Hulu For Sale?
While nothing is set in stone, speculation rages across the tech world as to who potential buyers might be. While no formal bids have been cast, an unidentified source has already made an unsolicited bid for the TV website.
Bloomberg reports that while potential buyers remain unknown, possible buyers include Yahoo and Apple.
Hulu, the second largest video website after Youtube, is owned by three media giants – News Corp., Walt Disney and Comcast. All three stakeholders would have to agree to a sale or else risk compromising Hulu’s worth, as well as its rights to specific streaming content. Initial reports suggest the broadcasters are looking to make a deal.
For Yahoo, always playing a perpetual game of catch-up, the move to bid seems unlikely. Apple on the other hand, is in a strategic position to compete with the likes of Netflix if they acquired the company.
It’s too early to predict with confidence a likely outcome. After Hulu backed down from a much anticipated IPO last year, the company redirected its efforts into building its premium service, Hulu Plus. It will be interesting to see whether Hulu means business this time.