Hulu signs NBCUniversal, affiliates for imminent live TV service

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in General Discussion
Hulu on Monday annouced a deal to bring NBCUniversal on board for its upcoming live TV service, securing the last of the four major U.S. broadcast networks plus its associated specialty channels, such as Syfy and Telemundo.




The service will now launch with over 50 channels, Hulu said. Some other NBCUniversal offerings will include Bravo, USA, E!, Sprout, CNBC, MSNBC, and NBCSN.

Various local NBC and Telemundo affiliates will be on tap as well, but at first just in five or six major markets. Coverage should improve on a weekly basis, according to TechCrunch.

The new Hulu service could debut as soon as this month and cost under $40 for a package that also bundles a full slate of on-demand material -- an industry first. A separate live-only tier is supposedly under consideration.

Other features may include cloud DVR support, joining rivals Sling TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. Full DVR functionality -- even fast-forward -- could be a paid extra.

Initial platforms will include the Apple TV, iPhones and iPads, Android devices, and Microsoft's Xbox. Other options such as Roku and PlayStation will likely follow in short order if they're not ready at launch.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    Apple, give up while you're way behind. /s
    But seriously, why has Apple failed to sign the 4 main broadcast networks, Eddy?! 
    SpamSandwichcali
  • Reply 2 of 15
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,402member
    Why the heck can't Apple get this done? What is Eddy Cue paid to do!?


    calidoozydozen
  • Reply 3 of 15
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Isn’t Hulu a jointly supported online platform by the major networks already? The biggest problem I have with Hulu is their audio which is strictly 2 channel PCM. I subscribe to the higher tier with no or limited advertising.
    mike1
  • Reply 4 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Why the heck can't Apple get this done? What is Eddy Cue paid to do!?


    I wonder the same thing over and over. They need to fire some people if they aren't getting the job done.
    cali
  • Reply 5 of 15
    stanthemanstantheman Posts: 332member
    For Apple, the key is somebody=anybody getting a great TV subscription package online to compete with the cable monopolies. Apple earns its profit by selling the devices over which the video content is streamed: iPhone, iPad, AppleTV.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,904member
    If Hulu can keep package cost under $40 than it can snatch customers from other 4 TV streaming services.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,796member
    Yeah I don't understand why they can't get something done. Maybe its because they want what providers aren't willing to give, which is a-la-carté service instead of a small package deal. I'd rather they go for the small package deal and then work into a-la-carté. At this point, something is better than nothing! 

    Maybe Apple will have something to release at WWDC next month. 
    califrankie
  • Reply 8 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    My best guess is that content/programming providers don't want to be captive to Apple, which would be foolish IMO.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,904member
    Why we think if Apple has not offered TV streaming service so Apple is ignorant about it ? Apple have lot smarter people and access to experts than many of us who comments jibber-jabber. Apple is opportunist like every business and if business model dictates than Apple will offer TV streaming service..
    mike1
  • Reply 10 of 15
    rezwitsrezwits Posts: 877member
    AT&T (DriectvNow) is Apple competitor tho, so they have given up the goose... they're not going to compete against AT&T... unless Apple wants to get into the Wireless Phone space, and ISP business which they just aren't going to do...
  • Reply 11 of 15
    rwesrwes Posts: 200member
    I'm excited/curious to see how things play out.

    As a current Netflix + Hulu + Sling subscriber, I'd wouldn't mind combining services, if it made financial and usability sense.

    Here's to hoping...
  • Reply 12 of 15
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,273member
    lkrupp said:
    Isn’t Hulu a jointly supported online platform by the major networks already? The biggest problem I have with Hulu is their audio which is strictly 2 channel PCM. I subscribe to the higher tier with no or limited advertising.
    Yep. I believe NBC is one of the owning networks. For Hulu, signing up most of the networks was not a big deal and probably doesn't cost much. Much like owning a car and deciding to turn on the air conditioning. You already own it, might as well use all the features.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    spice-boyspice-boy Posts: 1,450member
    Apple blew this big time. They thought they could muscle the networks into submission without realizing that alternatives were cropping up all around them Apple will eventually cave to the big 4 networks, pay more than the networks offered before and be late to the party. 
    frankie
  • Reply 14 of 15
    thisisasjthisisasj Posts: 64member
    macxpress said:
    Yeah I don't understand why they can't get something done. Maybe its because they want what providers aren't willing to give, which is a-la-carté service instead of a small package deal. I'd rather they go for the small package deal and then work into a-la-carté. At this point, something is better than nothing! 

    Maybe Apple will have something to release at WWDC next month. 
    Apple wanted two (major) changes to the cable bundle model: à la carte channel choices, and lower pricing per channel to make the à la carte model make sense. Content providers didn't want to move into streaming in the first place but opted for the cable bundle model in order to not damage existing relationships with cable providers.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    dantheman827dantheman827 Posts: 114member
    At this price I just don't get it... I can get cable for $30-40 on top of my internet connection, why would I pay for this? I have a HD Home Run Prime paired with a NAS so I get my DVR functionality, but I can also do whatever I want with those recordings... Convert to MP4 while removing commercials, burn them to DVD/Blu-Ray, whatever I feel like. I can even stream live TV anywhere using Plex. I can almost guarantee that you won't be able to download or record the content from Hulu without any DRM...
    doozydozen
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