No More Free TV On Hulu?

Coming soon to a Hulu near you–hand over your credit card number to watch?

It’s a downright scary proposition that Hulu may someday go the way of Napster and the like and start demanding payment, but it’s a possibility, according to recent moves by Comcast to acquire a stake in Hulu.

It only makes sense, really–if your options are between watching content from Syfy or Food Network or the like free on Hulu or with pay on Comcast or a similar cable or satellite provider, your first choice will probably be whatever doesn’t require you to pay.  This is just basic math and economics coming together to righteously pound Comcast.

So Comcast, in turn, figures that if you can’t beat ‘em, your next logical step is to buy ‘em out and make them dance to your pay-tv tune like so many puppets.

But then, if you have to pay to watch Hulu, what’s the point of having it in the first place?  This means, of course, that Comcast’s investment will collapse like a toothpick structure being used as a jack for a Cadillac Escalade.

It’s worth watching, one way or the other.