In an age were people are no longer patient enough to wait for their shows at a weekly rate, people have turned to streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu for their entertainment needs. Netflix, being the original streaming site, has become increasingly less popular than before. Hulu is now living in the spotlight, as it not only gives users the ability to stream current episodes, but has a better selection of movies and tv shows.
When Netflix first took off, users and potential users were ecstatic at the idea of being able to stream all their favorite shows and movies whenever they wanted. However, over time Netflix has removed shows and movies off their site, leaving users upset. Often, shows would be removed without any notice, so anyone watching would be left not knowing how the show continued.
The issue many people have when they compare Netflix to Hulu, is that Netflix isn’t up to date. They only have last season’s episodes, because whole seasons are uploaded at a time, whereas Hulu gets episodes a day after they air. Hulu is more likely to get new movies before Netflix, and in higher quantity. Hulu also allows you to connect to an HBO or Showtime subscription to maximize your selection of shows and movies.
Netflix is inconsistent. It doesn’t keep their shows or movies long enough. San Diego Mesa College student Shauna Jentzsch says, “often I find myself seeing something on Netflix and making a mental note to go back at watch, only to discover it’s no longer there anymore.”
Many people are under the impression that Hulu is only for new shows, and Netflix is for shows that have already aired. But many aren’t aware that this is not the case. Hulu also has full series, such as Full House, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, South Park, Will and Grace, Seinfeld, and many other oldies but goodies that you simply cannot find on Netflix. Netflix originally started out as a way to get DVDs of movies mailed to your home, then they offered a plan featuring direct streaming. Slowly it has become more of a way for people to binge watch shows. However, many shows that are available to consumers on Netflix, are also available on Hulu. No only does Hulu have almost everything Netflix has, but it has more.
The price between the two also differs. While Netflix has multiple different packages, depending on how many viewers you want to be able to stream at the same time, the starting rate is $7.99 but packages differ in price and go up to $10.99. Hulu also offers a variety of different packages, some allowing you to watch live tv as well. The standard rate is $11.99, which allows you to stream on two devices at once. The live tv package is 39.99 a month, and also allows you to stream from their library.
However, the only downfall of watching things on Hulu is having to sit through advertisements. The commercials it features aren’t very long, so if you don’t mind spend 34 seconds watching a random car or drug commercial then Hulu is definitely the better option of the two because of all the options it offers.
