Gotta love the fine print!
If you go to the link below and look at the "channels" in the bundle, you will
see a link at the bottom that says "channels in your area." So I entered my zip
code and learned that I cannot get live feeds of the broadcast stations in
Gainesville, only certain network programs on demand, as is the case with the
existing Hulu bundles.
This Denver Post article lists the live network feeds available by city, along
with more details about the new service and comparisons with competitors.
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/03/hulu-live-tv-sling/
As expected, the live feeds that are available are almost ALL network owned and
operated stations.
So it looks like the content owners are still struggling with the relationship
with their affiliates, which probably boils down to the portion of the monthly
subscription that the stations will receive for making their live feeds
available to the Hulu live (and other VMVPD services).
Or to put it in a slightly different perspective. ALL local stations now
receive a portion of the retransmission consent fees collected from the MVPDs
that offer their live streams; apparently the broadcast networks are unwilling
to give stations the same revenue split with the new - less expensive - VMVPD
bundles.
OR they may be expecting the FCC to loosen or eliminate the ownership caps...
Could the era of local network affiliates be drawing to an end?
Regards
Craig
On May 4, 2017, at 6:30 AM, Craig Birkmaier <brewmastercraig@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
It's here.
But will Bert subscribe?
Regards
Craig
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/05/03/new-hulu-live-tv-deal-gives-customers-more-options.html
New Hulu Live TV Deal Gives Customers More Options
Published May 03, 2017
Like others before it, Hulu has gotten into the live-streaming TV business
with its new service, Hulu Live TV.
Starting at $39.99 a month, customers can get live content from ABC, CBS,
Fox, NBC and around 50 other channels. Included in the price is Hulu's
current on-demand service, which offers viewers limited commercials. In the
package is also a cloud DVR of up to 50 hours of storage, two simultaneous
streams and the ability to watch on multiple devices, including Apple TV,
iPhone and iPad, Google Chromecast and several others.
Hulu said support for additional devices, including Roku, Samsung smart TVs
and Amazon Fire TV, would be "coming soon."
There are higher-priced offerings which include no commercials, the ability
to have greater DVR capacity and more than two streams going at once.
(Click here for a full list of channels on the package.)
The combination of a subscription service, akin to Netflix, as well as an
over-the-top skinny bundle which includes channels like CNN, Fox News, TBS,
HGTV and more separates itself from Netflix as well as other skinny bundles,
such as DirecTV Now or Sling TV.
“By bringing together thousands of live, on-demand and library shows and
movies -- and serving them up in a uniquely personalized way – Hulu can now
be a viewer’s primary source of television," said Hulu's CEO Mike Hopkins in
a statement. "It’s a natural extension of our business, and an exciting new
chapter for Hulu.”
As part of the offering, Hulu, along with NBC (which owns a silent stake in
the company, along with Disney, Time Warner and Fox) will be the exclusive
streaming service for the popular drama "This Is Us," along with several
other shows, including "Handmaid's Tale," and a new show from Hollywood
heavyweight J.J. Abrams, "Castle Rock," based off a Stephen King novel.
In addition to the 50+ channels, consumers can add Showtime for an additional
$8.99 a month, but not HBO.
The service is still in beta, but is available for consumers to sign up for a
free trial starting today.
FOX properties are owned by Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc.
