More details have come to light about the possible Hulu sale, with AllThingsD's Peter Kafka reporting that if sold, Hulu would retain exclusive content from its current broadcast partners.
It's been rumored, but not confirmed, that in order to position itself for a sale, Hulu has renewed streaming rights with Disney and Fox, two of Hulu's current owners. Kafka says a similar agreement with Comcast, the other company with a stake in Hulu via NBC Universal, will soon follow.
Disney owns ABC, which provides Hulu with shows like Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy. News Corp. owns Fox, the company behind such shows as Family Guy and The Simpsons. Comcast owns NBC Universal, which provides programs like The Office and Community to the streaming site. Comcast, however doesn't have a vote on any sale proceedings. The company was forced to give up its management role in Hulu as a condition of its acquisition of NBC Universal.
The rumored streaming deals would carry over to a Hulu buyer, but there's no word as to how long they would last. Perhaps as a boost to Hulu's value for prospective buyers, these streaming agreements provide that this content is mostly exclusive to Hulu; broadcasters would still be allowed to post shows to their corporate-owned sites.
But as the L.A. Times noted last week, Hulu's owners want to increase the window of time between when a show is broadcast on television and when it is posted on Hulu to as much as eight days, unless a user proves that he or she is a cable subscriber. Currently, most episodes are added to Hulu about 24 hours after they air. This verification rule wouldn't be rolled out immediately; it would have to be added to the platform, Kafka says. Additionally, if Hulu follows through with the rumored authentication plan, it could work against the company, reducing viewership.
Hulu has yet to confirm that it's mulling a sale, although multiple sources claim the company has pegged Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to field offers. Yahoo reportedly approached Hulu with an unsolicited offer, and Microsoft has also been mentioned as an interested party. But for now, absent comments from Hulu's owners, it's all hearsay.