The highest hurdle to clear for Hulu in smoking out a buyer -- content -- has been cleared.
Disney (NYSE: DIS ) , News Corp. (Nasdaq: NWS ) , and NBC Universal winner Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSK ) have agreed to give the prospective buyer of the video-streaming website at least five years of continued access to their shows, sources are telling Bloomberg. The deal will also include two years of content exclusivity.
This is a pretty big deal, especially since Hulu would be nothing without the content of its three major media investors. No reasonable company would buy into Hulu without assurances that its magnetic appeal wouldn't be ransacked overnight.
A deal is nearly certain to happen. Comcast has to unload its stake as part of the NBC Universal acquisition, and Disney CEO Bob Iger expressed his commitment to cashing out of Hulu earlier this month.
Who will buy Hulu is the real question.
I have thrown my weight behind Google (Nasdaq: GOOG ) as the company with the most to gain in snapping up Hulu. It needs the Tinseltown relationships to make Google TV stick, and Hulu's vetted network content would be the perfect complement to the community-constructed ways of YouTube.
However, Netflix's (Nasdaq: NFLX ) surprising decision to split its DVD and streaming plans really opens the door for Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN ) to come on strong. Netflix no longer throws in streaming for free to DVD plan subscribers. Amazon's limited digital catalog that it makes available to members of its Prime loyalty shopping program could benefit greatly from Hulu's content.
Hulu -- and Hulu Plus, in particular -- would be perfect to round out Amazon's streaming perks. Amazon would also be able to sell many of the television shows available through Hulu on DVD in a win-win for Amazon and the studios providing content.
Either way, Netflix's tactical shift and Hulu's long-term content arrangement have turned a somewhat attractive Hulu into a knockout that should command a healthy price as potential buyers begin lifting their bidding cards.
Who do you think will wind up with Hulu? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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