We don’t get access to Hulu.com in Ireland, more’s the pity. However, the world’s largest ad-funded TV show site has begun what is the next phase in the evolution of television. Some have called it the next great experiment of the online TV age. Hulu.com calls it Hulu Plus. The big question is this – will many consumers pay a monthly fee of $9.99 for endless hours of entertainment and vast libraries of older TV shows?
NBC Universal, News Corp. and Walt Disney jointly own Hulu, and will continue to offer ‘free’ content on Hulu.com (supported by ad dollars of course). Hulu Plus will cost $9.99 a month and still come with ads.
Hulu Plus offers all the existing free content on Hulu.com plus multiple seasons of older shows no longer on the air, as well as all the episodes from current seasons of many shows from NBC Universal, News Corp. and Walt Disney, like Modern Family and 30 Rock.
All the Hulu Plus content will be also made available to users of iPads and iPhones. Smart move. The iPad is a device made to watch TV on one’s own.
The percentage of American adult web users who watch full-length television shows online is expected to grow to 72 million in 2011, up from 50 million in 2009, according to eMarketer.

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