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by Retric 3052 days ago
Hulu is an absolute failure compared to Netflix with 14.5% paid subscribers and even the absolute free tier gets under 1/2 of Netflix's viewership.

HBO go is struggling and heavily dependent on dwindling cable subscribers to keep HBO viable.

Amazon video is similarly subsidized by Amazon. Treated more as a loss leader than a profit center with ~1/3 million of Netflix's subscribers even though it's included with an Amazon prime subscription.

Netflix does not have total dominance, but with a solid track record of original content and a massive subscriber base they are becoming harder to beat over time.
2 comments
JauntTrooper 3052 days ago
Does Hulu have a free tier anymore? I thought they discontinued it.

HBO seems to be doing fairly well. They have ~5 million online subscribers, up from 2 million in Feb. 2017. That's small potatoes vs. Netflix's 117+ million subscribers, but it's a nice growth rate for a premium product. We don't have cable and are happy subscribers to both HBO and Netflix.

It's funny you don't even mention Apple. We used to buy seasons of TV shows off of Apple when they weren't available elsewhere, but don't anymore because we can't watch them on our Roku (at least I don't think we can).

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dralley 3052 days ago
HBO is fairly profitable and Netflix isn't. That is a pretty important data point when comparing the two IMO.
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Retric 3052 days ago
Netflix has had steady profits over the last several years. It's sub 10%, but that's particularly relevant when it's both growing and investing in new content.

HBO's has higher profit margins, but lower revenue. Further, being tied to Time Warner complicates the issue, without cable HBO would fail. So it's in a race to add subscribers fast enough to keep up with cord cutters.

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technofiend 3051 days ago
Hulu is a non-starter for me for the same reason I'm cancelling Google's Youtube TV: mandatory commercials. Netflix, Amazon Prime with the Starz and HBO uplifts yields more programming than you can reasonably consume and is cheaper than cable. People like me will keep Netflix in business as long as they try to keep some kind of compelling content available.
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Retric 3051 days ago
Hulu without commercials costs 12$/month: https://www.hulu.com/nocommercials

It's really a content issue for me as last few times I checked they had nothing worth watching that I have not already seen.

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technofiend 3051 days ago
Even with the upcharge there are simply less commercials on hulu, not zero. So says their FAQ - https://help.hulu.com/s/article/included-in-no-commercials-p...

A small number of shows are not included in our No Commercials Add-on. You can still watch these shows, however, they will play with a short commercial before and after each episode.

While the list of shows may change, they are currently: Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scandal, Grimm, New Girl, and How To Get Away With Murder.

And then on top of that it's a wasteland content-wise as you stated.

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Retric 3051 days ago
Fair enough.

It's not eye bleed territory, but it would piss me off if I had any interest in watching those shows and paying for a 'commercial free' experience.

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