Support NeoGAF

[AnnSwag]

I hope and PRAY that the day will never come when we'll have to be subscribed to "top dollar TV services" in order to use Hulu.

What makes Hulu so successful is that it's FREE, CONVENIENT, and EASILY ACCESSIBLE.
Take away any one of those, and me (along with everyone else) will quickly fade away from their fanbase.


I love Hulu the way it is now, and with the prospect of Disney-owned content, it seems to be getting even better. I just hope that all its success doesn't coax it into signing some contract that ruins it for us users. If it's not broken...don't fix it!

 

[ghstwrld]

Aladdin, please.

 

[gdt]

And it's mostly done.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10301737-1.html

Several of ABC's top shows will soon be available to watch via Netflix's "Watch Instantly" online streaming service. The first four seasons of "Lost" are already available, and they'll be joined in September by "Desperate Housewives" (seasons four and five), "Grey's Anatomy" (season five), and "Legend of the Seeker" (seasons one and two). The deal builds on an earlier agreement to make Disney Channel content available on Netflix (ABC is a division of Disney.)

While most of these programs are already available for viewing online on ABC's Web site, the Netflix deal allows them to be watched on TV screens via a large and growing number of Netflix-compatible home video devices, including many Blu-ray players and home theater systems, some Internet-enabled TVs, the Xbox 360, and the $99 Roku Digital Media Player. The ABC content joins programs from rival networks, including Fox, NBC, and CBS, that have long been available on Netflix. (Disclosure: CNET is a division of CBS Interactive.) The online video streaming--available at no extra charge for Netflix subscribers on the $9 per month or higher rental tier--currently offers approximately 12,000 movies and TV shows.

As far as I'm concerned, this seems like another feather in the cap for Netflix. These sort of serialized dramas are perfect fodder for sequential online viewing. (The final season of "Lost" starts early in 2010, and Netflix subscribers who want to catch up--or start from scratch--can do so at no extra charge.) What's interesting to me is that ABC's making this move, which could potentially lower demand for sales of the same episodes on DVD and iTunes. One wonders how Disney board member Steve Jobs feels about it.

What do you think: Are you excited to see these ABC shows hitting Netflix, or does it just highlight some favorite shows of yours that still remain unavailable?

http://www.contentinople.com/author.asp?section_id=450&doc_id=180009

Lost Streams on Netflix, Hulu
Written by Ryan Lawler
Monday, August 3. 2009 at 10:55 AM EDT 1 comment

ABC Inc. is making more of its content available for streaming on third-party sites, with episodes from Lost now showing up on Hulu LLC and through Netflix Inc. 's Watch Instantly service.

As part of a deal to expand its streaming content protfolio, Netflix announced today that subscribers will now be able to stream episodes of Lost and other content from the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS)-owned broadcaster.

The deal builds upon a previous agreement that the DVD subscription rental firm had inked with Disney, which gave Netflix original content from the Disney Channel, including Hannah Montana.

In addition to the first five seasons of Lost, seasons four and five of Desperate Housewives, season five of Grey's Anatomy, and seasons one and two of Legend of the Seeker will be available through Netflix's streaming service.

But Netflix isn't the only streaming video provider to have Lost available on demand -- now viewers can find episodes of the ABC franchise series available on Hulu, as well. According to a blog post on the Hulu site, viewers will now be able to watch Season 1 of Lost in its entirety, as well as several episodes from season five.

The addition of Lost to Hulu comes after Disney took an equity stake in the long-form online video portal earlier this year. While some ABC content has slowly made its way to Hulu over the last several weeks, those videos have not done as well as some had initially hoped.

But the addition of Lost could change that. The show has been one of ABC's most popular programs, both in broadcast and online, and brings with it a cult of TV fanatics that could migrate from catching up on episodes through ABC.com to watching them on Hulu.

 

[Oni Jazar]

They need to put Wipeout on Hulu.

 

[glistenm]

Technology has finally caught up and I can for the first time ever watch Lost someplace other than through ABC broadcast.

I am truly grateful for this turn of events.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

I'd be a little upset that Hulu only has season 1 and 5 eps of S5 if I didn't have Netflix.

 

[Calcaneus]

This is definitely awesome. Hopefully they put these shows day after as well.

 

[Miau]

Now they just need to make it available outside the US.

 

[fistfulofmetal]

YES FINALLY.

I can watch Daybreak on Hulu!!!

 

[wenis]

Now I am no longer buying season 1 on bluray :lol

 

[SnakeSlashRO]

What is this Hulu everyone speaks of?

 

[TheSeks]

Now they just need to make it available outside the US.

And playable on the PS3.

 

[Windu]

What is this Hulu everyone speaks of?

http://www.hulu.com/

 

[gdt]

http://www.hulu.com/lost

All episodes of S1-S4, and some of S5 are now up.

 

[BlueTsunami]

WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE!