Hulu Plus Subscription Service = End of an Era?

The Hulu Plus subscription service officially launched today in a move that many have anticipated ever since Comcast acquired the popular video content website some months ago. As of this afternoon, users can request an invitation for the earliest version of Hulu Plus available to the public by visiting the Hulu website. Here is what you know about what exclusive functions are available to Hulu Plus subscribers, as well as what changes could be in store for existing users of Hulu's free services.

First off, Hulu Plus appears to offer a wide range of new features that allow users to easily access the videos and forums available on the website while they are on the go, particularly over popular mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad. For example, Hulu Plus lets subscribers to pick up on episodes or films that were watching at home or the office on their iPhone over 3G and WiFi. Additionally, Hulu Plus will make most of their content available for streaming at 720p high def.

One of the most important lessons that the evolution of the internet has taught us is that it is virtually impossible to successfully start charging for content once your customers have gotten used to getting it for free. In the past few weeks, some of the top television shows that are available have cut back the number of previous episodes available on to standard users of Hulu, and it appears that the service will be moving much more of their premium content over the Hulu Plus in the weeks and months to come. If Hulu makes the decision to include some of their most popular content only available on Hulu Plus, it seems likely that viewers will simply migrate to the many other sources of content on the web.

When Hulu first began gaining momentum some two years ago, many media watchers hoped that it would provide television networks to continue to earn advertising revenue while giving viewers an opportunity to legally enjoy high quality programming without using an actual television. While it seems likely that heavy users of the most popular mobile devices will take advantage of the Hulu Plus apps, it remains unclear whether this change of direction for Hulu will manage to retain their core users. With much more dynamic tools and services like DVRs and Netflix available for a pittance, one hopes that Hulu will continue to offer a decent selection of programing without a subscription for their more casual users. Otherwise, it is difficult to imagine anyone other than power users migrating signing up for a Hulu Plus account while the rest of the site's users throwing up their hands and walking away.

Sources:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/200094/hulu_plus_subscription_service_streams_tv_for_999_a_month.html;jsessionid=3F024DF67C260480FBA5D77C1F739FEA
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20009205-1.html
http://blog.hulu.com/2010/06/29/introducing-hulu-plus-more-wherever-more-whenever-than-ever/