Hulu

About

Hulu is an American subscription-based film and TV video streaming service launched in October 2007 and owned by The Walt Disney Company. The name comes from two Mandarin Chinese words, húlu (葫芦) — "bottle gourd," or "calabash" (metaphorically the same term applies for "the holder of precious things" or "premium content"), and hùlù (互录) for "interactive recording." The platform began as a joint venture between News Corporation and NBC Universal, aggregating recent episodes of their television series, with financial investment from Providence Equity; Disney joined later as a minor stakeholder. In 2010, Hulu launched the "Hulu Plus" subscription service with instant access to new episodes and full seasons of various TV shows from additional rightsholders and studios. Besides the USA, Hulu was accessible in Japan between 2011 and 2014, later spun off and acquired by Nippon Television Holdings. In 2017, Hulu introduced "Live TV" with integrated online streaming access to live television broadcast programming. In March 2019, The Walt Disney Company became the largest shareholder after acquiring 21st Century Fox; the following month, WarnerMedia sold its 10% to Disney for $1.43 billion, leaving the corporation with 67% against 33% that belonged to Comcast, NBCUniversal's parent and the second remaining co-owner. In May, Comcast reached an agreement with Disney, turning over executive control and remaining as a vested "silent" partner (with an option to sell its 33% of shares to Disney at the market price as early as 2024).