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Entertainment
June 17, 2013
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Netflix DreamWorks Analysis

Netflix announces another vastly ambitious content deal – and Wall Street is in love

By on June 17, 2013 at 1:50 PM.

Netflix announces another vastly ambitious content deal – and Wall Street is in love

Netflix on Monday announced a blockbuster deal that will bring no less than 300 hours of original content from DreamWorks to its streaming video service. That means Netflix will have the rights to premier new series with characters from franchises that might include Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and Casper the Friendly Ghost. A deal of this magnitude with a leading animation house could be extremely expensive and no details about actual programming have been divulged at this point. That’s why it’s fascinating that Netflix’s share price soared by as much as 8% on Monday. More →

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Business
June 13, 2013
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DirecTV Hulu Acquisition

Hulu deal imminent as DirecTV reportedly wins bidding war

By on June 13, 2013 at 2:35 PM.

Hulu deal imminent as DirecTV reportedly wins bidding war

A Hulu sale is imminent and DirecTV is the likely victor, according to multiple unnamed sources speaking to Pando Daily. This would be possibly the best case scenario for a strong Hulu move towards original content creation. DirecTV is a behemoth with 20 million subscribers and annual revenue of roughly $20 billion. It could easily afford to launch an aggressive slate of Netflix-type original programming, even if hiring marquee names would push the cost of a limited series to $100 million a pop. More →

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Business
June 7, 2013
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Hulu Market Share

Netflix, Hulu, and the future of American television

By on June 7, 2013 at 11:05 AM.

Netflix, Hulu, and the future of American television

The latest NPD numbers show Hulu growing at a surprisingly robust pace. Its share of U.S. shows streamed in Q1 2013 jumped to 10% from 7% in the same period one year earlier. Netflix still stands in majestic solitude with an 89% share, but its dominance is not preventing Hulu from gradually gaining ground. New reports suggest that no fewer than seven possible buyers are circling Hulu. The most interesting scenario for American consumers would be an acquisition that would lead to a deep-pocketed buyer investing heavily in exclusive Hulu content in coming years — over the past couple of months, Netflix has demonstrated that new content from streaming video providers could have a seismic impact on the U.S. media business. More →

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Business
June 6, 2013
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AT&T Hulu Acquisition

AT&T could be latest to enter Hulu bidding war

By on June 6, 2013 at 8:35 AM.

AT&T could be latest to enter Hulu bidding war

Hulu couldn’t find any serious suitors for an acquisition last time it was on the block, but 2013 is a completely different story. Yahoo, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV are each among the companies offering serious cash for the movie and TV show streaming service, and a new report suggests AT&T may soon enter the fray with a joint bid. AllThingsD reports that AT&T and The Chernin Group are in talks to make a play for Hulu, though the amount the pair might offer is not currently known. The Chernin Group had previously bid $500 million for Hulu this past April, however a series of more recent bids have reportedly reached as high as $1 billion.

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Business
June 3, 2013
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Hulu Bids $1 Billion

Hulu bidding heats up: $1 billion bids pour in

By on June 3, 2013 at 10:40 PM.

Hulu bidding heats up: $1 billion bids pour in

The bidding for popular video streaming site Hulu just got a lot more intense. Reuters reports that three companies have each bid in excess of $1 billion to buy Hulu, including satellite TV provider DirecTV. All three bids easily dwarf the $600 million to $800 million that Yahoo was reportedly offering for the company and significantly increase the odds that News Corp and Disney will be able to successfully sell the company in the coming months after failing to find a buyer two years ago. In addition to Yahoo and DirecTV, Time Warner Cable has also made a bid for Hulu, although that bid is reportedly for an equity stake and not outright ownership of the company.

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Business
May 27, 2013
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Yahoo Hulu Bid $600 Million

Yahoo reportedly bidding at least $600 million for Hulu

By on May 27, 2013 at 3:35 PM.

Yahoo reportedly bidding at least $600 million for Hulu

So how much will it take for Yahoo to buy itself a stake in Hulu? According to a new report from AllThingsD, at least $600 million. Citing “numerous sources close to the situation,” AllThingsD reports that Yahoo is bidding between $600 million and $800 million for Hulu, a range that reflects the fact that Yahoo “has proposed several different prices based on a variety of circumstances” including “the length of the licensing rights for content and how much control the programming companies selling Hulu have over their media.” More →

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Internet
May 24, 2013
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Yahoo Hulu Acquisition Rumor

Yahoo reportedly places bid to buy Hulu stake

By on May 24, 2013 at 9:00 PM.

Yahoo reportedly places bid to buy Hulu stake

Yahoo is apparently determined to show that it can do more than pay $1.1 billion for a bunch of teenage girls’ blogs. Unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that Yahoo has submitted an offer to buy video streaming website Hulu, a sign that the company is still considering ways to counter the enormous video streaming clout that Google now holds with YouTube. Yahoo was interested in buying a majority stake in French video streaming website Dailymotion earlier this year but that deal fell apart after the French government reportedly threatened to block it. In making an official bid for Hulu, Yahoo will be competing with Time Warner Cable, which is considering buying a 33% equity stake in the company. It’s unknown at this point whether Yahoo’s bid for Hulu will just be for a similar shared stake or if it plans to be more aggressive and buy a majority stake in the firm.

