Today I will be talking about
internet television and specifically about Hulu. Although internet television
was around before, it gained notoriety in 1994 when ABC World News began
broadcasting their shows on the internet.
After this pioneering broadcast, there was a steady increase of networks
putting their shows on the internet as well.
The biggest breakthrough of internet television came in 2005 when the
site YouTube began putting videos on their website from many different shows
and networks. People knew that if they wanted to see a clip from a show they
missed that they could easier find it on YouTube.
After
YouTube was somewhat restricted through copyright laws and impending lawsuits,
NBCUniversal and News Corp. had an idea to create an internet television
website that would allow consumers to legally watch their favorite shows and
movies. This idea turned into what is now known as Hulu. Hulu is an internet
television website where people can watch most of their favorite TV shows and
movies for free. Since it’s start on March 12, 2008, Hulu has expanded greatly
and has titles in their libraries from networks such as NBC, ABC, MTV, Comedy
Central, The CW, and Fox. There are many great features such as Hulu Desktop, Time-Based
Browsing, and Recommendation that allow consumers to have the greatest viewing
experience. In addition to television
shows, Hulu also has hundreds of movies, documentaries, and even original
programming that is sure to leave the viewer with plenty of interesting options
to watch.
Recently,
Hulu launched their newest venture called Hulu Plus. This is a
subscription-based service that gives consumers even greater choices of shows
and movies to watch. The service is $7.99/month and also allows consumers to
watch it not only from the computer, but from their video game console,
connected TVs, smart phones, iPods, iPads, and more.
Hulu has
completely revolutionized the concept of internet television. It has given
networks a way to stream their content online without losing revenue or
viewership, and has allowed them to keep up with the fast pace of new media and
technology.
1 comment:
I think that older forms of media inform new media markets about what is popular, what works, and what does not. For example, Internet television sites are able to look at patterns of traditional television and see what consumers like and what they do not. Because of the research on television and its’ consumers, Internet television has created a more personal and enjoyable service that is more focused towards what the consumers want. It has fewer commercials, more personalization, and less switching of channels. Most people focus on how new media forces old media to develop new business strategies to keep up with the changing times, but new media must depend on old media as well. Old media is a great information platform for new media, and will continue to be a starting ground for new media products.
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