NBC and Fox’s joint venture Hulu is set to open its doors tomorrow, ending a period of private beta testing of its ambitious online video service. And when those doors open, users will find something unexpected inside: instead of just NBC and Fox programming, Hulu will also feature programming from Warner Bros. television group, Lionsgate, and sports leagues like the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League.
Hulu was announced last August as an ambitious joint venture between unlikely partners—NBC and Fox’s News Corp.—promising to create a central, advertising-supported online destination for first-rate video content. Shortly after Hulu’s announcement, NBC pulled its programming from Apple’s iTunes store and YouTube, creating more pressure for Hulu to succeed. In the meantime, Hulu entered a private beta phase (with a reported 5 million users) and NBC began making content available via its own Web site and outlets like Netflix and Amazon Unbox.
At launch, Hulu says it will offer 250 television series, including current programming and popular older shows. Hulu will also sport about 100 movies at launch, including The Big Lebowski and Mulholland Drive.
Hulu’s beta has earned positive notes from advertisers, who are pleased that some 80 percent of Hulu’s library is viewed every week, and advertisers are also pleased with “select an ad” features that enable users to select advertisements that are most interesting to them—advertisers believe this sort of engagement will make their ads more likely to succeed, rather than merely irritate users. Hulu beta users have generally praised the quality of the streamed content available on Hulu, but have chaffed against restrictions: the content is only available via the Web (no transferring to a media player or DVR)), and a constantly-changing video selection means the availability of particular shows or episodes is hit-and-miss.
