Easier said than done
A couple of weeks ago US web-based TV on demand service Hulu launched its ‘premium' service, which offered extra stuff like entire series in return for a subscription.
The reason Hulu, which is a joint venture between US broadcasting giants NBC Universal, ABC and Fox, has yet to expand beyond the US seems mainly to be down to the complexities of doing content and advertising deals in other countries.
But in an interview with the FT, Hulu CEO - Jason Kilar - revealed he still has international ambitions. "We won't be satisfied until this is a global service," he said.
Another obstacle to Hulu taking off in the UK is that all the major TV companies have already invested in their own web-based catch-up TV services and may be reluctant to divert traffic away from them so early in their development.
Kilar also revealed that he sees the future of Hulu residing in device ubiquity. To add to the already announced collaboration with Sony and its Playstation Network, Hulu is in discussion with Microsoft to get onto the Xbox. Inevitably, mobile devices like smartphones are also in Kilar's crosshairs. "We want to work with any screen connected with the internet," said Kilar.
