?Hulu? the online video streaming service that specializes in offering television shows is reportedly in the market to save its streaming video service. This has attracted the likes of Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft, all of whom have expressed an interest in buying the company.
This news comes on the heels of the announcement that Netflix, the forerunner of streaming video on the web, has now expanded its service to an additional 43 countries.
Live streaming video is the fastest growing segment of the Internet universe, so anyone with the infrastructure to make that easier is going to be garnering the attention of some big time investors.
Hulu seems to be drawing the attention of quite a few potential buyers after it was suggested that the company was considering the sale of its video streaming business.
According to the latest report on the Los Angeles Times, potential buyers include the likes of Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and handful other technology and media companies.
At this point Google is looking the most likely buyer; the search giant is already a major presence in the online video market through YouTube and a tie-up with Hulu would further consolidate its strength in Internet broadcasting. Yahoo is also very interested in bringing premium content to its floundering yet still popular portal, whereas Microsoft could benefit from strengthening their video streaming offerings through the Xbox Live platform.
Hulu?s financial advisors, Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners, are reportedly setting up the meetings with several industry giants hoping to bring in at least $2 billion for its current owners Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal, Comcast Corp., Providence Equity Partners and News Corp.
The balance between these ?old media? companies? interests and Hulu?s nature as a new media venture is often viewed as an obstacle when it comes to decision-making. A buyout could consolidate control of Hulu under a single entity and help it focus its strategy better, but negotiating with content providers and keeping them happy might prove even more difficult than it already is as these companies pursue their own streaming plans.
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Source: http://livematrix.wpengine.com/live-streaming-video-services-hot-commodities/
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