# The death of Hulu may be nigh **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651 "2012-05-02T16:23:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/1 "2012-05-02T16:23:05Z")
Alas: [Hulu To Require Cable TV Subscription](http://www.bangstyle.com/2012/05/hulu-cable-tv/) This is some serious bullshit. I’m too pissed/disheartened at the moment to write a coherent flame, but I wanted to share. Discuss amongst yourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/2 "2012-05-02T16:29:17Z")
Big media has won this round. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/3 "2012-05-02T16:34:45Z")
Open rebellion and salutary lynchings may be the only answer. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/4 "2012-05-02T16:50:51Z")
More people need to ditch their cable subscription. But like a lot of things, too many people bitch about the service while still forking over the bucks every month. As long as iTunes and Netflix are still around, then I’ll continue to shun the cable companies. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/5 "2012-05-02T17:04:29Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > More people need to ditch their cable subscription. I haven’t had cable in 8 years. But there are a number of current TV shows I like to watch on Hulu (Daily Show, Colbert, Parks & Rec, Community, etc.) and if this change goes through I’ll be forced to do something I’ve never done - pirate them (I have pirated music, but never movies/shows). What can I say? The industry drove me to it. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/6 "2012-05-02T17:06:27Z")
So torrents it is then. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/7 "2012-05-02T17:08:18Z")
Many shows are available, for free, at their own websites. You may not have an archive of them, but I’ve watched The Daily Show, The Big Bang Theory, and others directly from the channel. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/8 "2012-05-02T17:10:31Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I haven’t had cable in 8 years. But there are a number of current TV shows I like to watch on Hulu (Daily Show, Colbert, Parks & Rec, Community, etc.) and if this change goes through I’ll be forced to do something I’ve never done - pirate them (I have pirated music, but never movies/shows). What can I say? The industry drove me to it. No, what you need to do is not consume the content if you disagree with the business practice. I got sick of the cable pricing and cancelled it. There were still shows I wanted to watch, but just decided the hell with it. If I don’t find the content online legally, then I just don’t watch it. It sucks at first, but the withdrawal was over quick. BTW, isn’t Comedy Central content available via their website? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/9 "2012-05-02T17:24:01Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > No, what you need to do is not consume the content if you disagree with the business practice. That’s a nice and lofty ideal, and if I held myself to higher moral standards I might adhere to it. But fuck that - Parks & Rec is funny as hell and I want to watch it. I _prefer_ the legal channels but if they are going to piss all over them like this, then I’ll get it however I can. > [@sparky\_1](#): > > BTW, isn’t Comedy Central content available via their website? Yeah, but I don’t think the NBC/Fox shows are (I also watch Family Guy and American Dad). ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/10 "2012-05-02T17:25:58Z")
Like I mentioned above, some of the big networks have their contents on their websites (TBBT and Vampire Diaries are on broadcast, not cable). ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/11 "2012-05-02T17:29:42Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Yeah, but I don’t think the NBC/Fox shows are (I also watch Family Guy and American Dad). > [@KarlGrenze](#): > > Like I mentioned above, some of the big networks have their contents on their websites (TBBT and Vampire Diaries are on broadcast, not cable). OK I retract that - I checked and it looks like the NBC/Fox shows are on the websites after all, which is a bit of a relief. I still liked getting them all in one place, but I can cope. Oh and I don’t get broadcast TV either because I think rabbit ears are fugly and I don’t get good reception with them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/12 "2012-05-02T17:34:20Z")
I ditched DirecTV and watch Netflix and Hulu+ through my Daughter’s Xbox. Hulu+ costs a few dollars a month. If they require a cable subscription on top of the fee, then I quit. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/13 "2012-05-02T17:38:50Z")
