Microsoft has reportedly dropped out of the bidding for Hulu, the popular online video service owned by Fox, Disney, NBC and others, according to Bloomberg News. Earlier this month, when the reports first surfaced, GeekWire’s Todd Bishop said he’d be surprised if Microsoft went after Hulu since historically it has pursued technology-oriented companies over pure content companies.
Hulu certainly is a content king, and if Bloomberg’s source is accurate it could put the video service into the hands of a Microsoft rival.
Google also has been rumored as a possible suitor, but it too has largely shied away from content acquisitions (especially one that would likely carry a price tag as high as Hulu’s).
In June, Yahoo expressed an interest in buying Hulu, according to the LA Times.
The Bloomberg report notes that any buyer of Hulu would receive five years worth of access to TV programming from the company’s media owners, including two years of exclusive access.
Microsoft still could re-enter the negotiations, but we are not holding our breath since the company still has to gobble up an $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype first.
And there’s still a chance that Hulu might end up in the hands of a Seattle company.
Bloomberg reports on the possibility of Amazon making a bid, which actually makes a little more sense to us given its new content and hardware focus.
Can you imagine getting Hulu as a premium add-on service as part of your new Amazon tablet?
