Just kidding. You’ll have to pay more than you do already, and you’ll still have to watch commercials. Narf.
Hulu has addressed long-standing complaints about their subscription service that STILL makes you sit through commercials before, after, and during your programming by adding a more expensive plan that almost eliminates all ads during shows. The previous $7.99-a-month plan will now be referred to as the “limited commercials” plan, while the “no commercials” subscription will run you $11.99 a month.
Except that certain first-run network TV shows, such as AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., SCANDAL, NEW GIRL, GRIMM, ONCE UPON A TIME, and more, will still feature ads before and after the program, no matter how much of your hard-earned cash you give them.
And we wonder why everyone just pirates everything these days.
Worse yet, that 12 buck fee is a solid 50% higher than the current rate for Netflix Instant, which is almost entirely ad-free and still features a ton of original/archival TV series (though they struggle to compete for material against Hulu, Amazon, and obviously HBO). Even Amazon Prime, which gives you free two-day shipping on top of ad-free streaming television (and movies), shakes out to about $8.25 a month.
The big draws for Hulu over those two are 1. their original programming, which includes EAST LOS HIGH, DIFFICULT PEOPLE, and new episodes of THE MINDY PROJECT, 2. the vast run of first-run shows, usually online within a day of their airing (though I’ve heard this has become less and less consistent) and 3. a fairly solid collection of Criterion titles in HD (which, if you watch them regularly enough, is a much more budget-friendly option than buying those pricey titles on Blu-ray/DVD). So, even with this option, it’s still a matter of preference between streaming services; dropping 12 bucks a month won’t buy you the world (or even safety from distracting, colorful, mood-killing car insurance and pharmaceutical ads), but if you want what Hulu’s selling, this new plan’s certainly a more convenient way to go about enjoying it.
Sign up for the new No Commercial plan here.
