The Revolution of Hulu and its Cultural Impacts on Society

By Aubrey Lee

Introduction:

When was the last time you honestly went out to the store and bought a movie because you wanted to see it,  paid extra to get a special package with Comcast so you could watch your favorite shows, or even missed a lunch date, class, or even work because the show you have been waiting to watch all week was on? Think about it, we all do it, there is no denying it. Hulu has made it possible for people all over the United States to get around all of these variables without paying a cent.  The usage these media sources that we normally turn to, such as television, DVD's, radio and Internet, is becoming less and less relevant to ,media consuming, America.  This decrease in usage of these sources is because of the development of video streaming sources, such as Hulu which offer an all-included service.

A Hulu Comercial

What is Hulu and what does it offer?

Hulu, launched March 12, 2008, is an accessible, easy to use, free of charge, video streaming website described by Wikipedia (2011), as a website and over-the-top (OTT) subscription service offering ad-supported on demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and many other networks and studios. Hulu's popularity has only grown since it was developed.  According to Sorkin and Merced (2010) of time Magazine, "The company has long been believed to be second only to YouTube in terms of online viewers" (para 13). Not to mention its "Top-Shelf" quality film choice, which is what makes it differ from YouTube. (Stack, 2008) It is available only in the United States, as well as its oversea territories, and can be accessed at any time.  When the site is opened you are immediately exposed to all that the site has to offer and can simply browse though the Recent Episodes, Popular Clips, Movies, Shows as well as Featured Content which consist of a large amount of options for your viewing pleasure. You may choose whatever your heart desires whether it be a movie, the most recent episode of Glee, House, The Office or a trailer for an upcoming movie that you are interested in. You name it and it is almost guaranteed that Hulu or Hulu Plus has it ready to watch at the click of your mouse.

A screen shot of "recently added episodes" on Hulu.com

What is Hulu Plus?

Hulu Plus is not a replacement of Hulu and  according to Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu (2010), is a revolutionary ad-supported subscription product that is incremental and complementary to the existing Hulu service. It was added to the Hulu family in 2010 and can be accessed with a monthly subscription fee of just $9.99.  It works in the same ways as Hulu but offers much more. By being subscribed to Hulu Plus vs just Hulu the advantages are numerous. Access to full episodes of, not only recent shows but shows that are no longer being aired on TV, 70 Hulu Plus only shows, limited advertising, and HD when available. Also, Hulu Plus can be accessed on multiple media devices such as a laptop, smart phone, tablets, gaming counsels, and smart TVs.  (Hulu Blog, 2010)

A walk-though video of Hulu Plus provided by www.Hulu.com

The Problem With Video Streaming

Hulu is based solely on the ability of video streaming.  Video Streaming, according to PCMag.com, is a one-way video transmission over a data network. It is widely used to transmit video clips and movies from the Web to desktopcomputers or directly to the TV set. Although it may seem as if there are not many problems within Hulu, think again. Video streaming alone, whether it is being used to watch a long movie, a short clip or an episode of a show, depends upon other multimedia data. The number of videos that can be streamed at one time are constrained by the requirements of multimedia data which, in turn, requires high transfer rates that not everyone can afford (Waiting-Time, 2010). This comes back to Hulu in a sense, not that affordability is a problem, but the large amounts of multimedia data being streamed through the site can potentially make the video move slower. This is when buffering occurs. According to PCmag.com (2010), buffering is defined as, streaming audio or video from the Internet, downloading a certain amount of data before starting to play the music or movie. (para. 1) Buffering can be extremely frustrating, as the video below entails. 

A funny clip that represents what waiting for buffering is like. 

