As the current decade has progressed, it seems like each year sees the TV landscape shift further and further away from standard cable and satellite services, and closer and closer to subscription streaming services reigning supreme. While the majority of American TV watchers still subscribe to cable or satellite, more and more people are choosing to "cut the cord," freeing themselves of consistently rising monthly rates, gratuitous equipment rental fees and other annoyances of being a traditional TV subscriber.
Unfortunately, this shift isn't generally sitting well with the mega media corporations that have long depended on the classic cable subscription model to make big profits. Some companies - such as CBS, DirecTV and HBO - have responded to this change by offering consumers an internet-only way to subscribe to their services, but others remain steadfast in trying to fight what logically seems like it will probably be a losing battle against the future.
For instance, Viacom's new boss Bob Bakish recently announced that the networks it owns - such as Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon - would soon stop offering next-day access to its new programs through outside streaming services. Sure enough, the full force of that decision will soon be felt by subscribers to Hulu, the third most popular SVOD streaming service behind only Netflix and Amazon Prime. As Variety reports, new episodes of popular Comedy Central programs The Daily Show and @Midnight have ceased being posted to Hulu as of this week, with the majority of the network's library set to disappear completely by the end of the month.
Comedy Central's late night programming has been a staple on Hulu since nearly the beginning of the service, outside of a period when Viacom removed the then-airing The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report from Hulu in 2010, only to put them back in 2011. The network's late night line-up has remained a reliable part of Hulu's offerings ever since. Comedy Central is now directing viewers to watch next day episodes of The Daily Show and @Midnight on the network's official website. Unlike Hulu - which offers a commercial-free tier - the episodes on CC.com include ads.
While the majority of Viacom's large library of shows will be gone from Hulu - some, such as Chappelle's Show, are already missing - by the end of February, a few select shows will remain, including Key & Peele, Broad City, South Park, and Inside Amy Schumer. These particular shows were licensed by Hulu under exclusive deals, and are not subject to the overall Viacom programming deal that is about to expire.
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Source: Variety