Discussions are now ongoing for the control of Hulu.com, the website partners News Corp and Walt Disney Co currently co-own. Included in the discussions would be the buyout of the other partner, as relayed by individuals privy to the discussions.
When finalized, either News Corp or Disney would control the direction of the site, change the business model or sell the site altogether. News Corp and Disney both own a one third stake while Comcast is a minority shareholder. Disney is pushing for an advertiser focused business model while News Corp is pushing for subscriptions. Currently, Hulu has a limted free service with an expansion option worth US$8.00, called Hulu Plus.
The discussions are private and there is no guaranteed deal, according to the Walls Street Journal. Comcast cannot participate because of a federal regulatory agreement related to its acquisition of NBC Universal last January 2011. The whole discussion arose after Hulu founder and CEO Jason Kilar announced he would be stepping down by the end of March.
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