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A recent class action lawsuit claims that Hulu web browser quality is intentionally throttled in order to push app downloads.
Plaintiffs Kim Atkinson and Kyle Stevens argue that they and other Hulu subscribers have been deceived by the company’s representations that they would be able to access high quality streaming services on “all your favorite devices.”
Consumers allegedly paid a premium price for Hulu’s streaming services based on these representations but were denied the benefits they were promised.
“Defendants advertise their subscription services as high quality and misleads consumers into believing that the Hulu subscriptions will provide the same high quality video streaming on computer devices and Hulu’s applications alike, even though the Hulu subscriptions accessed on computer devices are throttled to prevent high quality streaming,” the Hulu web browser class action lawsuit alleges.
“By doing so, defendants are able to charge a substantial price premium for its Hulu subscriptions on the account of its false streaming quality claims.”
Atkinson allegedly experienced the issue after purchasing a premium plan from Hulu in 2016. She claims she purchased a subscription based on advertisements from the company but was disappointed when she didn’t receive high quality streaming through her Hulu web browser platform.
Stevens reportedly experienced the same issues after purchasing a premium subscription to Hulu in 2018. He claims he didn’t receive high quality streaming services on his Hulu web browser despite company representations.
Other consumers have allegedly had similar experiences, prompting some subscribers to voice their concerns online.
On a Hulu community discussion post, one customer detailed their experience of having HD video quality when streaming through their FireStick on their television but suffering from “horrible” quality when watching on their PC.
A representative for Hulu reportedly responded to the post, stating “Apologies for the trouble! Our team is aware of this issue and are actively working to re-enable High Definition streaming on Hulu.com.” However, months later, commenters returned to the post to note that the problem was still an issue.
Both of the plaintiffs argue that they and other consumers would not have purchased the subscriptions or would not have paid as much if they had known that their Hulu web browser streaming would be of low quality.
However, the Hulu app TV subscribers note that they would consider Hulu as an option for high quality streaming services in the future if the company stops their web browser throttling.
According to the plaintiffs who filed their complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, Hulu intentionally reduces video quality on their web browser for insidious reasons.
The subscribers claim that this “throttling” is done to encourage Hulu customers to stream through the service’s app – which allows Hulu to better collect and sell sensitive consumer data.
“Defendants prefer that users use the Hulu applications because, compared to computer browsers, applications provide more direct access to consumers’ personal data during online and offline use,” the Hulu app TV class action lawsuit argues.
Through their Hulu application, the streaming service is reportedly allowed to collect personal information such as location data, device serial numbers, email addresses, and more.
This information is allegedly valuable to advertisers, social media sites, and other third-parties. By forcing its subscribers to use their app, Hulu is reportedly able to collect valuable data and pass it on to these third-parties for a significant profit.
“This opens up a multitude of opportunities for defendants to customize their data collection and further monetize their subscribers,” the Hulu web browser class action notes.
According to the Hulu app TV class action lawsuit, the streaming service’s actions violate several laws including the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, California’s Unfair Competition Law, New York’s consumer protection laws, and more.
The plaintiffs seek to represent a Class of Hulu subscribers in addition to two state subclasses from California and New York, respectively.
On behalf of themselves and these proposed Class Members, the two plaintiffs seek compensatory damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, restitution, interest, injunctive relief, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
Have you tried to use Hulu’s streaming service on your computer? Did you notice low video quality or other streaming issues? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
Plaintiffs and the proposed Class are represented by L. Timothy Fisher, Frederick J. Klorczyk III, Brittany S. Scott, and Philip L. Fraietta of Bursor & Fisher PA.
The Hulu Web Browser Class Action Lawsuit is Atkinson, et al. v. Fox-Hulu Holdings Inc., et al., Case No. 20STCV14790, in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles.
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135 thoughts onHulu Class Action Alleges App Streaming Issues
My family and i are hulu tv subscribers and the quality is terrible, not a day goes by without the shows we watch stopping for five mins or the sound being off etc, we have tried calling them about it to no avail. Hulu has stated a few times we did talk to someone that it was because our tv was older(five years vizio), but thats simply not true because amazon is perfect as well as the other streaming services. I see online that people are all having this problem and just like devs in the gaming world do sometimes, hulu promises you thier working on it so they cant be popped for “ignoring ” you, and then really does nothing about it. We pay them quite alot of money for the shoddy return they have given us wich is totally contrary to thier written text online about thier services. Hulu should be taken down, all they do is skim us customers and charge us high fees and they deliver very poor quality. If anything ever needed a class action this is it, because not only do we all have very valid and similar claims, but it would show the rest of the streaming services that we as consumers are not going to take this anymore. With inflation and everything going up, we need VALUE for what we pay for, good point i pay around eight dollars for amazon, i pay about 80 for hulu(with live tv) and hulu only works good maybe 20 percent of the time. Wheres the value in that? Cars being sold like this get popped under something called a “lemon law”. Shouldnt our services be held under the same standards?
im sorry correction, we never were able to cvontact them they provide no contact info for thier issues wich honestly should be a really big red flag.
Been paying $87.03 for months and among the other listed problems in this thread I have had no resolution with Hulu or their app. My most forward issue is that shows will not record when placed in record que and the inability to remove titles from “my stuff”. Neither the app nor the tv on screen menu works to resolve these issues. Buffering is constant even after following their resolution process. Would love to see some relief.
Please add me
Please add me
Please add me. Also, please consider starting a separation action regarding Hulu’s blatantly false advertising around their No Ads level subscription. I pay for this based on its name, yet am still subject to many, many ads. Please call me to discuss.
Not only was the quality poor… I I’ve had an incredibly chaotic last year dealing with family issues and illness. My Hulu payment comes directly out of my checking account. I have a charge for a significantly higher amount of money coming out that I did not know what it went to. When I signed up for Hulu I signed up for their lowest package I’m $6.99 a month. I just recently found out they have been taking $79.99 a month out of my checking for the better part of a year. I didn’t upgrade. I never upgraded not even on a trial basis. I did cancel their service and will never ever subscribe 2 them again. This was an automatic payment coming out of my account. I feel very foolish to say that I never even noticed it as I have been taking care of a very ill family member. It is my hope that everybody checks how much is automatically being deducted from their account by this company. My experience has been horrible.
Hulu has progressively deteriorated to the point where it freezes and loops nearly every evening during prime time viewing. Their websites and help centers provides for a host of fixes that need to be performed by the customer. I have given up on disconnecting internet and wireless router, running the app through a fire stick and going directly through my smart TV. ITS ALL BS. I believe that they have simply taken on more PAYING customers then the apps bandwidth can handled. I pay $65 per month and can not watch the networks during prime time viewing hours. Can we file a complaint the FCC
Yes the Hulu app is very bad, It freezes constantly.
They have been billing me unauthorized charges for 5 years now, The billing was snuck into my pay pay account after closing my hulu account 3 times !!@ add me to the list
This is what we spend our money on