Internet TV wars update – Boxee regains Hulu streams. Then loses them again
Update on Internet TV wars. Pre emptive strike repelled by hostile Hulu.
Streaming TV media center, Boxee which was last month banned from streaming Hulu content has found a way around the missing content problem. In a daring manouvere they let users watch streams from RSS feeds as anyone with a browser can. This allowed Boxee users to watch TV shows from Hulu online, for a while. Hulu after catching wind of the plan immediately blocked the RSS access from Boxee’s browser.
Of course it was no surprise, after the initial ban caused by content owners to Hulu demanding its removal from Boxee, they dont want it happening via the back door.
Streaming success Hulu, owned by News Corp. and NBC, which pulled its video streams from Boxee and TV.com last month at the request content providers to the site said in a statement:-
“While we stubbornly believe in this brave new world of media convergence, bumps and all. We are also steadfast in our belief that the best way to achieve our ambitious, never-ending mission of making media easier for users is to work hand in hand with content owners.”
Boxee’s CEO Avner Ronen sais in a blog post:- “Like IE, Firefox, or Google Reader, the RSS reader supports Google Video, Yahoo, YouTube and feeds from many other Web sites. While it’s not as attractive or robust as our previous Hulu application, it will additionally support Hulu’s public RSS feeds.”
He continued:- “The fact that it’s becoming easy to consume Internet video on a TV brings into question many of the industry’s business models that developed before the Web. That’s part of the reason why Hulu asked to be removed from Boxee. Our meetings over the past week weren’t able to change that. But the people in the industry ‘get it’. They are users. They read the blogs. They talk with users. They are trying to adjust to a new reality, but they need time.”
This new RSS feature wasnt just to please its Hulu missing users, there are plenty more apps coming from the new app store ‘App Box’. This will allow users locate and install new apps and plugins.
Will this be the end of Boxee trying to reclaim the missing streams? Watch this space.
Related posts:
- Hulu getting tough with TV.com and Boxee
- Internet TV wars getting nasty
- Boxee adopts the Netflix movie streams
- Watch Hulu Outside the USA on your PC
- Comcast to launch streaming TV on demand service
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