Hulu.com vs Hulu Plus vs Netflix Instant Streaming Content Selection

Is Hulu Plus worth it? That was the question that immediately followed the announcement of Hulu’s long-rumored subscription service. While the $9.99/month plan still contains ads, it also provides more episodes—including back seasons of certain series. If Plus’ extra content is worth the cost and commercials, then it might be worth your while. And so the question became “How much extra content is Hulu Plus offering?” Research firm One Touch Intelligence decided to answer that question by conducting a comprehensive census of what’s available on Hulu.com and Hulu Plus. Below is a sample of the data they collected.

Netflix Instant? For a dollar less than Plus, Netflix offers full access to their steaming catalog in addition to a one-at-a-time DVD rental. That seems like a good deal. But let’s see how their content compares with the Hulu.com/Plus sample data.

Network/Series	Hulu.com	Hulu Plus	Netflix Instant
ABC
8 Simple Rules	0	52	0
Castle	5	23	0
Cougar Town	5	24	0
Ugly Betty	10	72	0
Supernanny	5	94	0
Modern Family	0	24	0
Fox
24	5	22	169
Bones	10	27	84
Family Guy	5	147	127*
House	5	21	0
Prison Break	0	77	80
The Wanda Sykes Show	11	21	0
NBC
30 Rock	5	75	58
Friday Night Lights	5	13	50
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	11	187	0
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit**	0	191	224
My Name Is Earl	0	74	96
Parks and Recreation	6	33	0

*Netflix lists Family Guy according to its DVD Volumes, which differ from Family Guy seasons. So while you'll find Volume 8 listed in Netflix Instant, the season 8 episodes are not currently offered. Netflix also counts the Family Guy "100th Episode Special" as an episode, while other lists do not.
**While the One Touch Intelligence chart lists this as "Law and Order" and not "Special Victims Unit," SVU is the show Hulu Plus promotes as a feature, so that's assumed to be the series being referenced.

Overall, Netflix stacks up well against the other options, although there seem to be some clear divisions along network lines.

contract between the two companies, it’s possible we’ll see a broader scope of Fox content on Instant in the future. NBC actually offers more episodes on Netflix for several shows, and only lacks where their newest episodes/series are concerned. Since Netflix Instant Stream content comes from movies and television shows already released DVDs, Jimmy Fallon’s show is absent because his show hasn’t been released on disc.

So now that you’ve got a good view of your streaming options, which column are you in?