Hulu Category
It continues to amaze me and many others how online television and video offerings are being compartmentalized by territory, when the Internet is a truly global playground. An International Hulu shouldn’t actually be necessary but unfortunately it is. But at least it’s on its way, which is better than nothing.
International Plans
Hulu has reportedly had plans to roll-out internationally for a while. In March, the company hired a senior vice president of international operations whose role was described as being “responsible for leading Hulu’s expansion efforts outside the United States.” Then in May, these plans to expand outside of the U.S. borders were revealed.
There were newspaper reports at the time stating that Hulu was in negotiations with several large British broadcasters, including ITV and Channel 4. The plan was to make the UK the first port of call in an international roll-out of Hulu. Each country would get a localized service, with some American shows available alongside shows from that territory.
Big-hitting and ever-popular shows such as The Simpsons and CSI now carry a higher advertising rate on the Web than they do on television. Is this the moment we have been waiting for - when the digital revolution starts to pay for itself?
Google is continuing to struggle to make YouTube profitable. All those eyes watching the site should be worth a mint, but turning viewers into revenue isn’t as easy as it sounds. Maybe giving users the choice of which adverts to watch is the solution?
Hulu is currently in a fantastic position, gaining viewers every month, and bringing in enough money to just about get by. But is that ever going to be enough? Or are the paymasters and networks providing the content going to want more?
