Why are Hulu Commercials so Loud?

Everyone loves watching movies, especially when they can find ones without any effort and interruption. Hence, there are different apps introduced for the streaming of the movies. These apps or websites provide a wide range of movies of every genre. Usually, these apps are paid for. But the free ones give a touch of ads too. And who in the world would enjoy that? No one!

Similarly, Hulu has been famous for its continuous streaming of movies. But people have been angry lately about the ads making their way to every movie, even after paying. And these commercials are so Loud.

What is Hulu?

Hulu is a streaming service for movies. It shows what we acquired from various television channels. It was launched on March 12, 2008. Currently, 41.6 million users have paid the amount to subscribe to Hulu. You can download the Hulu app on multiple devices. But it can be used on only two different screens simultaneously, unlike Netflix, which is also a trendy streaming service. Hulu does not offer an ad-free experience to its users. 

Different Plans for Subscriptions

Hulu has three different subscription plans. The first one is the most popular one among users, priced at $5.99 per month. But it is not ad-free. It plays the commercials before, during, and after an episode of each series. The second plan is priced at $11.99 per month. Hulu claims no commercials in this plan, but it is not completely true. Ads are played, but only at the start and the end of selected television shows in this subscription plan. The third is Hulu+ Live TV, also showing almost a total of 75 television channels. It is priced at $64.99 per month but is also not ad-free.

Why is Hulu Live Commercials so Loud?

For the longest time, Hulu users have complained about the bad loud volume of the commercials that come on multiple times during a television show. The volume of the show being played is much average compared to the bill, almost 20 dB lower. It is an extremely annoying experience for the users of the streaming service. They have to remain alert at all times with a remote in their hands.

Maybe the advertisers these days are well-aware of the brief attention span of the audience. It can help in capturing the consumer’s interest successfully.

What Steps Does FCC Take Regarding Commercials?

The Federal Connections Commission passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act in 2010. It regulates the volume of commercials. According to this act, it is banned for any advertisement’s volume to go beyond the average volume of the television channel that it comes on

But sadly, advertisers have found several loopholes around this act. One of these was a linear increase in the volume, which means keeping the initial volume at the recommended level and then suddenly blasting it off, assaulting the user’s ears.

Another one was keeping the volume of some parts of the advertisement soft and the rest loud. The law only accounts for the average volume of the commercials. Another method of getting around this act can be dropping the levels of volume of the programs. It is being played below average and not the commercials. However, Hulu and other streaming services do not come under the regulation of the FCC. Hence giving them a free pass.

How Can Hulu Users Get Rid of These Loud Blurbs?

Until Hulu comes up with a commercials too loud fix, users can manage the volume with temporary fixes. Those who stream Hulu on a computer can install an ad blocker on the browser. Also, the viewers can change their television volume settings to stabilize the overall volume levels. You can also download several plug-ins that can mute the volume when an ad is displayed. They automatically restore it when the show comes back.

As you cannot fast forward or skip these ads, another option can be buying Hulu’s ad-free subscription plan. You can also try filing a complaint on fcc.gov.com. Hulu has also recognized the problem after several users addressed the problem and are working to settle it. Let’s hope this issue gets resolved soon so that the consumers can have a hassle-free experience.