Fox to Limit Next-Day Streaming on Hulu to Paying Customers

For a few years, fans have been able to log on to Hulu.com or Fox.com to watch what they missed on television the previous night. For most viewers, doing so is about to get a lot more difficult.

Starting Aug. 15, the Fox network will limit next-day streaming of its shows to paying customers of approved cable and satellite distributors. Those customers will be able to log in and watch episodes of "Bones," "The Simpsons" and other shows the day after they appear on TV; all others will have to wait eight days.

The limitations, announced on Tuesday and bemoaned by fans of Hulu, are a significant change to the online television system. At least one of Hulu's other network partners, ABC, is contemplating setting a similar limit, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.



Episodes of "The Simpsons" will be available to paying customers of approved distributors the day after they appear on TV. 

By putting an eight-day delay in place, Fox is appeasing the distributors and supporting what is known in the TV industry as an authentication model for online streams of shows. Cable channels like ESPN and CNN are implementing a similar model, which requires an individual to authenticate that they are a cable or satellite customer before streaming a show or a channel. Through authentication, traditional distributors hope to keep customers paying for monthly TV service while making it possible to access a wealth of content online. 

Source: New York Times.

[I wonder what the implications are for non-US viewers of this content? How will they authenticate that we are cable customers. An awful lot of cable distributors around the world will need to be signed up to the new agreement. Ed]  

Old media trying to control their losing business model... 

Fox could lose up to a third of web viewers to piracy