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Hulu may charge for iPad service

Hulu fans waiting with bated breath for the new iPad, may take a hit in the wallet if the companies behind the popular service decide to offer the service as a pay-per-view, according to a report by CNET.

The three broadcast networks behind the service have repeatedly mentioned adding a premium pricing for the service, which has seen consistent growth since its launch.

In fact the company claimed in December 2009 that monthly streams grew to 924 million in 2009, a 307 percent increase from this time last year according data provided by comScore.

“Depending on who you talk to, the pay service is either supposed to help the money-losing website turn a profit or compensate the networks for the eyeballs and dollars Hulu is supposedly siphoning away,” said the CNET article. “Or both.”

One possible scenario for users would allow users to view the five most recent episodes of TV shows free but would require a subscription of $4.99 a month to watch older episodes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It is unclear at this time, whether the pricing plan for iPad would be part of a general Hulu usage fee or a separate service altogether.