Hulu

I came across an interesting news item, titled, Is Hulu A Credible Rival To YouTube? It's Off To A Slow Start.

It is interesting to note that smaller guys are coming up to take on the biggies. The question is: will those endeavors succeed?

I am not qualified enough to comment on the success of YouTube. What I do know is that millions of people put up their videos on YouTube for everyone to access. YouTube is ranked fourth by Alexa. In that context alone, it would be a major task for Hulu to take on YouTube, the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos. However, both have adopted different approaches, and should easily co-exist.

I tried signing on to Hulu, but the site clearly states that the Hulu private beta is currently limited to users in the US. Possibly, this may not the right way to start! One, others won't really know what Hulu is all about till the time it is opened up to everyone. Two, at least I don't know what Hulu contains inside.

The Hulu site says that it hopes to provide users with the Web's most comprehensive selection of premium programming across all genres and formats -– TV shows, feature films, clips, etc. Additionally, it wants to give users more choices of when and where they can enjoy their favorite programming, while creating innovative experiences that will let users watch and participate in online video in new and exciting ways. So far so good.

The screenshots on Hulu look fabulous. However, I couldn't see any place where it says users can put up their own videos. Possibly, that feature will be added soon, or is already there, only to be unleashed when Hulu goes public.

I certainly won't mind seeing re-runs of "I Love Lucy", "Star Trek -- The original series", "The Green Hornet", "Fawlty Towers", "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em", 'Allo 'Allo, etc., provided those are available on Hulu.

Later, I was contacted on my blog by Michael, a gentleman, who signed up for Hulu. He has also reviewed Hulu at HighbridNation.com, and says, that overall, he's pleased, however some things could be better -- "Like, can I get more than one of the 19 seasons of Simpsons please"? That's his wish, quite similar to mine -- to get to see what we'd like to see!

So long as users like me can get what they wish to see, Hulu will be on the right track.