Far and away, Hulu and Netflix are the most interesting players in streaming television right now. So, rumors of a possible Hulu acquisition have some TV enthusiasts a little nervous. What will that look like? Business as usual, or a potentially massive decrease in streaming TV content?
Well, it probably depends on who ends up making the best offer? If a direct competitor buys Hulu, such as DirectTV, you can probably say goodbye to Hulu Plus. An Amazon acquisition might mean less in-show advertising since Amazon doesn’t currently have a working ad platform. A Google acquisition is the most interesting in terms of technology, and in terms of Google’s long-standing tradition of providing quality free of charge – and monetizing the mass traffic that stems from it.
But if Hulu is reportedly one of the only streaming providers successful at monetizing their content, why are they trying so hard to sell? Because they can sell high? Or because streaming expensive content for free just doesn’t make economic sense moving forward? Here’s hoping it’s not that one.