No Hulu IPO; service looking more avidly at paid content

Hulu, one of the niggling details of the Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA)-NBC Universal merger, has indefinitely postponed any plan to go public in the near future via an IPO and is instead looking more closely at juicing its paid Hulu Plus service.

While there are multiple official and unofficial reasons for the move--Hulu said its lack of long-term programming rights is a key reason--PaidContent.org pointed its finger at Comcast "which is about to take over NBCU's stake (in Hulu and) needs Hulu like a fish needs a bicycle."

The theory is that while Comcast won't or can't pull the plug on Hulu, it would like to steer the service in the direction of paid subscriptions that fit with "the cable operator's drive toward authenticated viewing experiences." Over-the-top conspiracy theorists can make what they will of that.

For more:
- see this story

Related articles:
OTT: NBC reportedly pulls back on Hulu ad inventory
Report claims Hulu is eyeing an IPO