One of the main questions that arose with Hulu’s announcement of its premium service, Hulu Plus, was whether or not the $10 per month subscription fee would provide for a commercial free viewing experience. It does not. The monthly fee basically gives subscribers access to entire back catalogs of shows from participating networks.
Speaking with Om Malik, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar remarked that his company would be willing to explore an even higher-priced premium plan that axed commercials, assuming there’s enough demand for it.
His argument is basically that there are several models for traditional TV—free over the air major networks supported by ads, premium channels like HBO supported by subscription fees, and cable networks that are supported both by subscription fees and ads. So it appears that Hulu Plus is going the route of cable networks, albeit with shows normally found on major networks.
While $10 per month for Hulu Plus seems like a decent enough deal, it’d seem even sweeter if it meant being able to watch the shows without ads. And in case you hadn’t noticed, you can’t just skip over Hulu ads by moving the video player’s progress bar—you’re stuck watching them, like it or not.
Assuming there’s a demand for commercial-free viewing, it’ll be interesting to see how much people are willing to pay. My initial feeling is that Hulu would price it at $20 per month if it’s feeling a bit adventurous, or $25 per month if it’s feeling downright crazy. Pricing it at $15 per month would probably win over the greatest amount of converts from the $10 per month plan, but it seems odd that Hulu would offer plans priced that closely together.
More on Techland: Hulu Plus: Every Episode from Every Season for $10 Per Month