Hulu is quite simply one of the best ways to watch TV on the internet. In fact, in some ways, Hulu offers a better viewing experience than old fashioned TV. For example, you tend to have just 2-3 minutes of commercials to put up with when watching a one hour (or rather, 42 minute) program on Hulu, instead of 18 minutes of advertisements.
But partly for that reason, FOX, NBC, ABC, and the other content networks that are supplying Hulu with a steady stream of TV shows and movies aren't making as much money from the site as they do when that content is viewed on TV. And according to FOX News Corp deputy chairman Chase Carey, one way to address that issue is to start charging for Hulu content. '
Now, before you freak out, it's not entirely clear at the moment exactly what content would be moved behind a paid firewall. It's unlikely that Hulu would require users to pay to watch everything on the site. But it is possible that some exclusive content could be available only to paying subscribers or one-time viewers.
Of course, it's possible that the forces behind Hulu could go all out and treat itself like a cable network, requiring users to pay to view anything on the site -- at which point Hulu's audience would sharply decline while internet piracy would shoot up.
What do you think? Is there some content you would pay to see on Hulu? Or are you already paying for that content from iTunes, Amazon, or other internet video distributors?
