As we all know, Hulu is a great place to watch network TV shows for free. Well, sort of free, actually, since viewers are forced to watch commercials -- you can't fast-forward past them -- during the shows. That's a fair price to pay, one that mimics the decades-only broadcast TV model. Unfortunately, Hulu isn't turning much of a profit these days, and its owners -- News Corp., NBC Universal, Walt Disney Co. and Providence Equity Partners -- want viewers to pay up.

There's little doubt that Hulu will evolve into some sort of fee-based service, but what's the right approach? Putting up a pay wall overnight would be a disaster; nearly all of today's Hulu viewers would walk away, never to return.

Alternatives? Here are five approaches that might get me to pay:

1) Hulu-On-Steroids: A video subscription service that provides every episode of every TV show or movie ever made. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but Hulu's content library would have to be huge. If I wanted to catch the fifth episode of the second season of , Hulu should have it. Suggested name: Hulu Unlimited.

2) A package deal with my cable provider: I'm already overpaying for my cable TV plan, which includes dozens of channels I never watch and don't want. If Hulu Unlimited were added to my cable package, I might be interested. Then again, I don't want to pay extra. The suits can figure out who gets what.