Apple Considering a Bid For Hulu?

[marksman]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_4 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8K2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Throwing any amount of cash down on a non competitor is wasteful no matter how you spin it. Ignorant explanations are never necessary and their omission is appreciated.

Remind me, why did Apple buy Lala? Is it in your iTunes yet?

Lol. The bought lala to use the knowledge and technology. If you are that ignorant about what apple gas been up to go back and read the front page for the past few months.

Apple did not buy lala to shut down a competitor and would not be why they bought hulu.

 

[BTW]

I'd like to see Apple get Hulu and take them further by challenging the cable with more networks and content.

 

[heyyoudvd]

I don't understand where these numbers are coming from.

I've been hearing claims for a while that Apple had well over $50 billion in cash and now Apple has apparently stated it has $76.2 is cash and cash equivalents.

But I checked the balance sheet and it's nowhere close to that. Apple's financial statements show cash and equivalent to be in the $15 billion range. In fact, total assets are only about $45 billion.

So where does this $76.2 billion figure come from?

 

[Andeavor]

Sorry, currently our video library can only be watched from within the United States

Hulu is committed to making its content available worldwide. To do so, we must work through a number of legal and business issues, including obtaining international streaming rights. Know that we are working to make this happen and will continue to do so. Given the international background of the Hulu team, we have both a professional and personal interest in bringing Hulu to a global audience.

I won't care until they fix this. ^^

If you're going to be an international company, then make sure your hardware and software is internationally obtainable. Simple business 101.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

I won't care until they fix this. ^^

If you're going to be an international company, then make sure your hardware and software is internationally obtainable. Simple business 101.

BBC iPlayer still isn't international and has the same restrictions. Different countries, different broadcasting rules. Business Deals 101.

And Hulu don't make hardware. Other manufacturers just add the service to the products they make.

 

[Andeavor]

BBC iPlayer still isn't international and has the same restrictions. Different countries, different broadcasting rules. Business Deals 101.

The internet has changed the way we distribute media for the past 15 years, it's time TV networks catch up.

 

[weckart]

Apple needs to buy Netflix, not Hulu and hopefully one day buy Adobe and Autodesk.

Why would Apple be interested in Adobe and Autodesk? Those cater to professionals. A sector of the market Apple is seemingly becoming less interested in as it doesn't generate enough profit to warrant the investment and support required.

Did Final Cut X and Lion Server (Cut Down Version) not tell you anything?

 

[Themaeds]

I would like to see Apple buy SiriusXM

Why? Sirius XM is good the way it is. Baba Booey

 

[The Phazer]

I think the one thing I'm reasonably sure that Apple would do with a streaming opportunity would be to make the video files H.264, and the pages and effects would be written in HTML 5.

Errr… there's one tiny flaw in this plan.

Hulu's contracts with content providers say they must use content protection. I understand this is even as specific as to say that this protection must consist of either Silverlight, Flash using RTMPE or a specially written closed source application for that platform (with a host of tests on that application).

If Apple were to switch Hulu to HTML5 then their content deals (pretty much *all* of them) go null and void overnight.

And no, Apple is not going to get the content companies to drop content protection. The music industry was different because it's much less complex rights wise, has a history of collective bargaining that the television and film industries don't, and most crucially the music industry was selling things for people to keep in perpetuity. Apple won the argument that DRM did little to stop people giving people tracks to others and made the product massively less competitive compared to piracy. That's not true for Hulu (or indeed broadcasters). Hulu don't sell anything. Hulu rents things. And with rentals there needs to be some way for the term to end, so they need to make sure people can't keep material forever. Maybe Apple might win the argument eventually that DRM on video to keep from the iTunes store is counterproductive. They'll never, ever win the argument that DRM on streaming video is counterproductive. Because, bluntly, it's not.

Phazer

 

[aughsum]

It's so easy to see what appe is doing... Buy AAPL, now.

 

[Beerstalker]

The rumor I heard is that most of Hulu's content agreements are set to expire over the next 2 years. They know that all of the content owners are going to want huge increases in their fees so the owners or Hulu are trying to sell now to get out before their costs increase greatly. Not sure if it would be a good idea for anyone to buy them.

 

[DJinTX]

Here's the problem with appletv- Tvs themselves already duplicate all of it's function and then some. AppleTV would be great for my SD tv, but it only works with HDMI. HDMI tvs already have Netflix, HULUPlus, Facebook, etc.

Mine doesn't. And I would wager that most people out there are in the same boat. When the HDTV boom happened 2-3 years ago, these services were not embedded in the TV.

And, even with the newest tech, no TVs have iTunes portals. You may not want this, but I do, and so do countless others.

 

[DJinTX]

it still wouldn't be complete. you can't forget a source for sports. live games are essential.

From the point of view of getting rid of the cable company, then yes, live sports are essential. But Apple buying Hulu is not their way of helping people ditch the cable company. It would just be a way to beef up the Apple TV offerings, and compete better against Netflix and Amazon services.

Apple may one day bring a workable solution to market to outdo the Cable Cos, but that is many years down the road. Anyone expecting a company, Apple or anyone else, to come along and obsolete cable anytime soon is going to be very disappointed.

