The Hubbub Over Hulu

NBC Universal and News Corp.'s new Web site for prime-time and high-quality TV programs finally has a name. But programming info is sketchy

by Catherine Holahan

In March, News Corp. (NWS) and NBC Universal (GE) made an announcement akin to an end-of-season cliffhanger. The media titans were teaming up to bring the best of prime-time TV and other high-quality programming to a new Web site they would develop together. The site didn't have a name. The shows it would feature were not yet known. The launch date was to be determined. But, if all went according to plan, executives promised the site would change the online video landscape. Just stay tuned, they said.

Five months later, the companies are finally revealing key details about the joint venture: The site's name is Hulu. And on Aug. 29, the Hulu team began accepting requests for inclusion in an invitation-only test, scheduled to begin in October with a few hundred people. "Our hope is that Hulu will embody our (admittedly ambitious) never-ending mission, which is to help you find and enjoy the world's premier content when, where, and how you want it," Hulu CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement.

A Few Details on Programming

Other than the name, which the company says was chosen for its fun factor and because it's easy to pronounce, the team would reveal little else about the much-hyped project. The home page features promotional shots from some of NBC's and News Corp.'s most popular shows: Heroes, Family Guy, The Simpsons, 24, and Friday Night Lights, to name a few. Yet it is unclear whether single episodes, entire seasons, or only clips of those shows and others will be available on the site. "We are still continuing to figure out the programming we will have at launch," company spokesperson Christina Lee says.

Others familiar with the site say all NBC programming currently available online will appear on Hulu and on sites owned by its distribution partners, which include Microsoft (MSFT) and Time Warner's (TWX) AOL. The site will also have content from Comcast (CMCSA), including shows on the Style and Golf channels, as well as shows from small networks including the Oxygen network, Sundance Channel, TV Guide, and National Geographic. Other major networks such as CBS (CBS), Disney (DIS) ABC, and Viacom (VIA) have not signed on.

The Hulu team also would not confirm a New York Times (NYT) report that it turned to a Rhode Island investment firm, Providence Equity Partners, for $100 million in cash—despite having two of the most deep-pocketed parents in the business.

Ready to Compete with Google?

All the mystery has some wondering whether Hulu stands a chance of challenging Google's (GOOG) YouTube, Joost, or the host of other video sites competing for user attention and advertiser dollars. Tech blogger Michael Arrington wrote in a March blog post that Google executives "have been referring to the project as Clown Co. privately" and that their YouTube business "doesn't look to be in any trouble."

In addition to competing with other networks' sites and those that rely on video generated by users, Hulu will also vie for attention with the properties owned by News Corp's Fox and NBC. As NBC sees it, that's not such a bad thing.