Do you Hulu?

Look out YouTube, there's a new Web site looking to capitalize on the popularity of Web-based video. Hulu.com is a new venture born of a partnership between NBC/Universal and Fox, along with several other partners, including Sony Pictures. Unlike YouTube however, which features low-quality user-generated content, Hulu serves up high-quality movies and TV shows on demand, for free (the service is ad supported). A typical 30 minute TV show would include 2 15-second promos at the beginning and end, plus one 30-second spot during the show. Advertisers feel that showing fewer ads will make them that much more memorable.



My take? I don't think Hulu.com will change the way people consume entertainment, but I agree with Entertainment Weekly when it said this will be just "one more way" people consume what Hulu calls "premium" entertainment. My only problem is with the assumption that people will accept the advertising model. When I encounter an ad that blocks me from the content I've tried to access, I view it about as happily as a pop-up. I try to close it or fast forward it, and when I can't, I'm not only less receptive to the message, I suddenly have negative feelings for the advertiser.

In an increasingly on-demand world where we can time-shift virtually any content, advertising that is forced is both unwelcome and increasingly antiquated. Although Hulu will suggest their model is permission-based, I think the industry needs to find new ways to reach (and interact with) audiences. Otherwise, solutions like Hulu will be viewed as somewhat less helpful than a DVR that enables millions of viewers to save programs and fast forward through the ads. Watch the video and make up your own mind.