For months we have heard rumores that Hulu will eventually launch a paid service. Well according to News Corp's Depuity Chairman, Chase Carey, that move could come as soon as 2010.

At Forrester, we have detailed the need to launch an online subscription service for online video in our Reinventing the TV Industry report.  I've always thought Hulu with its passionate community of users would be in good position to launch this service.  However, looking through the comments on EW's link to the story, Hulu's equity as a "free service" could alienate users.  I've posted a sample of the comments below:

[Posted by Bobby Tulsiani]

Interesting findings from Nielsen that ABC has 9 of the top 10 shows watched online.  It is interesting that ABC has carved out a dominant position with out being on everybody's favorite TV portal, Hulu, or setting up a vast distribution network (similar to what CBS has put in place).

We have discussed online TV distribution strategies in our report, The Internet Television Value Chain, and would love to hear your feedback on what you think ABC is doing right?  Or what its competitors are doing wrong?

[Posted by Bobby Tulsiani]

I was watching 24 on Fox last night, and even though I was fast forwarding through commercials I noticed the Hulu ad from the Superbowl was on again.  We'll save the discussion if brand recall works during fast forward mode for another day, and instead focus on Hulu's brand awareness campaign.

[Posted by Bobby Tulsiani]

I just read Mark Cuban's blog entry on "The Great Internet Video Lie".  If you have time, be sure to check it out - but if you are pressed for time I'll quickly summarize a few of his points: