Hasta La Gadget!

The Hulu Plus app for Android has a new update, and the most noticeable change is that its player UI to closer match the one on its website and in iOS. It also brings features from those platforms like 10 second skip back and a preview thumbnail in the scrub bar. Hulu also claims it’s rebuilt “for optimized awesomeness” with reduced buffering, better playback, and more device compatibility. Finally, in a move that should make plugging in your HDMI-out a little easier, it supports remote control navigation from game controllers and “similar peripherals.” A picture of the new UI is above, check out the old version after the break or just hit the source link to try it out for yourself.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile

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Source: Google Play

Hulu announced some specifics today on their streaming business during Q1 of this year. The company said that 1 million Hulu Plus subscribers came on board this quarter, surpassing 4 million subscribers total. The company also announced that during the three-month quarter, over 1 billion videos were streamed.

Hulu has seen its paid subscriber base exponentially grow since Q4 2010, when at the time it had around only 250,000 Hulu Plus subscribers. As for mobile viewing, Hulu says it’s “growing at a significant rate,” and they predict that it will account for around 15% of Hulu’s consumed videos this next year.

Another big step for Hulu is the announcement of two new original series, which the company hopes will allow them to compete more with Netflix and Amazon. Hulu announced Quick Draw and East Los High. Quick Draw is a comedy set in the western style in 1875, and the story revolves around a sheriff who wants to introduce the science of forensics to an unruly Kansas town.

As for East Los High, Hulu that it’s “not your typical high school,” but we have a slight feeling that it may be just that. The show follows around a group of teens as they explore romance and mystery. Sounds familiar, right? Release dates for the these two shows have not been announced yet, but we’ll see them premiere at some point this summer.

Hulu boasts massive growth in Q1: 1m subscribers added and 1b videos streamed is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced today that they have reached an exclusive agreement with Broadway Video, which brings the entire 38 season archive of Saturday Night Live on Yahoo. As part of this deal, clips from the current season will be available as well. Saturday Night Live is one of the oldest running shows, presented in front of a live audience in New York, the show is watched and loved by millions of people around the world. Saturday Night Live is hosted by all kinds of stars from the showbiz industry, including but not limited to TV and film actors. The show is very well known for its hilarious skits, which have made popular the likes of Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg.

Yahoo will have access to a range of content which will include extras and dress rehearsal footage. The company will have non-exclusive distribution rights to show the content outside of U.S. and Broadway Video will remove SNL archives from streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. The SNL content will be available for streaming across Yahoo sites starting September 1st.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Twitter For Mac Update Brings Retina Display Support, Huawei To Shift Its Carrier Business Focus From The U.S.,

It is no secret that Disney and News Corp. have been looking into selling video-streaming service Hulu, with sources having dropped information over the past weeks about what is happening behind the scenes. Word had it the two companies were, at one point, looking at buying out the other to take control of the service, and then sources said they were entertaining potential buyers. Now individuals who are said to be familiar with the happenings have stated that News Corps.’ former president has placed a bid.

Peter Chernin was one of the individuals responsible for the early days of Hulu, and now it seems, if the sources are correct, that he has returned with a bid for the service. Chernin left Hulu back in 2009 to start The Chernin Group, which has holdings in a number of companies, including the popular online music streaming service Pandora.

His bid is said to be approximately $500 million, but neither his people, Disney, or News Corp. would comment on the rumor. Word has it that Disney and News Corp. have reached out to multiple potential buyers, but the two sources who provided this information do not know if any other bids have been placed for Hulu. All of this comes as methods for monetizing the service and taking it in a solid direction have been pondered.

Per past sources, News Corp. was leaning towards a model for Hulu that involved subscriptions as the primary way of monetizing the service, using something like the currently-implemented Hulu Plus service. Disney had different ideas, however, leaning more towards an advertisement-based model that would depend on advertisements, something the service also utilizes. For a long while, the two companies were unsure of whether they would sell the service, but if the sources are correct, it would seem they are close to making a decision.

[via Reuters]

Former News Corp. president reportedly places $500 million bid for Hulu is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The news isn’t surprising to anyone who has been following the Hulu business saga, but word has it that Disney and News Corp. are reaching out to potential buyers to see what kind of interest there is out there for acquiring the company. The information comes from two sources who are said to be familiar with the matter, and follows soon after it was announced that Andy Forssell will be serving as acting CEO.

According to the sources, the company’s board still has not made a decision about whether the popular video streaming service will be sold, or if other steps will be taken instead. As we reported on March 1, Disney and News Corp., which own the majority of the company, can’t agree on how the service should be monetized. That information came from sources who likewise claimed the two were considering selling Hulu.

Reportedly, News Corp. is leaning towards using subscriptions as the primary way of funding the service, such as the already available Hulu Plus monthly subscription that costs $8 USD. This differs from how Disney thinks it should be run, however, with the latter company maintaining that Hulu should utilize an advertisement-based business mode, relying on ads, which are displayed on videos regardless of whether users have a monthly subscription.

Thus far, it is said that both the majority holders have approached Dick Clark Productions, Hollywood Reporter, and Guggenheim Partners LLC, and all of them are said to have shown interest in the possibility. Beyond that, nothing else is known, and nothing official has been stated. When asked, Hulu declined commenting on the rumor.

[via Bloomberg]

Hulu’s board reportedly looking into selling the service is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.