<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Tomorrow marks the day Hulu, a Web-based television project first piloted last year by Fox and NBC, is to be taken out of limited-release and put into full-fledged public profile, reports The New York Times, proving weekend speculation true. \nThe two network partners are celebrating their grand opening by adding content gathered from the production houses of Warner Brothers Television Group and Lionsgate, as well as sports game recordings of the N.B.A., N.H.L., and N.C.A.A. The material gathered from the archives of the collegiate basketball association is perhaps the most voluminous addition to Hulu, with full-length recordings being uploaded of games that reach back as far as 25 years.\nHulu\u2019s partners are evidently making every effort to secure a considerable amount of spotlight this year in the premium Web video space, with not only heavy investment being made in the venture\u2019s core website but distribution partnerships that include AOL, MSN, Comcast, MySpace, and Yahoo. Though the new multi-network company has yet to convince the executives at Walt Disney (ABC) and CBS, the recruitment of which would undoubtedly offer considerably more weight to Hulu\u2019s long-term business prospects, their names will perhaps be added to the board in a few months\u2019 time. CBS, as many know very well, is the proprietor of two of the most successful television franchises currently in operation: \"CSI\" and \"Survivor,\" and would surely be a hot property to enhance the fortunes of the Hulu enterprise.\nAs I said in the lines above, the two big-name hold-out networks, ABC and CBS, are likely to submit to Hulu partnerships of their own in short order. My motivation for saying this is simple. Though they both presently operate standalone video portals of their own, there\u2019s little reason to suspect that a partial migration to Hulu will occur. For one, Web video, despite its fresh-faced allure and burgeoning consumer demand, is one that is for the most part unprofitable for large networks now. Web advertising prices don\u2019t yet amount to a valuation that can be considered amply supplemental to the networks\u2019 present-day income. The tried-and-true standard broadcast and cable television mediums are by far the cash kinds of television at the moment. Therefore, as logic would have it, the more eyes they can reach online, in turn garnering more and more ad revenue, the better.\n\n\n\n\nHow best to reach more viewers on the Web? Concentration. They - ABC and CBS - presumably would amass considerably more attention by partaking in a concentrated effort like Hulu in an industry-wide push to turn their prospects on the Web lucrative.\nAll in all, Hulu\u2019s Wednesday launch will bring more attention to the project, which will subsequently convince more to jump aboard. It is looking increasingly likely that Hulu will be on a noticeable growth trend this year. Whether it can gain enough momentum to make the leap from the red to the black, only greater hindsight and real-world statistical analysis will reveal.\nI must say the news of the impending launch took me by surprise. As I said in an earlier post published this weekend, I imagined that Hulu\u2019s promoters would make an official presentation later in the month. Clearly it has come sooner, and right in line with initial rumors circulated days ago. However mistaken my assumptions were, today\u2019s advanced notice of the launch is a welcome one. Better sooner than later, eh?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/03/10/hulu-launch/>