Dish Network Wants Hulu To Introduce 30 Day Delay For New Episodes
At Streaming Media West conference, Dish Network‘s Online Content Development VP, Bruce Eisen voiced his opinion that Hulu is making it too easy for people to watch new tv network programming, thus giving them less incentive to pay. In fact, Hulu is bad for the future of tv.
“If I can watch Glee tomorrow morning and I don’t have to pay a pay TV service –- I think that’s bad,” Eisen said, the Hulu way is to let viewers watch content as soon as they want, there needs to be 30-day wait after a new show airs on tv. “If people decide that they don’t have to pay for pay TV, then one of the pillars (of the TV industry) starts crumbling,” he continued.
The results of a survey carried out by Altman Vilandrie & Company show that viewers are ditching pay TV subscriptions. The survey shows that 3.9% of people aged 25-34 have dropped their subscriptions, and 20% were looking at doing the same due to online streaming.
It is no surprise that the big pay tv broadcasters both cable and satellite are ‘wetting themselves’ now that the tv arena is becoming more competative and in some cases free. But should they be allowed to change the rules to suit themselves?
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The only thing that will do is raise the demand for fresh episodes and guess who will profit then?
Do you really think that after Dish Network is responsible for this delay, that the consumers would actually buy Dish Network’s product????
The fact of the matter is that when I used a DVR device to record these shows that I like so much from USA network, I skipped right through all the commercials. So I am not seeing any advertising. With Hulu we are at least having to sit through ads. Doesn’t it make sense to post the next day and let the ads roll instead of people like me zipping through them. Sadly, a show like Fairly Legal, which was not really catching my interest is now dead to me. I will not watch in 30 days. That show will probably tank. Bad decision here..
A thirty day delay is only going to hurt the shows. I don’t use DVR services and I have a life, so I am not able to plan my schedule around shows. I have one evening a week and I play “catch-up” with on demand options and hulu. By implementing a 30 day delay I am no longer watching USA shows…period.
Also, a delay like that reduces the trackable numbers for demographic tracking via Nielson/Soundscan (which are only considred viable for 7 days utilizing DVR/streaming/on-demand services) thus reducing advertising dollar demand. Way to shoot yourselves in the foot USA.
USA network is joining the deniers. What strikes me as so strange is that we had a model which worked very well, and which transfers beautifully to the internet: broadcast TV. The implicit deal was that we watched the ads, the ads paid for the shows. I am much more likely to sit through the ads online than I ever was with broadcast. It’s clear what the deal is: double dipping – the satellite and cable companies want there to be revenue from ads AND subscriptions. At least Hulu’s monthly price is reasonable. In any case, messing with availability won’t work, people will just find something else. We’re not going back to cable or satellite because you bully us. The value simply is not there. Even if the basic deal was not outrageously priced, we’re also not stupid enough to ignore the cheating: promise high quality transmissions, then sell off bandwidth to other companies for their traffic, degrading the core product. Get with it or find a new business. Things change.
If you need a specific example, not a theoretical case, then hear this: Covert Affairs is being delayed by 30 days. I’ll watch it in 30 days. I won’t stay up till 10pm on a weekday night to watch a moderately entertaining show, when I could be spending that time either sleeping or being with my spouse. It certainly won’t cause me to call up the company that caused the delay and give them my money. you guys are nuts if you think this can work for you. Truth is, nothing can, you’re basically toast.