Andre Yoskowitz
14 Aug 2011 15:27
Hulu, the on-demand video site owned by Disney (ABC), News Corp. (Fox), Comcast (NBCU) and private equity firm Providence went up for auction last week, and initial bids are expected by the end of next week.
The owners are currently looking to sell the site and its licenses for $1.5 billion, although some companies have offered to pay more if other conditions are met.
For example, Yahoo is willing to pay $2 billion if Hulu guarantees them 4-5 years of exclusive access to the media content. Hulu, on the other hand, seems to be only willing to give 2 years of exclusivity, albeit with 5 years guaranteed access to the content.
Additionally, News Corp. has said it would like to keep a stake in the company, which should reduce the auction price.
Amazon, Apple, Yahoo, Google and DirecTV have all been said to be potential suitors.