If you love watching TV shows on Hulu but don’t have a cable subscription, things could get a bit more complicated in the near future. According to the New York Post, Hulu could soon start requiring its users to prove that they also have a cable or satellite subscription. This would obviously turn Hulu’s current business model on its head. It’s not clear how many of the service’s 31 million users currently don’t subscribe to cable TV, but chances are that the service’s audience would shrink after this move. 
 
 Keep in mind, this is just a rumor for now, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on. It’s also not clear if this subscription requirement – assuming it is actually going to happen – will just apply to Hulu’s free service, or if it will also apply to Hulu Plus subscribers. Hulu Plus, which costs $7.99 per month, currently has somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million paying subscribers. 
 
 Update: We just talked to a source close to Hulu. According to our source, Hulu and its content providers have talked about this move toward authentication since 2009. Our source noted that Hulu has no interest in being a first mover here and that a requirement for authentication is likely still a few years out. Hulu, however, does want to be a good partner and may have to give in to its partners’ pressure soon or later. Even though an authentication requirement isn’t likely to happen right away, though, our source notes that what could happen relatively soon is that the content providers could require longer delays before their shows become available on the service for non-subscribers. Cable subscribers, under this model, would get access to a show on Hulu the next day, while non-subscribers would have to wait at least 30 days. This model would likely also apply to Hulu Plus subscribers. 
 
 As our own Alexia Tsotsis noted last year when the FCC gave the go-ahead for the Comcast-NBC merger, it issued a number of specific rules to ensure that this merger wouldn’t influence Hulu’s operations. These rules, however, did not specifically touch upon any future provisions that would tie access to Hulu to a cable subscription. 
 
 NBCUniversal, News Corporation, The Walt Disney Company and Providence Equity Partners currently share ownership of Hulu. There have been persistent rumors that Providence Equity Partners is looking to sell its stake in the company to the rest of the owners, though. The New York Post’s Claire Atkinson argues that this move toward an authentication model is one of the main reasons why Providence Equity Partners is trying to sell its stake in the company. 
 
 We asked Hulu for a comment about these rumors and will update the story once/if we hear more. 
 
 One group that has already commented on these rumors is Public Knowledge, a group that works to “preserve the openness of the Internet” and promotes “creativity through balanced copyright.” In a statement, the group’s president and CEO Gigi B. Sohn writes that “restricting access to legal content will only drive consumers to find illegal content. In particular, we are concerned about restricting access to TV programming available over free over-the-air broadcasting. It should be available online, regardless whether anyone subscribes to cable or satellite TV. By putting more restrictions on consumer access to popular content, the entertainment industry only removes any justification for stronger ‘anti-piracy’ laws it is perpetually seeking from Congress.” 

 The battle between TV Everywhere and online streaming is getting more intense, amidst reports that Hulu will soon require a cable or satellite subscription to access the latest network content. 
 
 Right now, users can access many shows from ABC, NBC and Fox on Hulu.com the day after the episodes air on broadcast television for free. Last fall, Fox started limiting next-day access to its most popular prime-time offerings. Although Dish Network, Verizon and Hulu Plus subscribers can still access next-day offerings, free Hulu.com users or Fox.com users need to wait an additional eight days. 
 
 The New York Post is reporting that this authentication practice — a parlance common amongst various TV Everywhere solutions — will become more widespread in the future. 
 
 The Post cites its sources as saying that this move to a more authentication-heavy model was part of the reason that Providence Equity Partners decided to sell its stake in Hulu back to the media owners — which include Disney, Comcast and News Corp. 
 
 So does this mean that Hulu will soon require users to subscribe to cable to access content? Not exactly — and at least, not for now. 
 
 Don't Bring Out the Pitchforks...Yet 
 
 While one source told us that Hulu is in talks with networks about adding more TV Everywhere-style login options for certain programming, another claimed that the discussions were merely about Fox signing more television providers into its online system. 
 
 Fox has been the most bullish network when it comes to restricting current content to cable or satellite subscribers. Last September, Fox began limiting next-day access to its programming on Fox.com. Verizon and Dish Network subscribers can login to Fox.com with their accounts and access next-day content. Everyone else has to wait eight days. 
 
 Fox's agreement with Hulu allows Hulu Plus next-day access to 95% of its content. For certain shows, such as The Simpsons, free Hulu or Hulu Plus users must authenticate with Verizon or Dish to gain access to the programming. 
 
 One source close to the cable industry tells us that some of the talks referenced in The New York Post article refer to Fox signing on additional cable and satellite providers — and potentially restricting more programming to those subscribers for next-day access. 
 
 Another television insider we spoke with said that while it's possible that the other major networks — namely ABC and NBC — could look at restricting next-day access to its programming, that move would be at odds with the broader online strategies employed by the networks. 
 
 For example — while Hulu is only accessible on the iPhone, iPad and Android to Hulu Plus subscribers, ABC, NBC and CW content is available to users via free apps for iOS and Android. 
 
 It's possible those apps could move to an authentication model as well, but again, this appears unlikely at this time. 
 
 We expect to hear more about the online distribution strategies from the various broadcast networks at upfronts later this month. 
 
 A Hulu representative declined to comment at this time. 
 
 Image courtesy of iStockphoto, gmutlu
– Using Hulu to avoid paying for cable may not work for much longer: The TV site plans to implement a new "authentication" model, forcing viewers to prove they're pay TV customers by signing in with their cable or satellite account number, sources tell the New York Post, adding that it's what prompted one longtime Hulu investor, Providence Equity Partners, to cash out last week. Fox is expected to begin talks soon with Comcast and TV Everywhere to require authentication. But don't panic just yet. A source at Hulu tells TechCrunch that while Hulu has been talking about authentication since 2009, it "has no interest in being a first mover here," so it'll probably be years before anything is implemented. Mashable's sources say ABC and NBC may soon implement a delay between when a show airs and when it goes on Hulu, or authorization-lock their mobile apps, but it's not imminent. Fox already does this, and requires authentication for certain shows. Some of the talks the Post referenced appear to simply be expanding which cable providers have access to those shows.