Hulu Plus has had a mostly positive reception from industry watchers so far. But Hulu CEO Jason Kilar doesn’t want the hype to get too out of control, hence an interview in which he insists Hulu Plus isn’t going to radically change the world. At least not for a while.

Hulu Plus, Plus What?

Hulu Plus has been unveiled at last after almost a year of speculation and leaked tidbits of information.

What we’ve ended up with is a premium service costing $10-per-month which will offer two main advantages over the free Hulu: availability on televisions and mobile devices; full seasons of popular shows.

Worth $10? That remains to be seen.

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The iPad is proving to be very popular, and not just with consumers. Some American networks are embracing the platform and the opportunity it represents, while others don’t seem quite so keen, at least for the time being.

Apple iPad

The iPad is doing great business in the U.S. already, with Apple racking up sales of 1 million in just four weeks. And with the iPad’s international launch beginning this month, the future looks rosy for the first device in the burgeoning tablet market.

The iPad could be important as a driver for online video usage, as it’s intended as being a fully portable, mobile device capable of consuming all types of media. Apple’s insistence on not supporting Adobe Flash could be a problem, but not an insurmountable one by any means.

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Chatroulette is basically Russian roulette with Webcams. But while you could find yourself chatting to a celebrity or your future partner, you’re more likely to either encounter unwanted male nakedness or become part of an improvised music performance.

Chatroulette

If you haven’t heard of Chatroulette yet then you’ve clearly been living in a hole for the past few months. You also won’t have tried out the service, which really is something everyone should do at least once.

Chatroulette is online video chat for strangers. You connect to the site with your Webcam open and a procession of partners roll in, with you having the power to sit and chat for a while or ‘Next’ them.

Chatroulette was created by 17-year-old Russian Andrey Ternovskiy, who is currently visiting the U.S. to talk with potential investors and buyers.

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The iPad has now been revealed, but its place in the grand scheme of things and how Apple intends to make it an indispensable product aren’t that clear. Knowing that some online video services will be coming to the iPad would be a start. Hulu, anyone?

iPad Arrives

Apple has now shown its hand, unveiling the iPad, its new tablet PC, a few days ago. I’ve already looked at what the iPad means for online video, although the jury is still out on whether the device will actually mean anything, certainly in the short-term.

Apple failed to truly capitalize on its media event on Wednesday, with very few content partners, and only YouTube and MLB.tv for online video streaming. But that doesn’t mean more won’t follow, especially by way of apps created to take advantage of the iPad’s bigger screen.

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YouTube may be about to diversify its content in an extreme way – by charging for it. Whether by one-off rentals and download fees, or monthly subscriptions, it looks as though YouTube is set to make revenue from methods other than advertising.

YouTube Goes Long

YouTube began as a bit of a Wild West of online video, but soon settled down to become the number one site for short, user-generated clips in the world. Mainly under Google’s ownership and tutelage.

But it has recently been trying to add more professional, long-form content as well. Some old movies and TV shows are now available on the site, and in the U.K. it has recently inked a deal with Channel 4 to have its archive of programming added to the site.

However, while Channel 4 is happy to sell its wares to YouTube for advertising revenue (alongside 4oD), most content creators and television networks aren’t so ready and willing to license their content. At least not merely for a share of advertising revenue.

Cue alternative revenue models.

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KickAssTorrents.com is a new player in the torrent search space creating an easy and currently ad-free way to search for music, TV shows, movies, eBooks, and software.

The torrent portal launched publicly back in February 2009 and in under 10 months has quickly become a serious player in the torrent space.

KickAssTorrents has told WebTVwire.com that it receives over 100,000 visitors each day. A quick look at the traffic growth on Alexa confirms this:

[source]

Sweet Usability

Upon arriving on KickAssTorrents.com you’ll instantly notice the clean design, ease of use, and obvious absence of advertising.

Torrent sites have become the underground playhouse for scammy advertisers promising russian wives, instant weight loss, hot girls in your area, and seedy work from home opportunities.

It is a breath of fresh air to see a torrent site that lacks advertising, but the site is still young and KickAssTorrentz could yet be seduced by the promise of ad-revenue checks.

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The BBC iPlayer service is currently free to all residents of the United Kingdom. But should the BBC start charging now that the service has proved its worth and kick started the online television sector in the U.K.? Ashley Highfield, thinks so.

Ashley Highfield?

Who is Ashley Highfield? Only the man who as director of future media and technology at the BBC did more than anyone else to push the iPlayer through from being a mere concept to a reality.

Highfield left the BBC shortly after the iPlayer launched to become managing director of consumer and online at Microsoft U.K. While there he has helped launch the MSN Video Player, which quite frankly pails into insignificance against the iPlayer.

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