Hulu opens to the public
Hulu launched publicly with more than 250 television shows and 100 feature films, using advertising to make professionally produced video available free online. The service represented a coordinated response by major television owners to the rapid growth of web video.
Historical context
YouTube had demonstrated enormous demand for online video, including demand for television material that rights holders did not always authorize. Established media companies wanted a legal, high-quality online destination where they could preserve control over programming and advertising rather than surrendering distribution to user-generated platforms.
What happened
On March 12, 2008, the News Corp.-NBC Universal joint venture opened Hulu beyond its private beta. Its catalog combined full television episodes, films and clips from participating rights holders, with advertising integrated into the viewing experience and tools for embedding clips elsewhere on the web.
Consequences
Hulu became an important early model for advertising-supported premium streaming and catch-up television. It demonstrated that major rights holders could cooperate on a web-native service while retaining professional content, advertising and syndication relationships.
Related people
Sources
- Hulu goes liveFortune
- Online video site Hulu goes live - at lastThe Guardian