Hulu shelves UK expansion efforts; unable to make deals with broadcasters

Hulu, which has struggled to get off the ground in the United Kingdom because of its inability to reach any content deal with broadcasters there for its catch-up service, has given up on plan to launch there, saying the market doesn't "match their business expectations.

Hulu has been trying for nearly a year to crack the market, but it's been faced with broadcasters who just don't buy the Hulu business model. In the case of ITV, which at one point reportedly was negotiating for an equity stakes in Hulu, the broadcaster instead has decided it wants to expand its own catch-up service and is unwilling to give Hulu rights to its content. Channels 4 and 5, meanwhile, are unwilling to allow Hulu to sell its advertising inventory around their content, something that has caused some headaches with Hulu's partners in the U.S. as well. Hulu is owned by NBC Universal, News Corp. and Disney.

"Hulu has told several people at the British broadcasters that it has been forced to abandon its UK expansion plans after failing to sign any content deals," a senior TV executive who has been close to the negotiations told the Telegraph.

Channels 4 and 5 already have third-party deals with YouTube and SeeSaw.

For more:
- see this Telegraph article

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