Back in April we featured new online content provider Hulu.com on a Sunday Accent page story. Hulu acts as a window through which to see online TV shows and movies, but the content is available right at the Website. Since it first appeared, Hulu has grown. Here’s an opinion piece from the Hollywood Reporter about the Hulu success story and its limitations so far. I don’t quite buy the argument of the article—or maybe I should say, rather, that the points are fairly obvious. I mean, of course sustained growth for an entertainment provider like this will depend on content planning and landing hits. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting read (and makes some important observations): Hulu commentary.
From the story:
The Associated Press named Hulu its Web site of the year. Mark Cuban declared “Hulu Kicks YouTube’s Ass.” Influential blog TechCrunch issued a mea culpa. And if that guy Barack Obama hadn’t arrived on the scene, surely Hulu CEO Jason Kilar would be Time’s Person of the Year, right?
A look at the latest data on Hulu, however, puts the site’s performance into perspective. While unquestionably a success story, the hullabaloo over Hulu needs to be taken down a notch.
A key component of the Hulu hype is the so-called long tail, the notion that the Internet’s limitless capacity enables library content to be monetized more effectively than traditional distribution. While YouTube drowns in user-generated content that advertisers won’t touch with a 10-foot pole, Hulu has shunned that category to amass an ocean of premium-only content.
In terms of movies, here are some recent additions to Hulu’s lineup: “21 Grams,” “One True Thing,” “A River Runs Through It,” “In the Name of the Father,” “Gattaca,” “Rudy,” “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Air Force One,” and “A League of Their Own.”
Seasons and episodes have been added for “The Practice,” “The A Team,” “Major Dad,” “ReGenesis,” “The Three Stooges,” and “News Radio.”
- Aaron Brand
** Edited to add recent additions **
admin | 
11 20th, 2009| 