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Business
May 16, 2013
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Time Warner Cable Hulu Equity Stake

Time Warner Cable considers buying a stake in Hulu

By on May 16, 2013 at 10:05 PM.

Time Warner Cable considers buying a stake in Hulu

We may now have a clue about how Time Warner Cable plans to implement its own Aereo-like service. Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that Time Warner Cable is considering buying an equity stake in Hulu and “could offer Hulu to its customers as a bundled service inside and outside of the home with its current products,” meaning customers could access their favorite shows on Hulu without paying a monthly subscription fee for Hulu Plus. Under the plan being discussed, Time Warner Cable would take a 33% stake in Hulu with the rest held by co-owners Disney, Comcast and News Corp. Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt recently said that the cable industry’s “structure needs more flexibility” and that he wants to offer customers “smaller, more affordable packages” that don’t cost them upward of $100 a month.

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Internet
May 8, 2013
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Hulu Buyout Yahoo

Yahoo looks to take on YouTube with potential Hulu bid

By on May 8, 2013 at 6:40 PM.

Yahoo looks to take on YouTube with potential Hulu bid

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is reportedly looking to step up the competition with her former employer. According to AllThingsD, Mayer has held preliminary talks with Hulu executives to discuss a potential bid for the video-streaming service. The move to acquire Hulu, which offers movies, TV episodes, trailers, clips and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, TBS and other networks, would put Yahoo in further competition with Google as it prepares to take on traditional television with its YouTube service. More →

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Internet
April 18, 2013
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Hulu reportedly hires firm to assist with sale

Hulu reportedly hires firm to assist with sale

By on April 18, 2013 at 11:00 PM.

Hulu reportedly hires firm to assist with sale

A new report suggests that online movie and TV streaming service Hulu may be looking to sell. According to Reuters, Hulu, which is a joint venture between ABC and Fox, has hired financial services firm Guggenheim Partners to advise the company on a potential sale. Hulu had previously hired the firm in 2011, however it was unable to find a buyer that was willing to pay the $2 billion asking price. In addition to advising the company, Guggenheim Partners is said to be interested in making a bid for Hulu, which may pose a conflict of interest. The firm created a separate Guggenheim Digital Media unit in January that is headed by former Yahoo CEO and News Corp executive Ross Levinsohn, who is reportedly interested in a deal with the company. In 2012, Hulu generated revenues of around $700 million from more than 3 million premium subscribers.

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Business
January 4, 2013
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Hulu CEO Kilar

Hulu CEO Kilar to step down

By on January 4, 2013 at 4:23 PM.

Hulu CEO Kilar to step down

Hulu CEO Jason Kilar announced plans to resign his post at the company some time in the first quarter of 2013 on Hulu’s official blog on Friday. In his official resignation letter, Kilar said he was working with the company’s board “to ensure there is ample runway to manage this transition” and that current Hulu CTO Rich Tom would be stepping down with him. Kilar didn’t give a specific reason for his departure but said that his “decision to depart has been one of the toughest I’ve ever made” and that he was “thankful” for his time running the company. Kilar’s resignation comes less than a month after the company announced it had passed 3 million paid subscribers for its Hulu Plus service.

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Internet
December 17, 2012
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Hulu Plus 3 Million Paying Subscribers

Hulu Plus surpasses 3 million subscribers

By on December 17, 2012 at 10:33 PM.

Hulu Plus surpasses 3 million subscribers

Hulu has continued its steady growth in recent months and on Monday CEO Jason Kilar announced the streaming service now has more than 3 million paying subscribers. The service had an explosive year and was released on a variety of devices including the Apple (AAPL) TV, Nintendo Wii and Wii U, a number of Android tablets and smartphones, and Windows 8 tablets. Kilar revealed that Hulu Plus can now be accessed from more than 320 million Internet connected devices in the U.S., not including laptop and desktop computers. Hulu also increased its catalog of movies and TV shows by over 40% over the past two years and now has more than 430 content partners providing more than 60,000 TV episodes from 2,300 different series.

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Gaming
November 16, 2012
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Hulu Video Game Trailers

Hulu expands catalog with new video game channel

By on November 16, 2012 at 9:15 PM.

Hulu expands catalog with new video game channel

Hulu on Friday announced that it has added thousands of new video game trailers to its expansive online video catalog. The gaming page, which is now live for PC users and will roll out to Hulu Plus apps over the “next few months,” includes HD trailers, gameplay footage and reviews of the latest games. Hulu offers users both paid and ad-supported on-demand videos such as TV shows, movie trailers and behind-the-scenes footage. The company announced earlier this year that it is going to begin airing original content to attract new users and further compete with Netflix (NFLX). Hulu has more than 2 million paid subscribers, a small number compared to Netflix’s estimated 23.4 million users.

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