Per Peter Kafka, we can now take Google out of the running for buying Hulu. He gives a couple reasons for taking their name off the list, including obviously the takeover plans for Motorola. He cites regulator approval and Hulu owner approval. But was Google ever a serious buyer for Hulu?
You Tube is already Google's platform for video on the web. They have the platform, the ad model, and the content. Wouldn't a Hulu deal just complicate a successful formula. They are already negotiating content deals with the same networks and programs. Are the Hulu deals that much more valuable? I never considered Google a likely buyer for Hulu.
So that leaves Apple, Yahoo, and others. The same questions to Google can be posed to these prospective buyers too. Is the Hulu platform valuable? Are it's content deals better than the deals each company has already struck with its content partners? And can these assets contribute to the long term plan? For me, Apple can build a better mousetrap and negotiate its own content deals. In fact, I'd rather see Apple buy Yahoo and grow its online content business to offset its hardware side. And where does that leave Hulu? Unfortunately, dying on the vine.
