Saturday, January 14, 2012

Will They Ever Learn?

I've really about had it with online content providers who use Hulu as a distribution channel. I'm so frustrated that I posted several complaints on their comments page and found I was not alone... not even close. Here's my gripe:
The problem seems to be that the content providers are placing all kinds of silly restrictions on how Hulu can provide their content. Usually it's a matter of requiring me to go to my computer to watch rather than on my nice HD TV or my convenient iPad. 
I don't understand why these content providers want me to stop watching their shows. Because that's exactly what I'm doing. For example, Psych: love it but don't watch it any more because they won't let me watch it WHERE and WHEN I want to. How's that help their revenue model?! Tried to watch the new Fringe today (it aired last night while I was out having a life) but I find that I have to have Dish TV to watch it the next day. Plain old HuluPlus subscribers like myself have to wait a week. Well, I'm not getting DishTV. I'm dropping Fringe. There's only one new show a month or so anyway. How's that help your revenue model, FOX?!!! 
I believe that in this equation, I'm the customer (both of Hulu and the networks). I'd imagine that they are going to need to stop trying to force me to consume content the way they want me to and listen to how I want to consume it or they're going to eventually loose their customers. 
What I really don't get is why they wouldn't want me to watch their content where ever and how ever often I want to. Wouldn't it be better for their advertisers if I could watch on all my devices as often as I want? They need to take a look at a guy like Leo Laporte and his TWIT network. There's a guy who looked at how people consume content and then built his revenue model in such a way as to generate maximum profit... in the real world that is rather than his dream world based on old ways of content distribution and regulation. 
I've really about had it. I might just drop it all and increase my reading diet. I'd probably be better off in the long run.
What do you think? Will they ever get it? Will consumers buckle and revert back to arranging their lives by the network's schedule when there's something they want to watch? Not this consumer. How about you?
UPDATE: Apparently there's still hope for Hulu. I was pleasantly surprised this past week when I logged in on my iPad and discovered that Fringe is now available for viewing on mobile, and I didn't have to wait two weeks. It was available for viewing the day after air. NICE! Good job Hulu/FOX.

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