Are 'limited' ads on streaming services worth it?

LOS ANGELES — It sounds like a great deal: save money each month by subscribing to a service for on demand, first-run network TV shows by agreeing to watch “limited commercials.”

Hulu and CBS All Access both offer streaming services that are less per month than the ad-free versions. The catch: you have to decided if "limited" is still too much.

Here's how it breaks down: Hulu (NBC, ABC, Fox, Comedy Central, originals and movies) costs $7.99 with ads, $11.99 without. That translates to savings of $4 monthly, or $48 yearly, if you agree to watch commercials.

For CBS All Access (primetime shows, and new versions of "Star Trek" and "The Good Wife"), agreeing to limited commercials also translates to a $4/month savings — you pay  $5.99 monthly with ads, or $9.99 for ad-free.

Is it worth it?

It depends upon how willing you are in a streaming environment to sit through tons of commercials.

Remember that Netflix, which starts at $7.99/per month, is ad-free. Amazon Prime Video, which comes with the free shipping option, offers ad-free programming as part of the $99 yearly subscription. Other video services, like Crackle and Seeso, don't charge to watch them. You just have to watch ads.

On Hulu, we counted 15 commercials for a one-hour episode of “Nashville,” the former ABC series, now revived on CMT. That seemed rather excessive.

That is, until we attempted an episode of Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS All Access. That one had 29 commercials and promos. And for both series, the benefit of streaming—fast forward to the good parts — loses its luster when ads are involved. You can fast forward, but you can’t start watching until you catch up on those five or so commercials you promised to watch. You can't, in other words, zip through the ads. 

Now, speaking of Late Show, I thought the 29 All Access interruptions were pretty obnoxious. But then I compared them to the broadcast TV version.

I set my cable DVR to record the show, and then played it back the next day with a whopping 50 national and local ads and promos for upcoming CBS shows. In one episode!

Is it any wonder the broadcast networks have been losing viewers every year?

Which brings us back to what now seems like the best bargain around. DVRs, rented monthly from cable providers, start at around $15 monthly. You can set it to record your favorite shows, and once they start, zap through the commercials at top speed, without being forced to watch them.

But as a viewer, I prefer the on-demand model. Open up the menu, and the complete season of shows are waiting for you. I lasted through one episode of “Nashville,” with ads on Hulu before surrendering to the commercial gods and switching to the ad-free model.

I’ll happily spend the $44 yearly to escape. How about you?