HULU OFFERS BUYERS FIVE-YEAR PROTECTION WARRANTY

Although the three media giants and the investment company that together own Hulu, the online video site, have said they are resolved to sell it, they have thus far been able to attract little interest from buyers — largely because of the impression that some of the owners just might decide to pick up their marbles and force users to watch their programs on their own websites. However, Bloomberg News reported today (Tuesday) that prospective buyers will be offered five years of access to the current owners’ shows, including two years of exclusivity. Bloomberg noted that the two most likely suitors for Hulu, Amazon.com and Microsoft, are unlikely to bid without guaranteed access to shows from the current owners, Disney/ABC/ESPN, News Corp/Fox, and Comcast/NBC.