Hulu’s a nice service, but for everyone not living in America, there’s a major problem: the site’s been unavailable to them so far. Now, although there are no guarantees, it looks like Hulu’s starting to explore ways it might open up to new audiences.
Jessica E. Vascellaro and Sam Schechner reported late yesterday, "Hulu LLC wants to expand its online video service internationally and would be willing to take on new investors to help it do so, Jason Kilar, its chief executive, said in an interview Wednesday."
Accepting new funds could be a tricky process. Hulu’s existing partners/backers (ABC, Fox, NBC, and Providence Equity Partners) may be loathe to give up any control over the organization, especially if it would mean compromises where topics like advertising and Hulu Plus subscription rates are concerned.
Plus, as Kilar admitted, "There’s a lot of existing relationships in terms of foreign sales," so it might be tough to show many TV series overseas without violating other contracts.
Hulu’s at least looking for solutions, though, which folks outside the U.S. have to take as a good sign.
One semi-surprising side note on the subject of Hulu Plus: Vascellaro and Schechner wrote, "Mr. Kilar also said Hulu’s new $7.99-a-month subscription service is performing ahead of the company’s expectations . . ."