Hulu launches online TV library
LOS ANGELES Users of the service will be able to view more than 250
full-length episodes of shows such as "The Simpsons" and "The
Office," as well as some 100 movies, including "The Big
Lebowski" and "Ice Age."
Short clips from films and TV shows such as "Napoleon
Dynamite" and "Saturday Night Live" are also available through
the service, which is accessible at Hulu.com, as well as on Time
Warner Inc.'s AOL site, Yahoo Inc. and other popular Web portals.
The public debut of Hulu, which has been available to a test
group by invitation since October, comes as studios seek ways to
make money providing ad-supported video online.
The entertainment companies behind the service have been feuding
with popular online video sites such as Google Inc.'s YouTube,
where unauthorized clips from shows often appear. Viacom Inc.,
which owns MTV and Comedy Central, is suing Google for copyright
infringement.
The Hulu.com programming comes from 50 TV networks, movie
studios and Web-based producers of content. Viewers of some movies
and TV shows are given a choice of advertisements to watch.
NBC Universal is a unit of General Electric Co.
