"Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," other ABC shows will be available on demand to fans on Hulu
The Walt Disney Co. Thursday said it has agreed to acquire an undisclosed equity stake in Hulu LLC, which will allow fans of ABC television shows like Lost, Dancing with the Stars and Desperate Housewives to watch their favorite episodes on the video web site.
The deal lets Hulu pull in content from not only ABC, but from Disney’s ABC Family, the Disney Channel and SOAPnet cable channels as well, according to the entertainment company. Hulu users will be able to watch full-length episodes of current television programs, along with programs pulled up from the archives of Walt Disney Studios, it added.
“With the addition of shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and many more to Hulu, we continue to aspire to deliver a service that users, advertisers and content owners unabashedly love,” said Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu, in a statement.
Disney will join NBC Universal, News Corp. and Providence Equity Partners as owners of the video site, and will hold three seats on the Hulu board. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Hulu went live as a joint online video project of NBC Universal Inc. and News Corp., in March, 2008. Launched as a YouTube rival, Hulu started out offering more than 100 movies and episodes of more than 250 television series, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Simpsons.
Then last September, Hulu announced that it would be airing the debut of several network TV shows before they aired on television. Don Reisinger, a blogger at TechCrunch, said at the time that the move indicates the television networks are turning to a new business model.
“For years, TV studios were loath to even put television shows on the Web. Most wanted to maintain the same business model they had clung to for years,” he noted previously. “But now, they’ve realized there is money to be made online. Studios are embracing the Web like never before.”
Hulu’s deal with Disney and ABC is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review, according to Disney.
