Hulu Nixes IPO Plans

The online video site may look to its existing investors to raise capital, now that its dismissed plans for a public stock offering, say reports.

Hulu, the popular movie and TV show streaming site, is not planning to go public in the near future, the
Wall Street Journal
reported Tuesday.
Hulu is instead pursuing new subscription plans beyond its recently launched paid service, Hulu Plus. One reason Hulus management decided not to proceed with an initial public offering (IPO) was the company does not have long-term rights to its owners online video programming, according to the
Journal
.
An IPO was being considered by Hulus management to raise funds so it could license additional content from a broader range of media companies, the newspaper reported. But the company has decided to instead pursue other options to raise capital rather than go public. One option might include Hulus owners infusing the company with more money, the
Journal
said.
Hulus investors include News Corp., Walt Disney, NBC Universal, which is owned by General Electric, and Providence Equity Partners.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar and senior board members discussed the possibility of offering new subscriptions during a meeting last week, the
Wall Street Journal
reported. Hulu is looking to secure rights to distribute content it doesnt already have with the new subscription plans, the newspaper said. It was not made clear whether the new subscription plans would affect Hulu Plus.
Last weeks talks were at an early stage so no details were given about what type of TV programming or movies the new plans would include -- or whether the discussions would continue, the
Journal
said.
Hulus rivals, which include Netflix and Googles YouTube, are also expanding their online programming to include access to TV shows. Hulu started by offering free recent episodes of current TV shows and has been expanding its lineup to include full seasons of shows as well as older content. Its business model is largely advertising based, but its owners have been looking to generate more revenue with subscription-based services, the
Journal
reported.
Hulu Plus was launched last summer and offers full seasons of certain shows that previously had been limited to some episodes. Subscribers can also watch on portable devices such as tablets and Internet-connected TVs. The monthly cost was
dropped
from $9.99 to $7.99 after customers complained the selections on Hulu Plus were limited.
In related news, Hulu Plus is slated to soon be offered by TiVos Premiere DVR service, but it will not be available from cable companies, including RCN, Cox, and Suddenlink, that lease the digital video recorders. Both Hulu and Netflix said the cable companies contracts dont allow them to offer the subscription services, according to Gigaom.com.

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Hulu Nixes IPO Plans