When Netflix
The Hulu contract is eerily similar to what we know about Netflix's Miramax deal: The 700-title Miramax library will rotate through Hulu's catalog rather than show up all at once, and the agreement is small enough to keep the price tag secret. The main difference this time is that a handful of films will show up in Hulu's ad-supported services, too -- a first for the privately held studio.
Although hardly ideal from the Netflix point of view, this contract underlines how the movie industry is changing. Hulu and Netflix are but the first of a new wave of innovative media-wrangling models, and both have convinced at least one fairly major studio that their similar-yet-different operating models are worth something. "Making our films available via premium digital distribution channels is extremely important to Miramax," said Miramax CEO Mike Lang. That's right -- he used the "P" word.
The next step in this evolution might be taken by Hulu first and Netflix later. Three of the five largest studios share ownership in Hulu, namely Walt Disney
Direct deals between digital distributors and the studios themselves will be the preferred and standard model going forward. Hulu and Netflix are simply leading the way into a new era. I'm sure that Apple
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