14 DAY TRIAL // Hulu hasn't had the easiest of times, but it has managed to keep itself afloat and attract quite a large audience, even though its financial side may not be looking so great. Hulu is a joint venture owned by the big TV broadcasters in the US along with venture capital investors, but the latest rumor is that the company is looking for a buyer.
This new interest in a company wanting to take over the video site seems to be a consequence of an unsolicited bid for the company from an undisclosed source.
Some reports indicate that Yahoo may be interested in buying Hulu, an interesting move from the web giant which hasn't exactly had the its best years lately.
Hulu has been looking at options for moving forward for the past few months and a sale could be an attractive path for the company which could be valued at a few billion dollars.
Earlier this year, the company was said to want to go public at some point at a valuation of $2 billion. Those plans fell through though and a bid from a potential buyer has made Hulu start thinking about this option.
The big question is who has expressed its interest in Hulu. According to a couple of reports that came out after the initial news about a potential sale, Yahoo is the mystery company trying to convince Hulu owners to sell.
Hulu offers full-length TV shows soon after they air enabling users to catch up on their favorite shows. However, securing this content is expensive and Hulu operates under a mixed advertising/subscription-based model.
It is said to be taking in $500 million in 2011, but it also has big expenses, part of the reason why it was interested in a public offer. A sale could mean that it's out of the hands of its current owners, but it's unclear if any one company would be able to push Hulu beyond its current state.