Amazon, Yahoo, and Dish Network have all entered bids for Hulu, and now the owners of the streaming video site are weighing their options. Although Google had previously been mentioned as a top contender to buy Hulu, it hasn’t submitted a bit.
However, according to All Things D, Google’s bid could be coming, and the sum could be much more than what has been offered by the other three companies. Amazon, Yahoo, and Dish are expected to bid between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for Hulu, Hulu Plus, and “rights to exclusive content for at least two years,” All Things D said, confirming a weekend report from the Financial Times.
However, Google might be willing to pony up more than that if it can get more in return. All Things D speculates that Google could be asking Hulu’s owners for “access to more content, for a longer period of time, and perhaps offering up a couple billion dollars” beyond what the competition has offered.
An “executive familiar with the sales process” told All Things D that Hulu would have ordinarily thrown Google out of the proceedings for what it has allegedly proposed, considering that is not what Hulu’s owners have put up for sale. However, there is indication that Google is willing to pay enough that it has captured the attention of Hulu’s owners.
The details are vague, and it’s still possible that Hulu’s owners disagree on selling. Disney CEO Bob Iger said earlier this summer that he’s committed to a sale, but All Things D notes that News Corp CEO Chase Carey has suggested that his company might consider holding onto its shares. Hulu’s third owner, Comcast doesn’t have a say in the proceedings, as a condition of its acquisition of NBC Universal.
More news will probably surface in the next few days; Hulu’s owners are meeting this week to discuss their options.