“Time Warner is taking a 10% stake in Hulu — joining existing owners Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast — and as part of the investment Turner will bring its cable networks to Hulu’s live-streaming TV service set to launch in 2017,” Todd Spangler reports for Variety.
“Terms of Time Warner’s Hulu deal initially were not disclosed. Time Warner later confirmed it is investing $583 million in cash, which implies Hulu is worth nearly $6 billion,” Spangler reports. “Hulu, with the cash infusion and Time Warner’s strategic backing, now has additional firepower to challenge subscription VOD leader Netflix in acquiring original shows, cutting licensing deals and expanding its service. With Time Warner’s buy-in, Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Disney and Fox each now own 30% stakes in Hulu.”
Spangler reports, “With the Hulu investment, Time Warner said Turner networks including TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, Boomerang and Turner Classic Movies will be available live and on-demand on Hulu’s new live-streaming service.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple products that support Hulu include Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Safari mobile browser, and Macs running OS X 10.5 or above.
While CBS sits on the sidelines, charging $7 for their monthly service. Oh well!
This is kind of good news as Hulu (so-far) is divorced from the rubbish bundling concept of the 20th century. It’s an instant streaming à la carte service customers have been demanding for decades.
Of course Hulu could itself could be considered a ‘bundle’. But it’s a big whopping bundle with maximum immediate user choice that forces nothing on anyone. That makes Hulu and similar services (Netflix…) extraordinary and worthy of the 21st century, IMHO. It helps breaks the Luddite back of the decrepit old media oligarchy. √ Cable Cut.