Hasta La Gadget!

Hulu, the major force in internet television for the United States market, today announced that they were bringing CBS content to the platform. Starting in 2013, Hulu Plus subscribers (who pay $8 per month) will be able to stream CBS content through Hulu. This means shows like Numb3rs and CSI, as well as a impressive back catalog of content that includes the original Star Trek and The Twilight Zone. 

Previously, Hulu had featured content from Fox, NBC, and ABC. With CBS it completes its collection of major American broadcast networks. From the press release, it doesn’t appear as if any of the CBS content will be available without an account (read: free), but for Hulu Plus subscribers, your cord-cutting strategy just got a lot easier.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: CBS And Hulu In Talks Over The Hulu Plus Subscription Service, Hulu Plus update on PS3 delivers improved navigation and discovery,

We’ve seen web portals that let you search for TV and movies on the internet across different services, but a new update for Roku is bringing that capability directly to its set-top boxes. Whether you’re searching by movie, TV show, actor or director it will sniff out related content across some of the higher profile services it offers, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Vudu and HBO Go. The new Roku Search function is front and center (once your second gen HD or higher player has been updated to the latest version) and in our tests worked quickly, pulling up content wherever it was available and mentioning if it was available in HD. The only downside is navigating the onscreen keyboard via remote, although you can always sub in your mobile device thanks to those recently upgraded remote apps for iOS and Android. All in all Roku says it can reach its tendrils across around 130,000 titles and almost 100,000 actors and directors. Check after the break for a couple of screenshots and a quick demo video, hit the official blog for more info or force an update on your hockey puck to check it out yourself.

Continue reading Roku update adds cross-provider search over Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Vudu and Crackle

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Roku update adds cross-provider search over Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Vudu and Crackle originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu announced today that they’re bringing Hulu Plus to Windows 8 on October 26th — the day when Windows 8 will release to the public, which means you’ll be able to enjoy the service seamlessly on your new Windows 8 machine right from day one. Hulu Plus offers a better selection of shows compared to its free service, and most shows also play in high definition as well.

The Hulu Plus app will come pre-loaded on a selection of Acer and Sony tablets, and will also be available to download through the Windows Store onto any Windows 8 machine. Hulu implemented some of Microsoft’s own flavor of Windows 8 into the Hulu Plus app, and works seamlessly on tablets as well.

The app uses a tile-based UI that’s similar to the new UI featured in Windows 8. Hulu says the clean and simple user interface allows them to put “the most relevant content first, creating a visually immersive experience in the most engaging way.” We can’t argue with them really, since the UI actually does look pretty good.

A nifty feature of the new is the ability to do many actions right from the main screen, like share content with friends. If you tap an image and slide it down and then up, a menu of options will appear. This will let you share the show, add it to your queue, or just the play the show right away. You can also “pin” shows, which gives yo access to any pinned shows right from the home screen. They’ve also added “Snap View,” which allows you to watch a show in a small screen while using another app in the foreground.

In order to use the Hulu Plus app on not just Windows 8 machines, but any device, you’ll need a Hulu Plus subscription, which costs $7.99 per month.

Hulu Plus app coming to Windows 8 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The private equity firm Providence, one of Hulu‘s early investors, has sold its stake for $200 million. The company invested $100 million in Hulu in 2007 with a 10% stake, gaining an independent position in the company board. Providence acted on its option to exercise its shares at double the investment amount.

The buyout was announced in April of this year, and last month, a leaked Hulu memo showed that the company was setting up contingency plans in the event that CEO Jason Kilar would leave his position shortly after it happened, reading: “Outline transition plan for new CEO. Discuss potential candidates and process.” Kilar is now free to cash in on his shares, which, according to an inside source, would gain him about $100 million. Hulu has not offered a statement on the leaked memo.

Back in August, a source said that the Hulu board was in talks with CEO Kilar about his plans, but that nothing had come from it thus far. At the time, no one had been approached to replace Kilar, and a search committee had not been formed. Whether any of this has changed since then is unknown. Some speculate that Kilar may leave due to the altercations he has had with the board, which has always been a tumultuous relationship.

Hulu’s future is unknown. Some speculate that the exclusive content currently on Hulu by its three major broadcast companies (NBC, Fox, and Disney) could come to an end soon, as the companies seek to increase profits by licensing the content to more than one distributor. With Hulu’s revenue already tottering along in the “moderate” range, such a change could harm the company, throwing it into a downward spiral as the number of shows available decreases, and the wait time for access to the ones that remain potentially lengthen to longer than next-day availability.

[via Tech Crunch]

Hulu investor Providence sells its stake for $200 million is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Hulu lovers, rejoice: the online video service has widened its current standing with Viacom, and as a result, will now offer a range of Nickelodeon TV shows. If that’s not good enough for you, the new expansion will also include another two years of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, both of whom are responsible for a large percentage of Hulu’s visitors. Viacom and Hulu reached their first deal back in 2011.

Nickelodeon shows destined for Hulu include “Spongebob Squarepants,” “iCarly,” and “Big Time Rush.” Unfortunately for those with younger kids, the deal doesn’t include any Nick Jr. shows like “Max and Ruby.” This may be due to licensing issues that would arise, given that several of the shows are currently licensed for other video providers, including Amazon.

Recently, Viacom has been criticized for offering content online and via Netflix, with some claiming that by doing so, the network is shooting its TV ratings in the proverbial foot. In addition, Hulu is apparently in for some major changes, with an alleged leaked internal memo that reads: “Outline transition plan for new CEO. Discuss potential candidates and process.” Fortunately, Hulu’s seemingly uncertain future hasn’t affected its relationship with Viacom.

Hulu is owned by NBCUniversal, Fox, and Disney-ABC. It offers content from its own networks, as well as content from CBS and Nickelodeon, to name a few. Viewers can watch clips and many episodes online for free, with access to premium content available via a Hulu Plus subscription.

[via All Things D]

Hulu adds Nickelodeon shows, renews Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.