# Say goodbye to free Hulu **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186 "2016-08-08T21:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/21 "2016-08-09T20:29:34Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Hulu was free? I’ve been paying since I got it. The free tier started out okay, but quickly declined to little more than a “sampler” option - most shows had only one or two episodes available (amid a bucketload of teasers, backstage visits and all that useless blither) and the selection got more and more limited. It had a few things if you were just “looking for something to watch” but it was really just the storefront windows for the paid service. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/22 "2016-08-10T03:22:11Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > I didn’t realize that - thanks for calling it out. I watched the last season of the Flash on Hulu. Apparently I’ll either have to watch next season on [CWTV.com](http://CWTV.com), or else I’ll have to wait until the season is over and then binge it on Netflix. > > Incidentally, until recently I never realized that Hulu is co-owned by Disney, Fox, and Comcast – maybe that explains why it has their shows, but not CBS. [Time Warner also just acquired 10% of Hulu](http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/time-warner-hulu-investment-1201829514/), and [they own half of the CW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW) (along with the CBS corporation), so maybe that will make it possible to revive Hulu’s deal with the CW? But I’m not sure if the terms of the CW’s Netflix deal preclude that. They have some CBS shows, especially popular stuff that is finished like CSI. But they also have all of Elementary through season 4, which is coming back for a 5th season. But none of the NCIS shows anywhere. And i wouldn’t count on CW shows making it back on Hulu. Netflix gets to stream them overseas right after they air in the US, so I would bet no one gets to stream them here before Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Deser2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@Deser2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deser2)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/23 "2016-08-12T17:33:53Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > I didn’t realize that - thanks for calling it out. I watched the last season of the Flash on Hulu. Apparently I’ll either have to watch next season on [CWTV.com](http://CWTV.com), or else I’ll have to wait until the season is over and then binge it on Netflix. > > Incidentally, until recently I never realized that Hulu is co-owned by Disney, Fox, and Comcast – maybe that explains why it has their shows, but not CBS. [Time Warner also just acquired 10% of Hulu](http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/time-warner-hulu-investment-1201829514/), and [they own half of the CW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW) (along with the CBS corporation), so maybe that will make it possible to revive Hulu’s deal with the CW? But I’m not sure if the terms of the CW’s Netflix deal preclude that. Hulu was originally created as the networks’ answer to Netflix. The major network heads above met and decided they should all go in on the joint venture to save television from the evils of Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/24 "2016-08-14T17:03:38Z")
Youtube is so much for better for me than paying $11.99 for Hulu. You can watch all types of program on Youtube ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/25 "2016-08-14T17:05:51Z")
> [@cg16](#): > > Youtube is so much for better for me than paying $11.99 for Hulu. You can watch all types of program on Youtube You can watch “all kinds of programs” on nearly all of these options. If you’re looking for moving pictures to fill your screen, there’s no need to ever pay for anything. If you’re looking for specific content, or content that is of current vintage, or content that is complete… you pretty much have to pay someone, somewhere for it. ---
**Author:** ![cg16](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@cg16](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cg16)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/26 "2016-08-14T17:15:16Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > You can watch “all kinds of programs” on nearly all of these options. If you’re looking for moving pictures to fill your screen, there’s no need to ever pay for anything. > > If you’re looking for specific content, or content that is of current vintage, or content that is complete… you pretty much have to pay someone, somewhere for it. On youtube I can watch Sports Sitcoms Movies Documentaries Old Talk shows from 60’s and 70’s Old Game shows from the 60’s and 70’s Old Newcasts from the 80’s Music Videos Can I do that on Hulu? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/27 "2016-08-14T18:18:27Z")
> [@cg16](#): > > On youtube I can watch > > Sports > Sitcoms > Movies > Documentaries > Old Talk shows from 60’s and 70’s > Old Game shows from the 60’s and 70’s > Old Newcasts from the 80’s > Music Videos > > Can I do that on Hulu? Yes. Certainly on Hulu+Roku or most of the other streaming platforms. However, if live sports have come to YT, it’s news. (Also, if current news has come to the Tube, ditto.) YT does not, AFAIK, have complete runs of most shows, nor any but a relatively low tier of movies. So again, if “television” to you means “flip on the screen and find something, anything to watch” YT is probably great. If you’re of a mind or age or interest to watch more selectively, with an idea in mind before you light up the screen, YT and (formerly free) Hulu are pretty hit or miss. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/28 "2016-08-14T22:00:54Z")
Having a Roku or Amazon FireTV type device is _way_ better than a smart TV. If something goes wrong with it, you just replace the device, not the whole TV. E.g., one thing that can go wrong (and will become quite common) is getting malware. (These are Android or similar devices.) Malware on a smart TV will just kill it. It’s dead Jim. Also, some smart TVs listen all the time and send who knows what audio back home (and to anyone else that can eavesdrop). Some even have a camera. (Think about the implications of that.) There are voice remotes available for the FireTV products, but you have to push the microphone button for it to start listening. (It clearly can’t listen all the time since that would drain the battery in no time.) Echos/Taps are different, of course. The Amazon FireTV (not the Stick) has the option of using wireless or wired (Ethernet) Internet connections. The wired connection is much better, IMHO. The Stick is officially wireless only, but mine is now wired.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/29 "2016-08-14T22:35:33Z")
I agree. I’ve been very unimpressed with most smart TV implementations - the software and interface is clunky, badly organized, rarely extensible or configurable, and just in general reminds me of old-school cable interfaces. Save money on the TV and buy a $50 device with the opposite of all those issues. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/30 "2016-08-15T15:44:14Z")
The newest Rokus are also available as sticks that plug into the HDMI socket on the TV. It has a mini-USB cable for power, but our new TV has a socket for that, too, so the Roku ends up being invisible and in effect cordless. I’m thinking about replacing my older Roku2 and Roku3 with sticks now. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186/31 "2016-08-15T15:50:40Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > The newest Rokus are also available as sticks that plug into the HDMI socket on the TV. It has a mini-USB cable for power, but our new TV has a socket for that, too, so the Roku ends up being invisible and in effect cordless. I’m thinking about replacing my older Roku2 and Roku3 with sticks now. There was some limitation to the stick that made me glad I had a box instead. Have to look again - our Roku is still good but I understand the newer ones are much faster. (Our also rolls over and crashes every few days, although putting it on a timer that powers it off for a few minutes in the wee hours has helped that.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-goodbye-to-free-hulu/762186.md?page=1)