No Surprise, Google is Kicking Hulu's Tires - VideoNuze

No Surprise, Google is Kicking Hulu's Tires

Friday, July 1, 2011, 1:57 PM ET

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Posted by Will Richmond

The LA Times is reporting that Google has met with Hulu and its representatives about possibly acquiring the site. Others reported to have met include Microsoft and Yahoo. The news isn't surprising given Google's well-known appetite for adding premium Hollywood to its offering and its general acquisitiveness. Despite my skepticism about whether a Hulu deal can get done with anyone given the complexity around long-term distribution rights from its network owners, I suggested that Google, along with Apple and Netflix, would be the most likely prospective acquirers. Still, it's very early in the process, so lots will still happen.

Meanwhile, Hulu acquisition activity doesn't seem to have slowed down product innovation. Today Hulu announced a clever new integration with Facebook that allows Hulu viewers to share comments on a specific scene in Hulu programs with their Facebook friends along with a link to that scene. Hulu is also enabling login using Facebook credentials, something that has become popular at many sites (update: it looks like there was an implementation issue, so Hulu has pulled back this feature for now). The push to socialize Hulu is part of a broader trend to bring social media behavior to TV viewing.

Categories: Aggregators, Deals & Financings

Topics: Google, Hulu

Also see:

Inside the Stream: Comcast’s SpinCo Signals More Cable Network Consolidation