Disney-Hulu Agreement

Business Week has a good article on the looming battle between Apple and Hulu. Disney now has established an agreement with Hulu to provide content for the site. This means Hulu has become an even more formidable competitor to Apple as a place where consumers can access video content. Hulu, of course, relies on advertising to support its free distribution model. Some question whether this popular site can ever be profitable relying predominantly on advertising for its revenue. Apple charges consumers for video downloads. The two economic models will be tested against one another in the months to come. As the article states, the success of Apple's strategy will be dependent on the further evolution of its hardware technology. Thus, it will be interesting to watch new developments on the product side in the next year. Meanwhile, the article mentions the possibility of a Hulu app for the iPhone... meaning that the two firms will be collaborating as well as competing in this space. To top it all off, Steve Jobs remains Disney's largest shareholder, adding another interesting twist to this latest news about Hulu.