATS IT I said, we're done!
Also, I watch anime, and Hulu's anime has very little on the list of English dubbed. Even though I can view the same shows on any other site, and in English dubb. Plus all of Hulus commercials! And they have sucked up two anime show companies and removed those companies dubbed content and jammed in Hulu's commercial policy! Anime Network is one I cut my teeth on and they never had commercials until Hulu partnered up. They sucked up Crunchy Roll too.
This all points to profit margins and nothing else, so I boycott Hulu. The rest can do whatever you wish, it is a free country after all.
I use Netflix, no commercials, Anime Crave with no commercials or page ads for members at $5 monthly with lots of english dubb's, and some others. Their membership is even less 'by the year'.
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HULU +
Because I am not about to pay for commercials. That's the reason I left cable in the first place.
Because even if I didn't mind commercials, I DO mind having them occur off-break. In TV shows the slots for commercials are programmed and there is nothing worse that having an ad miss the window then interrupt dialog in the middle of a word to try to sell you things then come back to the show. It ruins the watching experience.
Because there are so many ads streamed at me during a program that the show becomes incidental to the advertising rather than the other way around.
Because all these ads are burning bandwidth and eating into my ISP's data cap which means I am paying for them twice. Once for the cost of an internet connection with its finite amount od data allowed without additional charges and then again to HULU.
HULU, if we are going to pay you, ditch the damned adverts. The reason Netflix has such a huge market share and customer base is that customers hate ads more then they hate outdated or slow to update content. Are you blind? WAKE UP!
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5 years later and HULU is still terrible
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Re: 5 years later and HULU is still terrible
- and five years from this day - March 25, 2020 - I shall return to this forum and remind the world that Hulu continues to suck balls.
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Hulu is just ok. Also tired on ads.
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Hulu suck Netflix is better
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do your jpb and entertain me.
should adopt this policy. FIX IT OR IT's AOL for you all.
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Hulu
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dropping hulu
didn't do that.
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Hulu is still the best option
It is one of the closets things to regular TV, with the newest episodes coming out each week I would definitely recommend Hulu for only $7.99 a month, you probably pay more for a Starbucks coffee. You can get two weeks free if you sign up here: http://hulu.com/r/ocjVSA
That's what I did and if you don't like it you can cancel before the two weeks are up and wont owe anything, but its really cheap anyways at only $7.99 a month.
If you really don't want commercials is only like $12 / mo - Like two Starbucks coffees.
There's also Netflix for those of you who really hate commercials. It more for older seasons of shows and all kinds of interesting movies. It's great cause you can just sit for hours on a lazy day and watch a whole season if you want to. You can sign up here for a month free, $7.99 a month, and cancel at any time as well: https://signup.netflix.com/
I personally have both and love them a lot. I don't have cable, which is four times more expensive than both of these. Plus nothing is ever on TV, but with Hulu and Netflix you can always find something.
If your getting rid of cable, I would get both, or at least start with Hulu because it's the most similar to regular TV.
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Re: Hulu is still the best option
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Hulu+ censors all the cool shows, movies, and barely has all the seasons, buffers all the time
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Hulu can't keep a steady stream if their company depended on it, which it should!
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