FOX shows on Hulu: Questionable Marketing

Hulu is many things: a way to watch free shows, an introduction to plot-points you may have missed during your busy week, and a marketing tool for TV networks and cable companies.

Hulu allows viewers to experience television's newest shows even if they missed them the first time. It's a way to suck in new viewers, or maintain current viewers, by allowing them to catch-up. It's also a way to reduce illegal downloads of shows, while still retaining some financial advantage (after all, we all know Hulu advertises).

Several of the networks are using Hulu in the best way possible: they are releasing shows within 24-hours of their air date. This allows those of us with work, with children, with busy lives, to catch-up when we miss an episode. Many of us would like to watch our favorite shows live but we can't, and Hulu is a legal alternative. Releasing a new episode within 24 (or even 48) hours gives viewers an opportunity to find time in their lives to watch the episode they missed before it is time for the next new episode to air. This increases the likelihood that they will watch the next episode live. Which is, presumably, the ultimate goal of the networks: to have the maximum number of viewers.

FOX is currently making a big mistake. While their new episodes do appear on Hulu almost immediately after airing, they are only available to Hulu Plus members (those people who pay a fee to access Hulu content). These episodes do eventually appear for free, but not until after the next new episode has aired. For many of FOX's shows this is doing more harm than good.

For instance, last week I missed an episode of 'House', a show that I often choose to watch live. I knew that 'House' aired on Mondays on FOX, so I went on Hulu Sunday night to catch-up. Because 'House' is largely plot-driven, missing an episode can be confusing. The previous week's episode of 'House' was still only available to Hulu Plus members--a full six days after airing. Guess when it did become free and available? This morning. After the newest episode of 'House' had aired. Guess who didn't watch 'House' live last night?

Sure I could continue to watch things a week behind, and as a viewer I wouldn't be too upset. But as a network FOX should be. I could easily become one less viewer who's watching their TV show live. And of course there's the separate issue: if content isn't available for free on Hulu there are plenty of other sites where a viewer can easily watch a show they missed. Everyone knows that. And using those sites is definitely not financially beneficial to the networks.

I just double-checked to make sure this wasn't a flux. It isn't. New Girl aired last Tuesday and it still isn't available for free on Hulu Plus. There's a new episode premiering tonight.