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For the fruit also known as hulu, see calabash.
Hulu, LLC
The logo of Hulu.
Type of businessJoint Venture
Type of site
video on demand
FoundedNovember 29, 2007
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
U.S.
OwnerNBC Universal and Fox Entertainment Group
Key peopleJason Kilar [1], CEO
Eric Feng [1], Lead Developer
URLwww.hulu.com
LaunchedMarch 12, 2008

Hulu is a website that offers commercial-supported streaming video of TV shows and movies from NBC, Fox and many other networks and studios. Hulu videos are currently offered only to users in the United States. Hulu provides video in Flash Video format, including many films and shows that are available in 480p. In addition, some TV shows and movies are now offered in high-definition. Hulu also provides web syndication services for other websites including AOL, MSN, MySpace, Yahoo! and Comcast's Fancast.com.

Hulu is a joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp, with funding by Providence Equity Partners, which made a USD$100 million equity investment and holds a 10% stake.[2]

The name Hulu comes from the Mandarin Chinese word hulu, which can be translated as either "holder of precious things" or "interactive recording".[3] [4]

History

The Hulu venture was announced in April 2007, with AOL, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo! planned as "initial distribution partners". The nickname "Clown Co." was dubbed for this joint venture.[5] Jason Kilar was named the CEO in June.[6][7] The name Hulu was chosen in late August 2007, when the website went live, with an announcement only and no content. It invited users to leave their email addresses for the upcoming beta test.[8] In October, Hulu began the private beta testing by invitation, and later allowed users to invite friends.[9] Hulu launched for public access in the United States on March 12, 2008.[10] Hulu began an advertising campaign during NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII with an initial ad starring Alec Baldwin titled Alec in Huluwood, intended to humorously reveal the shocking "secret behind Hulu", portraying the site as being an "evil plot to destroy the world"[11].

Features

Hulu distributes video both on its own web site and syndicates its hosting to other sites,[12] and allows users to embed Hulu clips on their websites.[10] In addition to NBC and FOX programs and movies, Hulu carries shows from other networks such as Comedy Central, PBS, USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, SPEED Channel, Sci Fi, Style, Sundance, E!, G4, Versus, and Oxygen.

Availability

Currently, Hulu's content is only available in the United States with licensing reasons cited.[10] An exception to this was Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which was made available without regional restrictions for a limited time on Hulu, and was since added to the iTunes Store.[13] As of February, 2009, Hulu has pulled its content from CBS Corp.'s tv.com, and from Boxee, a software firm that makes Internet video suitable for viewing on a large screen, like a television connected to a PC.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/185790
  2. ^ Shirley Brady (2007-08-29). "NBC and Fox Jump Through Hulu Hoop". Cable360.net. Retrieved 2007-08-29. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Tim Stack (2008-03-28). "Hulu: Five Burning Questions". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-03-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help), cf. The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007 film)
  4. ^ Kilar, Jason (2008-05-14), What's in a Name?, retrieved 2009-03-29
  5. ^ "Why Hulu Is Winning the Online Video Race | Newsweek Daniel Lyons | Techtonic Shifts | Newsweek.com".
  6. ^ "NBC Universal and News Corp. Accounce New Online Video Venture". Press Room (Press release). Hulu. 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2008-03-28. {{cite press release}}: External link in |work= (help)
  7. ^ Nat Worden (2007-03-22). "Google's Still on Top". TheStreet.com. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  8. ^ Nat Worden (2007-08-29). "Google's New Foe: Hulu". TheStreet.com. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  9. ^ "Hulu Debuts Via Private Beta". Press Room (Press release). Hulu. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2008-03-28. {{cite press release}}: External link in |work= (help)
  10. ^ a b c "Hulu.com Opens to Public". Press Room (Press release). Hulu. 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-28. {{cite press release}}: External link in |work= (help)
  11. ^ McCarthy, Caroline (January 26th, 2009). "Hulu to shock the world with Super Bowl ad". CNET News. Retrieved 2009-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Rebecca Dana and Emily Steel (2008-03-11). "Can Hulu Find Its Mojo With Viewers?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  13. ^ Sharma, Arjun (2008-07-29). "'Dr. Horrible' Free Again on Hulu, Shortly After Fourth Part Confirmed". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  14. ^ Holmes, Elizabeth (February 19th, 2009). "Hulu Withdraws its content from TV.com, Boxee". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)

External links

Template:Digital distribution platforms

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