 

[Angelo95210]

Please Apple let Hulu alone.

 

[krisarmstrong]

Apple needs to buy Netflix, not Hulu and hopefully one day buy Adobe and Autodesk.

I'd like to see apple purchase netflix or HULU. Not both though i'd also like to see further competition. I'm not really sure that apple needs to purchase either one though. it seems to me apple could come out with a plan that competes with netflix on their own. We are already streaming netflix via our apple TV why can't we stream the movies from itunes from our apple TV for a monthly cost just like netflix?

I don't want to purchase content I just want to be able to watch whatever I want wherever I am and whenever I want without having sync and large amounts of storage space.

As far as adobe and autodesk goes. I don't know about that. We don't want to apple to own everything. Adobe has really gone down hill over the years and needs some fresh management in place. Maybe it is time they get acquired. Not sure on this one.

 

[skinnylegs]

Why? Sirius XM is good the way it is. Baba Booey

F Jackie.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Hulu the next Lala?!

Oops.

Shake shake shake.
Shake shake shake.
Shake your booty.
Shake your booty.

 

[the8thark]

I won't care until they fix this. ^^

If you're going to be an international company, then make sure your hardware and software is internationally obtainable. Simple business 101.

International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
So no matter what US only service you have. Apple can only hook up 38% of it's customers at these rates.

So all the rumour sites debate the possible US only streaming service buyout by Apple. But the fact is 62% of Apple's customers (based on revenue) simply do not care cause it does not affect them in any way. Hard to release a service when the majority of your customers don't care about it or can't use it.

 

[farmboy]

Would this make Hulu another wart on the bloated pig named Itunes? That mess needs to be split up into several applications that have a little focus.

Warthog!

Image​

Every once in a while I agree with you. There's hope for humanity after all.

 

[jw2002]

Why? Sirius XM is good the way it is. Baba Booey

Ha ha. The sun is setting on satellite radio. Pandora and other services can do it cheaper and offer far more choices. Maybe a few truckers out there driving through West Texas will have a legitimate need for satellite radio. But aside from a slim and remote portion of the population, there are other choices to satellite radio.

 

[Mousse]

I don't understand where these numbers are coming from.

I've been hearing claims for a while that Apple had well over $50 billion in cash and now Apple has apparently stated it has $76.2 is cash and cash equivalents.

But I checked the balance sheet and it's nowhere close to that. Apple's financial statements show cash and equivalent to be in the $15 billion range. In fact, total assets are only about $45 billion.

So where does this $76.2 billion figure come from?

You're looking at the work of a level 90 accountant (the guys at Arthur Anderson are a mere level 40 by comparison). 3 sets of books: 1 for the Feds, 1 for the Share holders and 1 with the real numbers. It's so well done that it's impossible for a CPA to find fault in the two fakes. I bow the grandmasters. I'm not worthy of carry their green eyeshades.

Anyhow, back on topic. I hope they don't buy out Hulu. It'll probably get dismantled and integrated into iTunes. iTunes is already bloatware in my book.

 

[sameday]

Hulu would certainly be a good investment for Apple but $2 billion is a lot of money. Microsoft could offer more money because the company is making more money than all the other tech companies. But with all the video files and everything computer users are starting to backup their files in the cloud. They are using a free file backup service. http://tiny.cc/7umjf

 

[Laird Knox]

movies play only on iTunes which is an Apple product. So much for that attempted.

Leave the computer well then it is ONLY apple products. I see you were doing the classic twisting of words when you knew exactly what I meant.

Twisting of words? Seriously? You want to leave out 80% of the computer market to make your point. That's like saying Netflix is a closed system because you have to run their software.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Twisting of words? Seriously? You want to leave out 80% of the computer market to make your point. That's like saying Netflix is a closed system because you have to run their software.

either way you knew exactly what the point was and what I was making.
It was not about computers but more about any devices that connect otherwise.
That be 360, DVD players, TVs, other phones ect. Those devices are all currently can play hulu.

Lets see what Apple movies can play on. Computers, Apple TV, Apple iPod, Apple iPhone. Noticed a patern there. Out side of computers it require Apple devices only. Not something that works on pretty much everything.

 

[jwdsail]

I'm seeing some .. interesting ... ideas being put up for how Apple could/should use it's cash pile..

http://news.yahoo.com/four-ways-appl...151845193.html

1.Enter the TV Market
2.Take Control of Facebook
3.Acquire Hulu or Netflix
4.Launch a Full-Fledged Video Game Division



Others suggest stock buy backs or dividends..



All of these, while ok ideas I suppose, are short term ideas. Transportation and energy costs will only go up in the next 20+ years. Apple should buy up some land, and use that land to build some state of the art manufacturing facilities in north america and other strategic global locations to limit transportation/distribution costs, as well as molten salt solar / roof-top solar co-ops (big in italy) / wind / micro hydro / energy generation facilities to power them. They should also acquire mining/mineral rights in newly discovered areas rich w/ the materials that will be required to manufacture their products moving forward.

People are thinking way too small about this (Apple's Cash). Think bigger. Think different.