Hulu could be preparing for a series of changes this fall as Comcast, News Corp., and The Walt Disney Co. plan to buy out fourth owner Providence Equity Partners. The buyout would place all programming decisions in the hands of the remaining partners.
The acquisition could release shows from ABC and Fox, owned by Disney and News Corp, respectively, from exclusivity agreements with Hulu. At present, popular shows on both networks including ABC's "Modern Family" and Fox's "Glee" are required to stream via Hulu before they can be shown on any other websites.
Another planned change could be a significant increase in advertising, says a report from pcworld.com. According to the site, Fox specifically is hoping to increase the number of ads to as many as four per commercial break for popular shows including "The Simpsons."
The new plan would also reportedly require ComCast to stop any "unreasonable" limitations on Hulu usage amongst their Internet customers. The company has previously come under fire from streaming services including Netflix for offering limited service to their customers, presumably to boost their own cable service.
by RTT Staff Writer
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