Netflix absent from Hulu bidding

The sale of Hulu is proceeding from an initial phase in which multiple companies showed interest in a possible acquisition to a second phase in which the potential bidders will be digging into the business details of the online TV juggernaut. But, while many of the biggest names in high-tech--Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Yahoo!, Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV), etc.--participated in the first phase, one big name that didn't show up was Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), according to the Wall Street Journal.

While many companies were presumed to show interest in buying Hulu, it was uncertain where Netflix would stand, and if a potential matchup of the companies even made sense. It appears not, according to the WSJ's sources. Google has been rumored to be a frontrunner, but it sounds like the Internet giant will face some competition.

For more:
- read this story in the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

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