Why Hulu Could Kill LOST, Heroes, House, SNL & Family Guy

Monday, August 31st, 2009 by Andy Beal

Why Hulu Could Kill LOST, Heroes, House, SNL & Family Guy

There’s just one problem with the chart below:

If correct, cable companies are likely losing millions of subscribers that are instead getting their TV fix from online sources, such as Hulu. The problem? Online TV watching doesn’t generate anywhere near the revenue of cable programming.

If we all switch to watching TV via Hula et al, what happens to the quality of the programming? If we continue down this path, we’d better figure out a way to make online video ads successful–and fast–or we may see the end of quality shows such as LOST and House.

Social Media Monitoring in Just 60-Seconds. Guaranteed!

Similar Stories in: Video | Forward: Email This Post

Share this post

7 comments on “Why Hulu Could Kill LOST, Heroes, House, SNL & Family Guy”

Josh Braaten Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 11:07 am

I’d gladly see 80% of television programming go off air. Just don’t touch the Family Guy and a few others!
Josh Braaten´s last blog ..Internet Meetups for Minneapolis, St. Paul and Beyond
Terry Howard Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 1:35 pm

The problem is these people running Hulu are about as clueless at advertising as it gets. I watched 3 hours of programming on Hulu this weekend and I saw 2 different commercials, for the same product, at EVERY break. It wasn’t targeted to the show and it’s demographics, it wasn’t targeted to me as a registered and signed in viewer, it wasn’t targeted in any way shape or form, other than this was the product they were going to be promoting on Hulu today, as far as I could discern. That’s just a colossal waste of eyeballs. In that time I would have gladly consumed as much as 12 different pitches from as many advertisers, and you could have zeroed in on my interests, sex and age.

What is it about the word “Internet” that makes otherwise smart people turn into utter morons?
Terry Howard´s last blog ..Commissioner Infantini Wrong on Parking Meters
Michelle Greer Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 1:42 pm

I don’t need cable to see any of these shows. How would they go away?
Michelle Greer´s last blog ..Marketing Campaigns that Spread Themselves
Cory Huff Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 1:42 pm

I’d have to agree with Terry Howard. I can’t believe the folks running Hulu haven’t (apparently) tried to figure out targeted advertising. They could make a killing.

In the mean time, I’ll continue not paying for Cable. Thanks Internetz!
Cory Huff´s last blog ..6 Reasons to Sign Up for The Abundant Artist Email List
Será que o Hulu Vai Matar a Televisão? | Mulher Gostosa e Cultura Pop em New York City - Speakorama.com Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 1:51 pm

[...] Esse gráfico mostra como Hulu já é um sério concorrente a companhias de TV a cabo nos EUA. O temor dos caras é que se houver essa mudança, programas de televisão não lucrarão tanto com anúncios de internet como eles lucram com anúncios na TV o que pode, no pior caso possível, arruinar séries de qualidade como Six Feet Under, Sopranos e todas essas outras da HBO. [MP] [...]
Aaron Manley Smith Says:

August 31st, 2009 at 8:45 pm

Product placement away . . . Heck, Heroes is already a Sprint and Nissan commercial.
Travis Siegel Says:

September 8th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

Saying Hulu will kill good tv is the same as all these folks swearing up and down that ebooks would kill the publishing market. Has it happened? No. Is it likely to happen? No. Why? People want ebooks for different reasons than paper ones, and the same applies to hulu and cable. Different people want different delivery systems for different reasons, and as long as there are folks w/o highspeed internet, people who don’t know how to download video encoders, and other things besides, then cable will still have it’s market. Besides, just like paper VS. ebooks, some folks just don’t want to sit in front of their computer to watch shows. Relax folks, there’s nothing here to be alarmed about, so go find a good show, and settle down to watch it in whatever medium you like.

Marketing Pilgrim