A New York Times article published on July 26 details some new changes to the next day streaming of Hulu. Starting Aug. 15, Fox will not allow all customers to watch their shows the following day on Hulu. Next-day streaming will only be allowed for paying customers who subscribe to certain cable or satellite providers that are partnered with Fox. Right now that means only customers with Dish Network will be able to watch the next day on Hulu. Customers will be required to authenticate that they are a paying customer of Dish Network in order to watch. All other customers will have to wait eight days. This is the first time authentication has been used the access Hulu. However, ABC may soon follow suit in requiring authentication. This does not affect those who pay $8 a month for Hulu Plus.
I will admit that with the DVR I rarely if ever use Hulu. However, it seems unfair that Fox has only partnered with Dish Network so far and that only those customers will get to watch the next day. Customers who have cable or satellite are being punished, even though they are paying an unseemly amount each month for the service. Additionally, DVR is not inexpensive and I can see how some people see Hulu as a necessity for watching shows. Also, an eight day delay is a lot in the TV world, especially if you are a fan of certain reality TV shows or like to discuss shows with friends. For example, my friends and I are big fans of So You Think You Can Dance, which is on Fox. If I couldn't watch the show within a day or two and had to wait eight days, I couldn't share my insights with friends before the next performance show.
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