Word was released yesterday that streaming powerhouse Hulu, owned by  News Corp., Comcast and The Walt Disney Co., had signed a deal to stream hundreds of catalog films from Miramax.  The films will appear both on the Free VOD side (on a rotational basis) and their subscription based Hulu Plus service.

The deal itself is not surprising – Miramax recently announced a similar deal agreement Netflix (see that story HERE), and we may start to see more content owners move in the direction of licensing bigger films to platforms that have shown that they can make it very profitable for both parties involved.  Additionally, it has been no secret that Miramax has been trying to turn a profit on their huge catalog of over 700 films – and I would guess this isn’t the last we’ve heard of Miramax signing non-exclusive deals with streaming platforms.

Hulu is currently charging $7.99/mo. for their streaming service which recently became accessible through xBox and many other platforms.

Knowing what they’re up against, cable/internet providers like Comcast and Time Warner are more than likely a short time away from announcing their own platforms to combat the success of Netflix and Hulu and potentially the subsequent cord-cutting by the end consumer.

Better later than never: Comcast announced their plans for “Xcalibur” via their blog last week.  Here is an excerpt in their own words: “…the goal is to take everything we’ve learned from the web and tablets and bring it right back to your TV screen.”

Needless to say, it will be an interesting next couple of months.