Mass Expirations at Hulu?
Online video enthusiasts have been excited about the launch of Hulu, including myself - since it’s original beta period. Now as an official ‘hulu addict,’ I have to tell you today something doesn’t seem quite right.
Looking at several new series, I noticed a large number of episodes are expiring in the very near future - hours and several days at most. What’s going on - load ‘er up for the launch and then take back the goods? I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come to a site of which I’m so fond.
Related Link: hulu: Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free.
From hulu.com –
Q : How come some videos expire off of Hulu?
Our content availability goals are aligned with those of our users: to get as much content as possible and to keep it all up permanently. How many episodes we are able to post and how long we’re able to keep them on the site depends on streaming clearances granted by our content providers. We work with them constantly to try to secure more, and they’ve been great about working on our behalf to reach into their vaults.
There isn’t one single reason why a show might expire off of the site. Streaming clearances can be limited by any number of legal or business agreements that differ from show to show. Music clearances, impending DVD sales, syndication sales - these are just a few reasons why an episode might expire.
It’s just as painful for us as it is for you when we have to expire a video as they are the heart of our business, so know that we’re working hard all the time to continue to expand streaming clearances.
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I wonder if the shows you are watching are getting ready for a DVD release and therefore are geting pulled?