The NBCU/Fox video Website Hulu launched in beta Mon with new content through licensing deals with MGM and Sony Pictures TV, including more than 40 Sony TV shows and both TV series and feature films from MGM. Also available for free download at Hulu.com is programming from Bravo, E!, FX Networks, Sundance Channel and USA. In all, approx 90 shows and 10 films will be available. As CableFAX awaits a password to peruse the site, myriad analysts, bloggers and media outlets already predicted its failure last week based on 3 key points: that the site is much too late to the digital party, that the content offerings will be unacceptably sparse vis a vis others in the space, and the unlikely partnership between 2 competing media giants. CNET’s Don Reisenger said "there is no chance Hulu will ever become a success" because neither jv player "knows what Web 2.0 is all about." Fool.com columnist Rick Aristotle Munarriz was particularly critical of NBCU’s severing of content ties with YouTube and iTunes prior to Hulu’s launch. "The quest for exclusivity has brought out some peculiar eccentricities in NBC’s DNA. It’s not very flattering," he said.

The Daily

Subscribe
Tuesday–June 24

People

Alan Davidson has found his next gig following his three-year stint as NTIA’s Administrator.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Sep 11
2025 Faxies Awards Faxies Nominations Open! Final deadline: 4/4/25
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact Carley Ashley, [email protected], for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.