Wilson Mizner and Hulu’s IPO
Posted on August 23, 2010
Last week The New York Times broke news that Hulu is considering an IPO. The first line of the story identifies Hulu as a “rapidly growing online hub for television and movies” that could be valued at “more than $2 billion.” Not only was the news surprising, but the favorable coverage in a normally reputable newspaper was perplexing. However, as I pondered the matter recollections of the wit and wisdom of Wilson Mizner proved to be insightful.
Download Audio Narration to iPod, iPad, and iPhone (six minutes).
Like Dorothy Parker, Mizner is remembered more for his witty repartee than specific works. He was born a month before the battle at the Little Big Horn in 1876 and died at the bottom of the Great Depression. During the intervening fifty-six years Mizner participated in the Klondike Gold Rush, befriended Wyatt Earp, married the Yerkes widow whose first husband was the inspiration for a Theodore Dreiser trilogy, managed the Rand Hotel in New York where he posted such notices as “Guests must carry out their own dead” and “No opium smoking in the elevators”, swindled Florida real estate investors in the 1920s, managed Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant, and wrote movie screenplays including 20,000 Years in Sing-Sing staring Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis.
Read more…
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Hulu and the Cowboy Philosopher
Posted on May 4, 2010
The following post was first written by me and released by Online Video Insider on May 4, 2010.
Hulu and the Cowboy Philosopher
by
Phil Leigh
As Will Rogers put it, “If I don’t see things your way, well, why should I?”
To Play six minute audio version on iPad, iPod, or iPhone click here.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Hulu.com’s Internet video streaming of popular TV shows will soon offer a premium version featuring more episodes and additional shows in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. They may discover that a number of constituents will fail to see things their way. Read more…
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YouTube Stretches its Lead
Posted on October 10, 2009
If you want to learn one way that YouTube is extending its competitive lead, even against rivals like Hulu, this video is for you.
If you watched last week’s video podcast as a stream from our website, you may have noticed that we switched to the YouTube player from our previous Flash player. The change reflects the fact that iPhones and iPods will not display native Flash streams. However, given YouTube’s popularity, Apple developed a special application enabling the units to display YouTube Flash videos. Since Apple has sold about 40 – 50 million of the devices, we want to make it as easy as possible for users to watch Inside Digital Media on their iPhones and iPod Touches. Read more…
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Internet TV: The Empire Strikes Back!
Posted on March 31, 2009
What if popular TV shows are only permitted to be viewed over-the-Net by subscribers to conventional CATV, Satellite, and IPTV services?
Such a plan seems to be gaining momentum among companies such as Time Warner, Direct TV, and Verizon. They want to discourage subscribers from “cutting the cord” to conventional TV and alternately watching the shows via broadband ISP service at websites like Hulu, Joost, and TV.com. Simultaneously they reason the plan provides added value to conventional subscribers because it gives viewers an alternate way to watch the shows. Read more…
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Madness at Fox and NBC
Posted on February 21, 2009
On Thursday www.hulu.com announced that they will not permit viewers who are using Boxee software to access Internet Video streams.
Background
Hulu is a website owned by NBC and Fox that provides high quality streaming of popular television shows and movies. Most of the shows are from NBC and Fox, but others are also available such as Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report. The website is entirely legal and supported with advertising. Additionally, there are over 100 movies. Read more…
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Internet Video in a Lean-Back Viewing Experience
Posted on December 15, 2008
While many of us would like to display Internet-Video-on-the-TV, another way to get the lean-back viewing experience might be to use digital video projectors in conjunction with an Internet-connected personal (e.g. laptop) computer.
Our guest today is Chris Chinnock who is the President of Insight Media. His company is a market research firm specializing in the information display industry. Read more…
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Hulu and The Future of Television
Posted on March 20, 2008
If you would like a follow-up to our earlier “Future of TV” video that provides even more demonstrations of what television might be like in the years ahead, this show is for you.
Summary: Earlier this month the hulu.com website advanced from beta to public availability. It is a Hollywood-backed service exhibiting popular television programs and movies on an advertising-supported basis. It also provides a peek at what TV will be like in the future. As (I think) Alan Kay once put it, “The future has already arrived, its just not yet evenly distributed.”
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