Have You Heard Of Hulu?

Meet Hulu...
Movies, TV, and a social networking component all in the same place-on demand and FREE!

From their website:

Hulu's ambitious and never-ending mission is to help you find and enjoy the world's premium content when, where and how you want it. We hope to provide you with the web's most comprehensive selection from more than 50 content providers including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more to deliver premium programming across all genres and formats, television shows, feature films, and clips. Watch full-length episodes of current primetime TV shows such as The Simpsons and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Miami Vice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Nip/Tuck, and others. Hulu also offers full-length feature films like The Usual Suspects, Ice Age, Three Amigos!, and The Big Lebowski as well as clips from films such as Napoleon Dynamite, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Devil Wears Prada and many more. Hulu is free and ad-supported — available anytime in the U.S.

Hulu was founded in March 2007 and is a joint venture owned by NBC Universal and News Corp. In addition, Hulu has closed a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. <--------yes, the same people that just bought Clear Channel's TV division

The selection is pretty amazing and they add new content every day. If you missed SNL Saturday night, no problem it's on the site the next day. Bill O'Reilly's Talk Points Memo, no problem, there it is. Available to share on your website, email, or link. As you will see later in the post you can even edit a show down to a short clip that's easy to share.

I haven't watched a movie yet, but the TV shows have very short commercial interruptions that seemed like a small price to pay for all this for free. Sounds a lot like the radio model--except for the length of the breaks. You can also buy any episode or movie you like enough to own.

Traffic to Hulu has been growing fast; already attracting hundreds of thousands of unique users.

Content is king and Hulu has amassed of lot of it including WKRP in Cincinnati. Check out this hilarious clip...I laughed 'til I hurt.

No Static At All

Remember the movie "FM"? Released in 1978, it wasn't what one would call a blockbuster; but for those of us who loved Steely Dan, Linda Ronstadt, and radio we were thrilled.

IMDB provides the plot line:

Q-SKY is the #1 radio station in Los Angeles mainly because of the music they play, and running the station the way they want to. It has led them to a ratings success. The interesting radio personalities include: Jeff Dugan, rebellious head of the radio station; Mother, who is burned out from being a DJ; Eric Swan, a self centered romantic who wants more than just being a DJ; The Prince of Darkness, the hip night DJ; and Laura Coe, the easy-going type. The movie focuses on the battle between Jeff and his corporate bosses, who want more advertising and less music.

A lot has changed and then again not much at all.

Let's Go To The Movies

IMMI reports young moviegoers are heavier radio users than non moviegoers-virtually double. That sounds pretty encouraging until you read the chart-it illustrates that the average 13-24 year old moviegoer listens to the radio a paltry 49 minutes per week. With the non-moviegoer only spending 25 minutes listening per week.



Only 7% of frequent moviegoers don't listen to the radio; while nearly 65% of frequent moviegoers are heavy or medium users. Of the non moviegoers, nearly 50% of that group are either light radio listeners or don't listen at all.

IMMI, Integrated Media Measurement Inc based this report on its panel of 13-24 year olds in IMMI’s Research Panel across six major DMA’s.

IMMI itself suggests at the end of their piece:

"Advertisers looking for the avid moviegoers can reach most of them through radio."

Let's turn that around a little bit...radio stations looking to increase its listenership can reach strong prospects at the movies. While usage is light by traditional radio measures, it does represent an opportunity to market to notoriously difficult people to reach.