Intermission – Paying for Hulu?

It’s been out on the web that Hulu is interested in finding paying customers for it’s content. Considering that everyone is in business to make some kind of return, including those in the entertainment industry, it seems reasonable to me. So I’ve been thinking the past day or so about what I personally would be willing to pay for. I’ve boiled it down to three general options, and all would be would have to have at least one thing in common: simultaneous-release-to-web at the same time as broadcast.

1) A “Plus” package.

This would be Hulu has we know it BUT with a) release to web at broadcast time, and b) a more expansive catalog of shows with deeper/older archives.

I would value this at around $10/month even if it had commercials for Hulu-delivered content.

2) A “Premium” package.

This would include the plus package, a selection of 10-20 local and cable station live simulcasts of my choosing, plus the option of online movies (first 4 free or discounted per month).

I would value this at around $20 even if it had commercials for Hulu-delivered content.

3) An “Ultimate” package, but with some real-teeth.

This would include the premium package but all Hulu-delivered programming would be commercial free after 24 hours after release date, 20-40 local and cable station live simulcasts of my choosing, on demand movies (first 12 free or discounted per month), a catalog of NBA, NFL, and MLB  on-demand replays (up to 7 days) for 3-5 teams of my choice.

I would put this at $30-$40 per month. I would want this to be my ‘digital cable’ that goes with me.