Hulu To Start Streaming Outside The US Early 2010
Besides being the most talked about online TV website around, Hulu is also the envy of all non US residents due to the fact that they cannot view this great site. That looks like it may be about to change in a small way. Hulu is planning to allow viewers in the UK and other as yet to be disclosed countries, have access to a show online. Wow you say a single show how generous. Well we have to start somewhere i guess.
Hulu To Stream Outside The US
Anyway, the show called ‘If I Can Dream’ which originates from 19 Entertainment of American Idol fame, and it has a familiar theme: It will follow five would-be stars as they try to make their way as actors, singers, etc. They’ll live in a Hollywood house wired with HD cameras and microphones, and viewers will be able to follow them live, seven days a week.
Of course watching 24 hours of that per day sounds pretty grim, so luckily it will be edited down to a 30 minute weekly highlights show for Hulu. But probably the show will achieve fame, not for the content but the fact that it could provide international viewers with their first taste (and view) of Hulu.
Hulu say the show will be the first recurring show to be available to select international audiences via Hulu, but it does not say exactly which countries or a time frame. But it is believed to start showing early next year and that the UK, where 19 Entertainment is based, is one of the countries pencilled in for access.
There is still a chance that the international plans could fall through. However, 19 Entertainment owns the show outright, which ought to make things easy. And both Ford and Pepsi, which have already signed on to underwrite much of the show’s costs, advertise internationally, which ought to make things even easier.
A stumbling block could be the recorderd music however, as ‘If I Can Dream’ uses recorded music within the show, clearing the rights to every song in every territory could be an issue.
This may also help explain why Hulu has taken such as long time to stream internationally. But as digital tv is changing the global media market, achieving worldwide streaming rights has to be resolved pretty soon – we hope.
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