The newest Hulu on the iPad rumor is not good news.  Although reports indicate that Hulu probably will make it’s way to the iPad (which is a good thing), it most likely will come at a price.  Peter Kafka of All Things Digital reports that Hulu execs are exploring scenarios for bringing some version of Hulu to the iPad, and the most likely is a subscription service.  While you may not like this option, it might be your only choice.

For those of you thinking why would I pay for Hulu when I can just go to their site and watch for free?  Unfortunately it’s not an option.  People familiar with Hulu and Apple know that Hulu runs on Flash, and Apple’s mobile devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad) don’t support Flash. Going to Hulu’s site will yield disappointing results – videos won’t load.

According to Kafka’s report, Hulu’s site actually looses money.  Hulu has been free since it’s launch in 2008 and it’s broadcast owners want to figure out a way to turn a profit.   One idea from Hulu exec’s is to turn Hulu from a free one screen service (your computer) to a three screen service (computer, TV, and mobile devices) that would require a subscription.

EverythingiCafe says that as soon as people start having to pay to watch on Hulu, they will flock to other free sources. Would you be willing to pay for Hulu on the iPad?  For now, we can only wait, sift through the rumors, and hope that the iPad/Hulu story has a happy ending.

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