Hulu Begins to Make Cable Companies Useless

Can't wait for the DVD release of your favorite show -- or don't feel like spending all that money on DVR? Well, does Hulu having something for you! Just as long as you don't watch stuff on CBS or Comedy Central, of course. The online television site has unveiled Hulu Plus, a $9.99 monthly service that would allow subscribers to watch full seasons of their favorite Fox, ABC and NBC shows on the site without being limited to the last five episodes. Hulu Plus will also open up the archives -- great news for fans of The Pretender -- and be available on both the iPad and iPhone. Though since current users will still be able to use Hulu almost exactly as they do now -- that being, for free -- why the change in business model?

To cut out the middle man! As the Times' Brian Stelter writes, "Bypassing cable and satellite companies, broadcast networks are collecting money directly from viewers and allowing them to watch entire seasons of hit shows." Fantastic! That means the days of waiting on hold with your cable service provider and mindlessly following their automated menu system will soon be a thing of the past... just as long as their Internet service doesn't go out as well.

· Hulu Unveils Subscription Service for $9.99 a month [NYT/Media Decoder]