It’s always been a little strange to me that Hulu has profiles. I suppose they’re for people who interact via the comments on videos, but the profiles seem so bland and token. It’s as if someone remembered to add them right before they shipped and then they forgot.
Specifically, the part of Hulu profiles I’m curious about is the “Favorite TV shows” and “Favorite Movies” boxes.
Hulu: don’t you know what my favorite movies and TV shows are?
Hulu should tell me my favorites. Do I ostensibly love The Simpsons but never watch it? (Yes.) Do I watch re-runs of pseudo-crime dramas like Lie To Me whenever they’re available? (Yes.) Have I watched every vampire-related bit of video available? (No. Only Buffy.)
Hulu already does recommendations, but they are surprisingly easy to miss, and seem to be based on watching one particular show or another. They’re not terrible, but when Netflix is willing to spend a million dollars to get some improvement in its recommendation engine, it’s obvious that people are looking for a little more than Hulu is giving at the moment.
I would like to see Hulu become the Last.fm of TV and film: teach me about myself, and bring that data and recommendations front and center. Put in a “Recommended Channel” and just show me stuff you think I’ll like, based not on a single movie or show, but the whole package, and what other people with similar taste also like. Show me those other people, too, and let me watch a “Neighborhood Channel.”
Go a step further and tell me what other people in my physical area are watching. You ask for my ZIP code: use it for more than marketing stats. If all my neighbors or coworkers are watching a show, maybe it’s worth checking out.
If there are two things people like, it’s being told random facts about themselves, and being told what else to like. Hulu should leverage that.
Phoebe
16 June 2010 at 4:58 am
I definitely agree that Hulu could offer more value by effectively helping people find shows and movies that fit their tastes. For now, people are probably most likely to gravitate to recent or popular content.
One question is whether the best starting point for choosing what to watch (search, recommendations, etc.) is Hulu, or an external site that aggregates options from Hulu and other streaming and rental sites. For example, our premise for Jinni http://www.jinni.com is to help people choose what to watch first, and where to watch afterward.
James
16 June 2010 at 11:47 am
For Hulu, I don’t think that’s a question: they are without a doubt better off if they can keep people on their service, watching their videos containing their ads.
And honestly, for many consumers, a unified experience would probably be best, too. I get annoyed just switching between the Hulu desktop player and the Amazon player. Adding more players to the mix increases choice but doesn’t necessarily make a better user experience.