Hulu Launches With Few 'YouTube-Killing' Qualities
By Terrence Russell
October 29, 2007
For online videophiles and naysayers the wait is finally over. The NBC/News Corp. premium video site Hulu is up and running! Well.... with a couple caveats. First, we'll tackle the good news. The much hyped 'YouTube Killer' is open to a select few who've been invited to its private beta. Although access to the site and its Flash-based player are extremely limited, some of the content can currently be accessed from its partner sites. But get this -- it was never meant to take a shot at Google's industry-leading video sharing site.
The buzzword from NBC's camp seems to be "premium content," which seems to be Hulu-speak for "full-length content." By creating a platform that frees its content partners from YouTube's restrictions in terms of quality and length, the NBC/News Corp. have effectively constructed their own specialized hub for full-length video distribution. This includes a decent sampling of shows like Battle Star Galactica, The Simpsons, and even full-length movies.
However, the decisive line that truly separates the two sites is the option to upload. Although normally a mainstay of online video sites, the feature is totally nonexistent in Hulu. Instead, viewers are able to access a library of NBC/Fox content (in addition to content from 15 other cable channels) and stream it with limited commercial interruption from either the main site or through one of its distribution partners (AOL, Yahoo, Comcast, MSN, MySpace).
Wired