I was using broadcast to mean “the big four” or whatever passes for basic cable. My old TV didn’t get reception at all with the bunny ears either. It is a bit confusing, but even Hulu would transfer me to the networks’ websites, automatically (at least for TBBT and Vampire Diaries). ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/14 "2012-05-02T17:48:06Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > That’s a nice and lofty ideal, and if I held myself to higher moral standards I might adhere to it. But fuck that I agree with this attitude. Copyrights exist as a convenient legal construct to “promote the useful arts”, they are not an inherent human right. They exist to make things better for the public, not simply to give copyright holders power over their works. You abuse that power and do stupid things with it, I’m not going to subject people to some moral judgement over how they react to your choice. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/15 "2012-05-02T18:38:29Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I agree with this attitude. Copyrights exist as a convenient legal construct to “promote the useful arts”, they are not an inherent human right. They exist to make things better for the public, not simply to give copyright holders power over their works. > > You abuse that power and do stupid things with it, I’m not going to subject people to some moral judgement over how they react to your choice. Reminds me of this [Wizard of Oz-based anti-‘piracy’ PSA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6gFVygN7Y). Under the copyright laws at the time _The Wizard of Oz_ was released (1939), the copyright was good for 28 years, renewable once, which would have taken them to 1995, after which the movie would have been in the public domain. But in response to a pile of money from outfits like Disney and Warner Brothers, and despite absolutely zero groundswell of support from we, the people, the term of copyright has been extended indefinitely. As Woody Guthrie said, “some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen.” Warner Brothers has stolen 17 years (and counting) of exclusive ownership of _The Wizard of Oz_ from the rest of us, yet is using that movie to admonish us about the wrongness of stealing back. Wonder if the irony even crossed their minds, or whether their sense of ethics goes no further than “he who has the gold, makes the rules.” ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/16 "2012-05-02T19:38:08Z")
Then WTF am I paying for Hulu? We don’t have cable because it’s far too expensive for the service we were getting, and our over-the-air reception is lousy, so we have a $7.99 Hulu subscription. I get my entertainment fix, Comcast gets nothing (from us, anyway), and everyone’s happy, except Comcast. I’d consider going back to Comcast if they somehow managed to offer a super el cheapo package with maybe broadcast channels and some of the more popular basic cable channels. But I’m not paying a metric assload of money for a metric assload of channels I don’t watch and don’t care about. Besides, ISTM (and pretty much every other person who isn’t somehow affiliated with Big Media) that the more they push these nonsense schemes, the more they’re begging for people to steal content. Hell, I’d do it out of spite. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/17 "2012-05-02T19:40:21Z")
Television consumption is quickly evolving into a two-tiered structure. 1) The suckers who pay for cable, and in return get shit on by ever-longer and -louder commercial breaks & increasingly-predatory advertising techniques. They may also be forced to watch a show on a particular time and date if they don’t have a DVR. 2) Everyone else, who torrent exactly what they want, exactly when they want it, ad-free, free-of-charge. If you’re paying for it, you’re essentially paying for those that are crafty enough to pursue alternative, free content-delivery methods. What does paying for cable gain you, but a clear conscience? Is a clear conscience worth the shit content providers are pummeling you with? Because it’s not, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/18 "2012-05-02T19:52:45Z")
Seems like Hulu is basing their model off of regular cable subscribers - i.e. people not already pissed off enough to cut cable and utilize Hulu. They already require people watch ads (even their Hulu Plus subscribers) - I cannot see how this will be a net gain, since their user base is already people who have been sufficiently motivated enough to seek alternatives to paying for cable. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/19 "2012-05-02T19:57:24Z")
Wow, and we were just about to drop cable in favour of Hulu, Netflix and other streaming options. This steaming policy (not a typo there) is going to work in the opposite direction in the house–we’re more likely to drop both cable and Hulu now. Need to learn what this bit torrent is all about. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651/20 "2012-05-02T20:28:04Z")
I ran into this problem with **The Closer**. You can only watch episodes if you sign up with your cable system. But my cable carrier (Time Warner) wasn’t one of the systems taking part. It’s screwed up. However, the networks, especially the broadcast networks, won’t go for this for their shows. You should be able to find shows on their own web pages. It also probably won’t affect Britcoms, which are what I watch on Hulu. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-hulu-may-be-nigh/620651.md?page=2)