Hulu Plus vs. Netflix

For those who use video streaming sites that include all of your favorite shows and movies, you have choices to make. Hulu Plus and Netflix are two very similar sites that offer a lot of the same content.  Netflix according to Wikipedia (2011), is an American corporation that offers both on-demand video streaming over the internet, and flat rate online video rental (rental-by-mail) of DVD-Video and Blu-ray Disc in the United States^[4]  and Canada (streaming only). The differences between Hulu Plus and Netflix are small, but they are very comparable.  The maximum price for a Hulu Plus subscription is $9.99 where as the minimum price for a Netflix subscription is $9.00, which isn't a huge difference. However, once a subscriber, HuluPlus offers all episodes of recent shows as well as shows that are off the air.  Where as when a subscriber for Netflix only has access to shows that have past or been taken off of air.  Hulu Plus has a movie library of only 2,000 where Netflix, who has been in the business for much longer has a video library of an extensive 20,000. However, Netflix only offers media in High Definition, whereas Hulu offers media in 720p High Definition Resolution. (PCWorld, 2010) Although, through facts, Netflix may seem more appealing, when it comes to the percentage of overall viewers and subscribers, Hulu is the clear winner as shown by the graph below. 

A graph comparing showing the comparison of Hulu and Netflix subscribers. 

Video Streamings Impact on Todays Society

Since Hulu is accessed online it makes movies, TV shows, and news clips, all available from access point.  This entails that the places in which these things were previously accessed are losing viewers, money, ratings and business.  As media advances, the  dark line between media sources grows lighter and lighter. Madden (2009) clearly states that, "Since 2006, cut backs on regular TV watching and subscriptions have decreased dramatically" (para 17). TV now compares nothing to TV in previous years and decades.  For instance, the percent of TV viewers has decreased dramatically since the invention of video streaming and DVDs, and what was once thought of as one of the largest media advances, TiVo, has now been put lower on the rankings due to the access of media online anytime. (Hardenbergh, 2010) Since there are multiple different ways to access media online, such as Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube, the need for providers such as Comcast and Direct TV goes down. This goes for  According to Comcast.com, Comcast alone can cost $99 a month, plus in order to have access to a Comcast package, you must commit to a year long membership and the prices can vary being more or less than that price.  Also, a single DVD of a movie can cost up to $25 when bought new. Now let me ask you, Why would anyone want to spend this much money on these media devices where Hulu offers the same thing for free or for a maximum cost of $10. Hilderbrand (2010) states that," When a popular movie is released into theatre's, the percentage of people who are unwilling to pay more than $7.00 to see it goes up, therefore these people turn to a source of online video streaming in which they can view the movie for free or for a small wager." (p. 25). Hulu ranges in its variety of media offered, making it appealing to all different kinds of people, whether you like comedy, romance, horror, sports or politics. It is reasons as these that the line between media now and media then is disappearing.  Rose (2009) argues that "Almost anything can be accessed online and displayed on a TV, phone or computer." (para 6) So where are the lines really drawn?

The companies whose sales are being effected from online video streaming.

Scholarly Sources

Healy, C. (2010). Netflix in an academic library: A personal case study. Library Trends, 58(3), 402-411. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

HIilderbrand, L. (2010). The art of distribution: Video on demand. Film Quarterly, 64(2), 24-28. doi:10.1525/FQ.2010.64.2.24

Time predictability analysis of scheduling options in on-demand video streaming. (2010). EURASIP Journal on Image & Video Processing, 20101-20. doi:10.1155/2010/842697

Other Sources

Abell, J. (2011, April 5). Hulu plus 'on track' to reaching one million subscribers this year. Wired. Retrieved April 15, 2011 from http://www.wired.com/epicenter/tag/hulu/

Rose, F. (2009, May12). Hulu, a victim of it’s own success? Wired. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/05/hulu-victim-success

Sorkin, R. (2010, Aug 15). Hulu is said to be ready for an I.P.O. NYTimes. Retrieved April 5, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/technology/16hulu.html?_r=1

Stack, T. (2008, March 21). Five burning questions. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 4, 2011 from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20185419,00.html

Pew Study

Madden, M. (2009, July 29). The audience for online video-sharing sites shoots up. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved April 5, 2011 from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/13--The-Audience-for-Online-VideoSharing-Sites-Shoots-Up/1-Overview.aspx

Websites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulu

http://www.hulu.com/

http://blog.hulu.com/2010/06/29/introducing-hulu-plus-more-wherever-more-whenever-than-ever/

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=streaming+video&i=52139,00.asp

http://www.pcworld.com/article/200246/hulu_plus_vs_netflix_which_is_better.html