Hulu leak has $5 fee for complete access

Hulu may start charging for some of its content if a Thursday rumor comes to fruition. Reputed insiders say the video streaming site is so far considering two key business models, one of which would charge based on perceived popularity. Ongoing, high-profile shows like 30 Rock and House would cost extra to watch, although it's unsaid to the LA Times whether this would be per-episode or as part of a flat-rate package.

The alternative option would focus on viewing older shows. Under this model, only the five most recent episodes of a given show would be available to watch for free. Viewing older episodes would require a $5 monthly fee, but could include discontinued shows as well as recent titles. At least 20 shows are deemed necessary to make this work, the sources explain.

A spokesperson chose not to comment.

An adoption of a paid model has repeatedly been discussed at Hulu, but little has been said of what it would involve. The site is widely considered successful, as it enjoys some of the largest traffic of any US video site outside of YouTube, but has been the subject of tension among studios as they have been openly uncomfortable with its low ad revenues compared to traditional TV. Hesitation has led to the companies either preferring ad-free but paid models like iTunes or else tactics to discourage customers from switching to Hulu alone. Among these, studios have removed episodes without warning or forced Hulu to block access to its service from any software with a TV-friendly interface, such as Boxee.

The new models if put into practice would potentially achieve a compromise by supplementing ad revenue without deterring the free viewers that have helped build the service's initial share.

By Electronista Staff