Hulu has long held ambitions to break out of its self-imposed U.S. borders and head to foreign lands. Japan was the first country to welcome the company in, but Europe is the big prize. And Germany could be Hulu’s way in.

Hulu Expansion Plans

Hulu is, at this point, almost entirely a U.S. company. It’s owned by U.S. networks and investors, and the content on offer is mostly American. However, Hulu has looked abroad quite extensively, but only Japan has so far signed on to accept the service.

Rumors persist of a move into Australia, but the latest country being targeted is Germany. At least according to NewTeeVee.

Continue Reading…

We all remember Sunday afternoons spent vegging out watching television, with the channel being viewed being chosen by the holder of the remote control. But those days of watching TV collectively have passed, haven’t they?

Chill

Chill began life as the Turntable.fm for online video, with people taking it in turns to show their choice of video clip to a roomful of avatars. It worked rather well, strangely. But Chill has bigger ambitions, which it is now realizing by adding the likes of Hulu, Vevo, Livestream, Ustream, and Justin.tv to its line-up.

This is social viewing. Not a new concept but one that continues to bubble under the surface of mainstream appeal. Chill is hoping people will come to its site at show time in order to watch videos together and generally make a party out of the experience.

Continue Reading…

Hulu is busy expanding to new international markets and acquiring more content for its viewers. You wouldn’t think that until a month ago it was up for sale as its current owners looked to pass it off to someone else.

Hulu Back On Course

Now that Hulu is no longer being sold, basically because no one was willing to pay the asking price and accept the conditions of the sale, the company is forging ahead with its plans to build on the success it has experienced so far.

We’ve already seen Hulu launch in Japan, representing the first international expansion for the company. And this week Hulu secured new premium content, with The CW being added to its channel lineup.

You have to wonder what all that fuss about wanting to sell was in the first place, because there is clearly a solid business here.

Continue Reading…

Were you hoping to buy Hulu and had a spare $2 billion plus lying around the house not doing anything? Then your luck is out, as Hulu’s owners have decided to hold on to the online video service. At least for the time being.

Hulu For Sale

Hulu was put up for sale at the end of June after its owners, Disney, News Corps., Comcast, and Providence decided now might be the perfect time to cash out their chips. Why? And why now? No one really seems sure, but it has been suggested there was a desire to nab a new owner now who could then be rinsed in a couple of years when it came time to reach an agreement on licensing content.

The number of bidders was cut down until eventually just two serious contenders remained in the game. Dish Networks with a bid of $1.9 billion and the terms in place, and Google with a bid of $4 billion for something different than the current owners had in mind.

In the end neither was deemed good enough.

Continue Reading…

The fight to acquire Hulu has been a long (though not particularly bloody) one. It now looks as though either Google or Dish Networks will emerge victorious. That is, if News Corp., Walt Disney, Comcast, and Providence Equity don’t change their minds at the last minute.

Hulu For Sale… Still

Hulu has been up for sale since the end of June (it feels like longer), with the present owners inviting bids for the company, its technology, and exclusive rights to the content for two years. After that, who knows.

The list of potential buyers has slowly been whittled down, and it looks like two have now made it to what could, and really should, be the final hurdle. Then again, all of this is just rumor from ’sources’ that may or may not be real and may or may not know what they’re talking about.

Continue Reading…

This week has been a big one for Hulu. Not only has it officially announced it has hit the one million paying subscribers milestone, but it has rolled out its deep Facebook integration which sees real-time social viewing finally become a reality.

Hulu Hits Milestone

Hulu has officially hit the 1 million milestone for paying subscribers. CEO Jason Kilar announced the news on Wednesday ahead of the f8 conference (more on that later). In the same speech during a Goldman Sachs investor conference, Kilar stated Hulu would be investing “over $375 million in content this year.”

These 1 million plus customers all subscribe to Hulu Plus, which became an option last November for those seeking more from the service. I didn’t think the extra content and features being offered would be enough to persuade many people to sign up, but I was clearly wrong on that score.

Continue Reading…

There could be an interesting twist to the already-compelling tale of who is going to acquire Hulu. Because it looks as though money-is-no-object Google is playing hardball in its attempts to secure the longform content it has long desired.

Google Outmaneuvers Rival Hulu Bidders

The bids for Hulu are apparently all in and being mulled over by the company and its content partners. Four made the final cut, with three – Amazon, Yahoo, and the Dish Network – all hitting the $1.5 billion – $2 billion range for Hulu, Hulu Plus, and guaranteed rights to the content exclusively for two years. And then there is Google, which, according to AllThingsD, has rather more ambitious plans in mind.

What these ambitious plans actually are remains unclear, but sources are saying this is “a different acquisition, on a larger scale.” Which could mean a number of different things.

It isn’t even clear as to whether Google has entered a formal bid or has merely made a ballsy approach with an unwritten check in hand. Which may mean the whole process slows down from this point as Hulu decides what is in its best interests. Which may not be to take Google’s money, no matter how generous the offer.

Continue Reading…