Hulu blocking on PS3 explained

Written by Kelsey Brookes Thursday, 16 July 2009 22:08

G4 has heard back from an Hulu employee regarding the online distribution platform's reasons for blocking streaming to PS3 devices.

Unsurprisingly, it comes down to the wishes of content providers feel insecure and ill-prepared to deal with business strategies that deliver content by non-traditional means.

"Everything we do is with an eye toward achieving our long-term goal of maximizing the content you can access as conveniently as possible in a way that 'works' for the content owner," reads the response I received from customer service. "In the short-term that may require us to make some tough decisions, but we only do so when we believe it improves our long-term prospects to build a more enduring, legal solution to that same problem."

As Gizmodo editor John Herrman points out, it's clear that Hulu are attempting to change things from within by playing nice with the content providers.

I'm more of the opinion that media companies need a swift kick in the pants, as if declining revenues weren't enough. I still can't view any Hulu content in Australia - no advertising revenue, no media.

I can't help but wonder where the holdup is. Are advertisers really not willing to put funds into a medium that will provide them with vastly greater reach and the most comprehensive viewing statistics? Or are the content providers simply unable to grasp the concept that they can sell global advertising on an entirely different scale?

Read the whole article on G4 via Gizmodo.

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