In the wake of having numerous rumored buyers (Yahoo, Microsoft and now Google),  Hulu CEO, Jason Kilar has posted some promising statistics about the Hulu Plus service.  Kilar reported that Hulu should get to their 1 million paid subscriber goal before the end of the summer – a lot sooner than the end of 2011 (the previously forecasted number).   This is good news for both Hulu and the potential buyers.

Kilar ends the post with, “It’s been a big Q2. We remain on pace to approach half a billion in 2011 revenue. Thank you for making the above possible. We remain a team that believes in the value of convictions, thoughtful stubbornness, and the relentless pursuit of better ways.”

Full post available HERE

http://blog.hulu.com/2011/07/06/q2/

The live feed from Chicago can be found here: http://live.thecableshow.com/

That was the statement made by Time Warner CEO Glenn Britt.  Though that comment may sound strange, the man has a point.  By cable providers starting to take note of the potential cord-cutting movement, this will allow innovation to really embrace the ‘TV Anywhere’ model.

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and News Corp COO Chase Carey seemed cautious about moving in this direction – taking the position that the right to display their content across multiple devices (i.e. iPad, TV, laptop) should come with a fair price from not only consumers but distributors also.  They added that they may need to explore to find the right business model to make it work.

What did Britt have to say about this? “We do have to experiment. Sometimes business gets in the way of that.” This was a verbal reiteration of the companies earlier actions – when Time Warner Cable launched an iPad app to stream multiple cable channels live… without permission.

One could argue that there is a fair amount of ‘added value’ to the consumer (and distributor) by having the multiple viewing options and  expect to see the cable providers offering up more robust versions of the ‘TV Anywhere’ idea.  This could put the squeeze on SVOD services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon in regards to future licensing considerations.

In regards to cord-cutting Britt says that it’s “barely measurable,” yet he also spoke of creating less expensive package options for consumers who may have to make financial cutbacks due to the current economic climate.   Interesting.

Before I begin my take on this, read the full story HERE.  Is Netflix really going to re-focus its business on DVD? My guess is no.  This seems like an effort on their part to make them stand out from the competition – mainly Amazon and Hulu – by restating their streaming and DVD rental options.  Currently, Amazon and Hulu do not have this option so Netflix needs to stick to what has worked and reiterate to potential consumers what their subscription model is all about.  Smart Play.

My understanding is that this “re-energizing” was also – dare I say it – a ‘saving face’ in order to not further alienate their core physical goods customers.  Being a Netflix subscriber myself, I remember a couple of months ago when they removed the “add to DVD queue” from their streaming platforms on Wii and others (SEE THAT STORY HERE).  This was not taken well by their physical DVD customers who were paying for both options to be available .  Now subscribers who use Wii and other set tops have to log on to their computer to be able to add DVDs to their queue. By publicly saying they are making a commitment to DVD, they are making these subscribers breathe easier.

Put it this way – if they were not fully committed to streaming, why would they contemplate paying a reported $350 million for the Starz catalog?