Would you pay $3 a month to see a video you can see somewhere else for free?
You will if you’re a big fan of the people who made that video, and if you can see that video earlier than anyone else, says Jason Kilar. The former Hulu CEO’s new startup Vessel is based around the idea, and last month he came to Code/Media to explain what he’s doing and why he thinks it will work.
Kilar and Vessel have plenty of skeptics, but they’ve certainly got the attention of the video world, too. Go ask the folks at YouTube (off the record). So it’s definitely worth hearing Kilar make his case.
And since we had Kilar onstage, it made sense to talk to him about his last job, and what worked there and what didn’t. It’s sort of hard to remember now, but Hulu made an enormous impact on the media world — and on video watchers — when it debuted in 2008. If Kilar wants to have that same effect again, he’s got his work cut out for him.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via