Hulu launching in the UK in September

American TV streaming service could rival iPlayer

21 May 2009 10:12 GMT / By Duncan Geere

TV streaming service Hulu has proved very popular in the USA, but many Brits are frustrated by its unavailability this side of the Atlantic. Luckily, that seems to be about to change.

Senior sources quoted by the Telegraph claim that Hulu is attempting to sign a deal with the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 that would put the majority of British TV programming in one place online, as well as 3000 hours of US content.

A similar service proposed by UK broadcasters - Project Kangaroo - was blocked by the Competition Commission back in February. However, the Commission might not even get a chance to block Hulu - apparently the company is currently bickering with ITV and Channel 4 over advertising.

A senior TV ad exec told the Telegraph: “Hulu is proposing a model that works in the American marketplace – however Channel 4 and ITV will not consent to that. Both parties always retain the commercial rights and sell their own ad inventory. Hulu executives want a September launch and are running out of time if they continue with this line of negotiation".

Pocket-lint will keep you informed of any developments.

Full tags

Video, Media streaming, Biz, iPlayer, BBC, Channel 4, ITV