Hulu.com CEO Defends TV-viewing Web Site
Tulsa World
Apr 27, 2009
The CEO of Hulu.com says the video Web site for Fox and NBC doesn't steal viewers from cable television.
"It makes for a salacious headline, but the reality is actually different," Jason Kilar said Wednesday at the Ad-Tech conference in San Francisco.
Cable companies are concerned they will lose subscribers as more shows and movies become available online.
Hulu.com has attracted 49 percent more viewers since NBC began promoting the site during the Super Bowl with commercials featuring "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin, Kilar said.
The site, partly owned by NBC Universal and News Corp., lets users choose the ads they see in selected videos, including extended commercials in exchange for uninterrupted viewing.
That flexibility allows Hulu.com to charge higher advertising rates, Kilar said.
Hulu.com ranked fourth in video viewing in the U.S. in February behind Google Inc. sites including YouTube, and those of Fox and Yahoo Inc., according to ComScore Inc.
Online video watching expanded 10 percent last year, according to Nielsen Co.
Hulu.com videos have about onefourth of the advertising of a regular TV broadcast, the company says on its Web site. Spots run for 15 seconds and 30 seconds.
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