Could the House of Mouse be headed to a computer screen near you via one of the Internet’s most popular video streaming services?
There’s buzz that Disney is in talks to partner with on-line distributor Hulu according to Variety. Insiders with Disney confirmed that discussions are taking place, but that Hulu is just one of several contenders being considered. The deal would license ABC and Disney produced shows for on-line, ad-supported streaming.
Disney was a trailblazer in offering full-length ABC shows for web-streaming online in 2006, but since then, it has mostly kept its program offerings on ABC.com and the websites of its affiliate stations. NBC and Fox have taken the approach of allowing their shows to be widely distribbed on the web via Hulu, while CBS has inked deals with numerous Internet distribution partners to make its content widely available for streaming.
Hulu has been on a growth spurt in the past few months on the back of its first major consumer marketing push. In February, the service delivered nearly 309 million video streams.
This would be great, if it actually happens. I’ve tried watching missed episodes of Lost and Castle on the ABC.com player, and it’s a pain in the butt compared to the Hulu interface.
I hope this actually works out, since as of April 1, my cable company will no longer carry ABC. The hetwork and Time Warner weren’t able to agree on terms or something, so the Charlotte area will be without one of the major networks to everyone who doesn’t want to deal with a sattelite dish.