With the escapade of digital madness in this modern era, the means and modes of entertainment are also revolutionizing in a unique way. Shifting from the television set in the drawing room, eyes are now often seen glued to Smartphones or tablet screens. The mobility of entertainment has been so flexible nowadays that one does not have to cut their dosage short on drama and fiction.
The rise of video streaming applications has been phenomenal in the last two years. From ages 5 to 50, the names of the big players are known to one and all. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Crackle, Zoodle, Blarp and so many more come next in this list. But the dominance in the world of digital entertainment is captured by two monarchial streamers, Netflix and Hulu.
Excavating deep down into Hulu streaming guide, the inception of this popular streamer takes back to one of its biggest hit, The Handmaid’s Tale, which was not just massively popular but was also critically acclaimed. Surpassing with a whopping statistics of 20 million subscriptions earlier this year, Hulu has been a silent race winner alongside Netflix. Gaining notoriety with programs like Harlots and The Looming Tower, Hulu came into news and popularity so much so that today it is directly being compared with Netflix and the revelations are pretty interesting!
Did you know that Netflix was originally kicked out of the Cannes Film Festival? Well, yes! Gaining supremacy with original series and movies, today Netflix stands out as a sovereign ruler in the world of streaming videos. Although, recently due to some financial issues they might tone down on original content but none the less Netflix plans of a gigantic figure of having 700 original series in totality this year.
The ubiquity of both the video streaming applications is undeniable and the choice between the two can be slightly dicey for subscribers. To help all those who have an unquenchable hunger for entertainment here is a direct side by side comparison of both Netflix and Hulu. Find the best one for you and solve the paradox on the basis of the subscription price, TV show selection, ease of use, etc.
The First Impression of UX (User Experience)
Contents
If you look into the tv guide for Hulu, you would also find there that in comparison with Netflix, Hulu has much less complex programming. With neat and clear dissected sections of shows and movies in drop-down categories, it makes easier for the users to hit for their choices rather than searching through larger libraries.
The highlights of new episodes and movies as soon as they’re released are immediate to help you trail with the continuation of the respected shows and movies of your preferences.
Due to the complex programming, Netflix has a bulk content overloading on its web page interface and clutters it up with multiple shows and movies. This pushes the viewer to go separately in the search button and type in their preferred show or movie. The flaunting style of its expansive section can be well understood for Netflix but advertising customs can be moderated for better.
The Microeconomics of Subscription Rates
Going by the facts stated out in tv guide for Hulu, it has mainly three subscription plan; No Commercials, Limited Commercials, and Hulu with Live TV. The No Commercial plan comes for $11.99 a month and lets you enjoy your favorite shows without the interruptions of any commercials.
The Limited Commercials plan demands for $7.99 a month and is known to be very popular among their subscription plans. The Hulu with Live TV (currently in beta) comes for $39.99 a month and can literally make you think twice before availing it. But the leverage of watching live and on-demand television from 50-plus channels will tempt you in satanic ways!
The three categorized subscription plan works the same for Netflix; Basic, Standard, and Premium. With a charge rate of $7.99 a month, the Netflix Basic plan permits you to have one screen at a time and download content for the same as well. The HD viewing plan that permits two screens (or two devices) is the Standard plan that costs $10.99 a month. And finally, the ultra HD four screen sharing Premium plan comes for $13.99 a month.
The Show Library
The basic purpose of Hulu to make viewers catch up on their favorite television shows remains the same today. NBC, CBS, Fox programs, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Starz, Viceland, BBC America, PBS, are all accessible on Hulu. Other than these, the critically acclaimed Hulu shows for which it has earned undoubted popularity from viewers are The Handmaid’s Tale, Marvel’s Runaways, and Future Man.
With the attraction of formatting in-house productions and international co-produced Originals shows, Netflix steals the spotlight here without a single hunch of doubt! Stranger Things, The Crown, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are examples of such record-breaking Original series from the Netflix house of productions. Additionally, Netflix takes a few steps ahead of Hulu with famous cross-nationality TVs shows as well. Marseilles, 3%, and Suburra: Blood on Rome are namely a few notable ones. The engrossing documentaries are also worthy of mentioning here too.
The Filmy Affair
When it comes to film streaming, Hulu was a late arrival in this genre but the momentum was picked up pretty sooner with the addition of few of the best hand-picked films. Although the popularity of movies on Hulu is not that much into buzz, the exhibitory collection of classic Hollywood cult movies like Carrie, The Matrix, and Taxi Driver makes Hulu boast in comparison to Netflix.
Netflix with its outsized library of films obviously has much to pride take in than Hulu. With more than 100 Netflix original films the repute Netflix holds today is pretty concrete. The mixed genre collection of comedies, dramas, and documentaries, is where viewers have multiple numbers of options to feed them on unlimited entertainment and drama. Hits like Beasts of No Nation, Gerald’s Game, Okja and so many more will make opting for Netflix a reflex action!
The debate between choosing either of the two seems to be never-ending and the war continues for as long as each one of them keeps improvising for stiffer competition. But the dissecting study of both the video streaming applications based on various determinants will give you a better idea of choosing between Netflix and Hulu for your daily dosages on entertainment for sure.