Hulu Sale Enters Next Phase

Since Hulu confirmed rumors that it's finally up for grabs, a number of major Internet companies have been jockeying for positions as possible bidders—but not rival streaming site Netflix.

As initial presentations ended last week, the buzzed-about sale is entering its next phase, reports The Wall Street Journal. Next up, the possible bidders will “comb through the business in greater detail,” including Hulu’s complex content agreements with its media owners, News Corp., Disney and NBCUniversal. During the first phase, “many of the top Internet video and TV distribution services”—including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and DirecTV—showed interest in possibly making a play for Hulu, according to sources.

Notably not on the list, however, was Netflix. The rival site wants to build its content—especially TV shows, which are Hulu’s specialty—but still hasn’t showed any signs of interest in a bid. According to one WSJ source, Hulu’s media owners don’t want to sell their site to Netflix, either. The companies already supply some programming to Netflix, so if they were to sell Hulu to Netflix, the numbers of suppliers for their content would be reduced, destroying competition rather than increasing it.