Three Hulu Bidders Offer A Billion Each, Including DirecTV and Yahoo!
A thing is worth whatever others are willing to pay for it, and amid speculation as to how much TV and movie streaming service Hulu is worth has ranged from half a billion dollars or so to as much as $2 billion. According to a Reuters report, sources say that at least three bidders have offered a cool billion each, including Yahoo! and DirecTV. The identity of the third billion-dollar bidder is unknown.
News Corp and Disney currently own Hulu, but Yahoo! has submitted a formal bid, and DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Silver Lake (a part owner of Hollywood agency William Morris, with whom its making the bid), and Guggenheim Digital Media are all reportedly in the mix.
It’s a little unclear as to what exactly Yahoo! would do with Hulu beyond simply adding it to the roster--it’s hard to imagine that the company would rebrand it--but it’s anyone’s guess, as CEO Marissa Mayer is steering Yahoo! in new directions. Those new directions include killing off some Yahoo! services and expensive acquisitions including this one and Tumblr, for which Yahoo! paid $1.1 billion.
Yahoo! headquarters
For the likes of DirecTV and Time Warner, it’s virtually a no-brainer to make a grab for a top-notch streaming service like Hulu, as the paradigm of how people consume content is changing dramatically. Satellite and cable TV as we know them are not long for this world, and Hulu would help them stay competitive in the market.
News Corp and Disney currently own Hulu, but Yahoo! has submitted a formal bid, and DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, Silver Lake (a part owner of Hollywood agency William Morris, with whom its making the bid), and Guggenheim Digital Media are all reportedly in the mix.
It’s a little unclear as to what exactly Yahoo! would do with Hulu beyond simply adding it to the roster--it’s hard to imagine that the company would rebrand it--but it’s anyone’s guess, as CEO Marissa Mayer is steering Yahoo! in new directions. Those new directions include killing off some Yahoo! services and expensive acquisitions including this one and Tumblr, for which Yahoo! paid $1.1 billion.
Yahoo! headquarters
For the likes of DirecTV and Time Warner, it’s virtually a no-brainer to make a grab for a top-notch streaming service like Hulu, as the paradigm of how people consume content is changing dramatically. Satellite and cable TV as we know them are not long for this world, and Hulu would help them stay competitive in the market.
