March 5, 2025
Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
“If I wanted to pay for commercials I couldn’t skip, I’d sign up for Hulu.” Who knew a throw-away line in a 2014 episode of “The Simpsons” would still be so prevalent today? I mean, the episode wasn’t even about commercials or advertisements — it was about Homer pirating movies and consequently being arrested by the FBI.
But, Homer did have a point. Why pay for streaming services when they have ads?
When companies like Netflix and Hulu first launched, they both offered an ad-free service as their basic plan, which now both have ads. Even Hulu’s so-called “ad-free” subscription — the most expensive of their plans at $18.99 — is adding ads to certain programming, alongside Disney+, which Hulu is now partnered with.
There’s not really a definitive answer for why these services are including ads, but it doesn’t make sense in the first place. After all, when Netflix and Hulu first launched as apps, they offered ad-free services for a fraction of the cost of cable. So what’s changed?
The first is the very reason why Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ gained popularity: no ads for a fraction of the cost. As more and more users joined, the companies realized that they needed a solution to make up for the revenue they were losing. Even with every user paying the monthly fee, they still needed support from advertisers. Thus, they began to offer two services — ad-free and basic with ads.
Eventually, these evolved into different subscription plans for each service, some being ad-free, some offering partnerships with live TV or other streaming services. Currently the most popular partnership is the Hulu bundle, offering no ads on Hulu, a Disney+ subscription with no ads and ESPN+ with ads.
The second reason for advertisements becoming more prevalent on streaming services goes hand in hand with the bundling of streaming services: the amount of content offered. As content becomes available through cross-platforming, like Hulu titles and ESPN+ live sporting events being available on Disney+, the cost of licensing increases. The only streaming services that seem to avoid the need for ads due to cross-platforming are HBO Max and Prime Video, though Prime still has ads on when watching titles from its library or other non-Max affiliated services.
With all these ads, it seems that streaming services have become cable, but if streaming services have become the new cable, what’s the next step?
For starters, visit a local library. They have extensive collections of movies and shows on DVD, though a DVD or Blu-ray player is required. Thrift stores typically also have copies of movies and shows, and ownership of one’s favorite titles might bring peace of mind — especially with the way titles are traded between services. However, a major downside of this is that many newer movies and series are not available on DVD, especially with the popularity of streaming services and digital copies.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
