It cannot be denied that Hulu has had a good 2009, full of growth and innovation. But 2009 is now at an end, and 2010 is going to see Hulu facing new challenges. What will the new year hold for the free online television service?

Hulu On The Rise

Hulu has had a fairly rapid rise from being an also-ran to a competitor. The American public – who after all are the only ones allowed to access the service – has taken to it well enough for it to now be considered mainstream.

2009 has seen Hulu rise to the number two spot for video views in the U.S. and then cement that position with impressive growth. OK, so it’s a long way behind YouTube in number one but the chances of the Google-owned site being caught are zero.

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Sharpe Synopsis

Sharpe is a history drama series produced by ITV that premiered in May of 1983.

Based on the novels written by Bernard Cornwell the series follows the story of Richard Sharpe (played by Sean Bean) who is a British soldier during the Napoleonic wars who rises through the ranks quickly because of his bravery, capabilities and cunning.

Sharpe aired seven seasons.

• Watch Sharpe on iTunes (UK link)
• Search for Sharpe Episodes
• Find Sharpe Torrents

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The Commander Synopsis

The Commander is a crime drama television series produced by ITV that premiered in February 2003.

Created by Lynda La Plante The Commander follows the story of Clare Blake (played by Amanda Burton) who was risen through the ranks of Metropolitan Police and is now in charge of a crime unit. Blake’s life gets complicated when a murderer she has put in prison gets out on parole and becomes her lover.

The Commander aired six seasons.

• Search for The Commander Episodes
• Find the Commander Torrents

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HowCast.com has jumped on the ‘how to’ video scene offering a large variety of interesting, entertaining, educational, and sometimes plain ridiculous ’how-to’ videos and guides.

We first got wind of HowCast back in early 2008 as it launched in beta.

It was relatively late onto the ‘How to’ video arena with a small number of established competitors already bobbing around. However, given it was founded by ex-Google employees bootstrapping with their own cash it looked very promising.

Nearly two years on has it delivered?

Traffic Stats

Comparing Howcast to its major competitors in the ‘how to’ video field it is the underdog, but its steady growth does show continued promise.
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Cranford Synopsis

Cranford is a historical comedy drama produced by BBC that premiered in November of 2007.

Based on the novellas written by Elizabeth Gaskell the story is set in the fictional village of Cranford in the Cheshire county and focuses on the lives of the village’s female residents. The series features a number of notable names including Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Philip Glenister and Martin Shaw.

Cranford aired one season and returned in December of 2009 with two Christmas episodes. In the United States Cranford aired on PBS.

• Watch Cranford on BBC iPlayer (UK residents)
• Watch Cranford on PBS (US residents)
• Watch Cranford on Hulu (US residents)
• Watch Cranford on iTunes (UK link)
• Search for Cranford Episodes
• Find Cranford Torrents

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Launch My Line Synopsis

Launch My Line is a fashion reality television show produced by Bravo TV network that premiered in December of 2009.

Launch My Line is another Bravo’s fashion orientated show that follows a group of celebrities who are all paired with a designer. It is the task of the designer to turn celebrity’s creative concept and idea into a fashion form. The winner will have the opportunity to launch their own clothing line.

Launch My Line is currently in it’s first season.

• Watch Launch My Line on Bravo TV (US residents)
• Watch Launch My Line on Amazon On Demand (US residents; $1.99/episode)
• Watch Launch My Line on iTunes
• Watch Launch My Line on Hulu (US residents)
• Watch Launch My Line on Fancast (US residents)
• Search for Launch My Line Episodes
• Find Launch My Line Torrents

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It may be happening slowly but people are gradually moving away from physical media to digital media. In terms of video, Netflix is in a great position, and could be an acquisition target. However, it still needs Hollywood to play ball or it’s game over for the whole venture.

Netflix The Player

Netflix has, partly by accident and partly by design, put itself in a great position to be the premier choice for video streaming.

Its core business is still DVD rentals by-mail, but its ‘Watch Instantly’ feature, which started as nothing more than an additional draw for would-be subscribers, could provide an assured future for the company.

Indeed, it could make the company an attractive acquisition target for big players such as Google and Amazon over the next few years.

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