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back to article Hulu recognizes Blighty existence

Hulu - that online video extravaganza juiced by three of the four American TV/movie giants - has suddenly recognized the existence of Blighty. Today, the old/new media hybrid told the world it has partnered with UK content distributor Digital Rights Group to offer up several Brit television titles, including Green Wing, Peep …

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  1. easyk
    Thumb Down

    interested only in themselves?

    feck off you smeg heads!

    - a merkin

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  2. Geoff Johnson

    At last

    A hulu story that looks like it's done some research and realised it's only a local site for americans.

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  3. Andy Bright
    Alien

    At last some revenge

    Sick and tired of not being able to watch MotD on the Beeb website as is my god-given right by grace of my Blighty citizenship. So no free US TV for the unwashed, unshowered and un-dentistry'd of the British Isles.

    Why? Because we're aliens and that's how we roll.

    (As everyone in the US knows, Hulu is simply an alien plot to gelatenise Earthling brains with excess TV, so they can scooped out with a melon bowl and gobbled right up).

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  4. jake Silver badge

    We already have lots of British programming over the air.

    "But knowing Americans - a race of people who are interested in themselves - they aren't likely to see it now either."

    Actually, British programming is quite popular here. All four local PBS stations carry it, and we also have BBCAmerica, which is fairly popular. The only question is whether or not Americans are willing to shell out extra bucks to see Are You Being Served's "The Cookoo Clock" episode for the 300th time ... You know, the one with Miss Brahms in that orange dress?

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    America?

    So it's a real place then?

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blighty existence

    You mean you guys have TVs over there?

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  7. Throatwobbler Mangrove

    unfortunately

    "Hulu also argues that these deals deliver content that most Americans haven't seen. But knowing Americans - a race of people who are interested in themselves - they aren't likely to see it now either. Ex-pats? Sure."

    This is complete cack. You wouldn't believe the volume of crappy+ancient British sitcoms and costume dramas that are shown on US TV (cable and PBS particularly) and sold on DVD. It's not Brit emigrants that are buying the boxed set of Last of the Bloody Summer Sodding Wine.

    Also, Americans aren't a race.

    Also, if the addition of this content isn't significant, why did you bother rehashing the press release.

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  8. Some Guy

    iPlayer

    Since iPlayer doesn't recognize the US, I think we're even.

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Throatwobbler Mangrove

    That's the whole point - the only British TV available to most people in the US is the crappy stuff and the ancient sitcoms. BBC America probably has 4 or 5 programs PER WEEK that are actually worth watching, most of it is wall to wall crap-in-the-attic, "My Big Breasts and Me", "How Clean Is Your House?" "The Graham Norton Show", "The Hotel Inspector", "Antiques Roadshow" and "Gordon Ramsay's F Word" (that's 16 hours worth of "programming" from todays schedule).

    Green Wing? Bloody brilliant!

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Where's Season 2?

    Bummer - Hulu only has Season 1 of Green Wing. I've already seen that :-(

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  11. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    "Last of the Bloody Summer Sodding Wine"

    If that was actually the title, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

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  12. raving angry loony

    one word

    the word is "proxy".

    nuff said.

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  13. Throatwobbler Mangrove

    don't get me wrong

    "That's the whole point - the only British TV available to most people in the US is the crappy stuff and the ancient sitcoms"

    No, no, I agree - the selection makes me want to shoot myself and it's about time some better stuff was added. BBC America and BBC Prime are rubbish. But my point is that El Reg suggesting the added content to Hulu is irrelevant because Americans aren't interested in UK programming is wrong - as evidenced by the fact that there is still a booming trade in May To December, Vicar of Dibley and Benny Hill DVDs and BBC America. I don't believe that British expats are driving that market, I think it's Americans (you couldn't sustain a cable channel in national distribution on an immigrant niche that small).

    If only their taste for English sitcoms wasn't so freaking awful and oriented towards the 50+ crowd - but perhaps a few opinion-formers watching Green Wing etc might change that.

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  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hotspot Shield

    Hotspot Shield

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  15. Pete Spicer

    @AC

    "BBC America probably has 4 or 5 programs PER WEEK that are actually worth watching, most of it is wall to wall crap-in-the-attic..."

    Um... and that's different to the BBC I have come to know and despise in the UK... how?

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  16. Slartybardfast
    Thumb Up

    @Some Guy

    "Since iPlayer doesn't recognize the US, I think we're even."

    Actually we're not, you don't pay for Hulu whereas most UK viewers do, therefore why should you get it for free? iPlayer is paid for by the tv licence payer here in the UK and carries no adverts.

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  17. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Turn about is fair play?

    I can't watch Dr. Who on the Beeb web site. It seems only fair then that you lot shouldn't be able to watch on Hulu.

    A proxy? Tell me where I can find a good one that isn't overload.

    Two months ago I could watch programs in HD on Hulu and it was great. These days though the frame rate is for shit -- don't know whether it's Hulu or my broadband connection that's overloaded.

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  18. Andy Livingstone

    Have we got TV over here?

    Sure.

    When do you expect to catch up with our Teletext information services?

    We even have radios that do not have wall-to-wall C & W.

    Would not mind borrowing Rush for a couple of months, though.

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  19. pctechxp

    BBC America

    You mean my licence fee is going to entertain the brain dead merkins who think Friends is funny?

    I strongly object

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  20. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Wake me up when...

    there is a truly international web based television service. The question is not if it will happen, but when it will happen. Will it be in the next couple of years? Or, will it be in 10 years time, after continued futile attempts to enforce borders on the internet?

