Hulu Plus for iPad – Limited by TV Content Licenses
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Just about 3 weeks ago Hulu announced their subscription TV service giving users access to an even deeper set of TV content over a number of new devices, including your iPad.
The new service, dubbed Hulu Plus, has been touted as a service that gives you access to full seasons of your favorite TV shows versus just a few recent episodes that you normally find on Hulu’s free service.
This week Hulu acknowledged that Hulu Plus users on some devices can’t get access to the entire video catalog. Owners of iPads, PS3 consoles and other Hulu viewing devices are finding out they only get a subset of all the video content available on the Hulu website.
But, why are they running into this problem? It’s simple. Anytime you want to provide someone else’s video content you must have the licensing rights to include some of the shows as part of your premium offering. Hulu doesn’t have the licensing for all TV shows and episodes out there.
In addition, the licensing for free episodes doesn’t transfer to Hulu’s $10 monthly subscription. This prevents Hulu from offering their full video catalog via their dedicated apps, such as the iPad app.
If you only use the web version of Hulu Plus, then this doesn’t impact you. You will be able to access both free and premium content. But, given that Hulu is extending their premium service to other connected devices (such as the iPad), it does impact many subscribers out there.
As of now, Hulu has not disclosed when will they provide the complete video catalog via their Hulu Plus service. We haven’t seen any timetable either. Are you planning to use the Hulu Plus service? Share your comments with us.
