Hulu is going to be huge
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When NBC and News Corp announced two years ago that they were creating a new online destination to compete with YouTube, the web elites scoffed at the idea. Google reportedly privately referred to the new venture as “ClownCo.” Now that Hulu has officially opened to the public, it looks like the clowns will be having the last laugh.
Hulu has done a lot of things right - the interface is clean, it’s easy to find content you’re interested in, and embedding and sharing videos could not be easier. But the smartest thing Hulu did was what it didn’t do: try to compete head-on with YouTube. YouTube dominates user-generated videos and Hulu wisely stayed away from this. Hulu’s assets are the thousands of television shows and movies that are owned by NBC and News Corp. This is what will start to really give YouTube problems in the long run. Would you rather watch yet another grainy video of some cute kitties on YouTube or full-length episodes of 24?
Hulu isn’t perfect. It needs to have more content, especially full-length TV shows and movies. Hulu too often feels like a promotional vehicle for NBC and News Corp’s content, rather than a destination to actually consume that content. But I think that will happen over time. When Hulu’s owners see the traffic surge and start to realize the enormous revenue potential, my guess is that they will pour on the content - and they’ve got lots of it.
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