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  21. Steve Evans

    Hmmm...

    Hope they add 'merkin subtitles or they're gonna be screwed...

    Think Austin Powers scene with Michael Caine talking "British"... Hehehehe

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  22. Henry Wertz Gold badge

    Only overzealous ad blockers

    I've used Hulu, it doesn't complain just because you have an ad blocker. I run AdBlockPlus, but ONLY set to block 8 or 10 domains that serve 1) "Noisy" ads such as the full-voulme "You won an Ipod!!!!" ads there used to be. 2) Ads that force a popup past the popup blocker. That's it!.. I realize sites have to sell ads to pay the bills.

    I've used Hulu several times (will use it MUCH more once I get a better connection -- I'm using an aircard, which is fast enough, but VZW wouln't be pleased if I was pulling 10s of GBs through it..) I've never seen a complaint about a ad blocker, since I'm not indiscrimnately blocking all ads.

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  23. duncan campbell
    Pirate

    More Manifestly Destined

    shit.

    They're still claiming Canadia is part of the US. Imperialist swine.

    ~D

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  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ex pats

    We use torrent's to get our telly, as long as you dont need live feed then its perfect. Judging by the thousands of seeders its pretty common! I thank the uploaders for this fine service!

    I would buy it but nobody sells it.

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  25. Manas Straw
    Coat

    Potent Mix

    Showing brain-dead Bollywood stuff to the Americans.

    Enough said.

    No need for my coat. I will be outside dancing and singing amongst the trees.

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  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @pctechxp

    Thank goodness Friends isn't repeated ad-infinitum on British TV. Oh wait, E4 and C4, Damn, fell for it again.

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  27. Richard Lea

    Canvas

    Considering the Beeb are wanting to hike up the license fee to cover canvas shouldn't they go with Hulu which is already working!!!

    Am quite lucky in that I work for an amercian company and can VPN in from home to pretty much any country in the world which I find very useful to watch Burn Notice and other american shows about a year before they show up in the UK

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  28. CockKnocker
    Go

    Wanna watch it?

    As AC put before install HotSpotShield, TaDaaaa..... Hulu thinks you are an american!

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  29. Dan

    @pctechxp

    No, BBC Worldwide/BBC America are separate commercial wings that don't receive any licence fee cash.

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  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hulu is rubbish compated to torrents anyway

    Try eztv.it y'all

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  31. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Re: @AC

    "Um... and that's different to the BBC I have come to know and despise in the UK... how?"

    Interestingly enough, the only time I ever watch TV is when I'm at SWMBO's place (she has a TV and Sky, I have neither) and even then the only shows that seem to be worth watching are ... the American imports (specifically "American Dad", "Family Guy", "The Big Bang Theory", "Two and a Half Men" and "Scrubs" - there are others, but these I make a point of catching) whereas the 'home grown' stuff is almost universally crap.

    I'm sure that iPlayer works very well. Unfortunately, the last time I checked it the choice of programming available was complete and utter shite.

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  32. Ben Rosenthal
    Thumb Down

    Simon Ward

    That means you've missed Charlie Brookers Newswipe, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle and Omid Djalili of late, and that makes me a saaad Panda :( (just cos if no bugger watches them, it's more soaps and reality crap instead).

    Oh and Being Human which was absolutely fantastic, best new telly in years.

    You can even get some great radio shows on there for instance the excellent "Elf Quest" that is running at the moment or the equally good Pratchett and Adams plays done recently.

    Your loss really.

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  33. R. John Quisenberry
    Flame

    UK TV

    To correct an idiotic statement in the article. We are quite aware of the viewing material created in the UK. I know a fair number of folks here who are forced to pirate it in order to see new episodes. In fact, I have been a fan of UK programming since childhood. Both of my daughters are becoming fond of it as well. The problem is, the snobs on the other side of the pond are too busy congratulating themselves on being superior to actually capitalize on the ready market here. NOW who is silly? I lost a great deal of respect for the BBC when I discovered that they actually created a clone of American Gladiators! Of all the things to copy... It could only have been worse if you copied "Three's Company"! (Getting sick even thinking about it...) At least copy stuff that isn't vomit inducing! In short, we enjoy what we get from you guys, but we want less filler and more "meat". So get off your high horses before you break your silly necks and knock out what few teeth you have falling off.

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  34. Sean Baggaley

    Re. UK TV

    "I lost a great deal of respect for the BBC when I discovered that they actually created a clone of American Gladiators!"

    "American Gladiators" was cloned by Sky, a News Corp. company owned by a certain Mr. Rupert Murdoch and his family of drones. The same guy also happens to own The Sun (a British tabloid newspaper) and The Times (a well-known broadsheet). Oh yes: and his tribe owns the FOX network in the US too.

    In fairness, shows like "American Gladiators" aren't new to the UK: we had "It's A Knockout" way, way back -- part of the once-popular, EU-wide "Jeux Sans Frontières" TV franchise (1965-1999).

    Sky also happens to have an (effective) monopoly on what passes for the UK's satellite TV "market". It's about as "British" as kangaroos and Kylie Minogue.

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  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: R. John Quisenberry

    Not sure if you're joking, but in case you're not - "Three's Company" was an American copy of an English (ITV I think) show called "Man about the House."

    Why does everything here mentioning America devolve into a willy waving contest? Grow up people. For every Blackadder we have, they have a Seinfeld, for every Vicar of Dullsbry, there's a Small Wonder, for every American Gladiator there's a Dear John.

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