This week on TechHive: The end of free Hulu (sort of)

After years of neglecting its free website, Hulu announced that it will kill off free content entirely over the next few weeks. If you want to watch full episodes on Hulu.com, you’ll need an $8 per month subscription, or $12 per month without ads.

While this sounds like a big deal, keep in mind Hulu’s major networks (NBC, ABC, and Fox) continue to stream full episodes on their own websites. Yahoo has also launched a new website that will host much of Hulu’s full episode content.

Besides, Hulu itself lost its zeal for free streaming years ago, when it decided to require subscriptions for watching on phones, tablets, and TVs. If there’s a real concern here, it’s that Hulu’s $8 per month service could be next up for neglect as the company’s media conglomerate backers focus on an upcoming Hulu live TV bundle, which will be much more expensive. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

More sports streaming: Cutting cable TV has always been a challenge for sports fans, but this week brought a couple major developments that should make things easier.

Sling TV is now carrying the NFL Network through its $25 per month Sling Blue package, while NFL Redzone will join the $5 per month Sports Extra add-on. Neither channel has been available without a traditional TV package before, and $30 per month seems like a fair price given Redzone’s popularity among Fantasy Football diehards. (Sony’s PlayStation Vue service will carry NFL Network and Redzone as well, but pricing is still unclear.)

Meanwhile, ESPN has announced its first standalone streaming service, due out later this year. While it won’t include ESPN’s regular broadcasts–so, no SportsCenter or Monday Night Football–it will offer a mix of NHL, MLB, and college sports, and may even carry some international sports such as rugby and cricket. For sports fans who are tired of ESPN’s round-the-clock talking heads, maybe a service that’s focused on actual live events is the perfect antidote.

A closer look at Crackle: While Hulu decided years ago not to try and make free ad-supported streaming work, Crackle has been at it nearly a decade. Now, the Sony-owned streaming service is placing bigger bets on original series, such as the Miami tech and crime drama StartUp and a TV adaptation of the Guy Ritchie heist film Snatch.

Over at Decider, Scott Porch interviewed Crackle boss Eric Berger about where the service is going. It’s an interesting read, especially when Berger starts talking about all the unconventional ways Crackle is reaching a younger, more tech-savvy audience.

More Catch-Up

Roku seems to have a slew of new set-top boxes on the way. (My guess: The next Roku 3 will get 4K and HDR video support.)
PlayStation Vue subscribers can watch NFL Network on the web right now with this elaborate workaround.
NBC’s Olympics streaming experience is a master class in user hostility.
I reviewed SideClick, which adds TV controls to streaming device remotes.

Save More Money

Google’s Chromecast dongle isn’t expensive to begin with, but the second-generation model is currently $5 off on eBay (with free shipping) and at Best Buy (if you’d rather pick on up in-store). With Chromecast, your phone, tablet, or laptop acts as the remote; just hit the “Cast” button in your streaming app of choice, and the video will start playing on your television. It’s a nice way to add smarts to a television on the cheap, without having to wade through a sluggish TV menu system.

Like what you’re reading?

While writing about technology is my full-time job, Cord Cutter Weekly is a labor of love. There’s no business model attached, and no motivation except to build a community of people who want to learn more about cord-cutting. So far, I’ve been thrilled with the response.

If you want to support this newsletter, I have only one request: Please share it with anyone who you think would find it interesting. Here’s a link to the sign up form. Thanks again for reading!

Until next week,
Jared