Hulu is NBC Universal and News Corp.’s joint venture, streaming on-demand television shows and choice movies from the flagship networks and studios of both media conglomerates straight to your computer screen. It’s the YouTube of professionally produced, broadcast fare. A way to deliver old media shows on the new medium.
So what’s up with those new media shows?
Mixed in with the A-Team, The Office, and SNL, you’ll find internet series Prom Queen, The All-For-Nots, Sony’s CSpot, FearNet, Satacracy88, The Onion News Network, and, the most recently added of the set, Gary Vaynerchuk’s Thunder Show.
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How’d they get on there? Let’s break it down.
Connections and Deals: Prom Queen is a product of Michael Eisner’s Vuguru. The All-For-Nots are backed by Vuguru and Mark Cuban’s HDNet. Nuff said. Hulu already has a partnership with Sony so getting CSpot on board was a non-issue. And FearNet is more of an on-demand cable network than it is a website with original programming.
Awards and Awesome: Satacracy88 won an Emmy last year for Oustanding Drama for Broadband. They also have good representation. The Onion is amazing. So is Gary Vaynerchuk.
But one of these things doesn’t look like the other. All save one are polished shows affiliated with a network or have been slapped with old media’s seal of approval. The other is a lo-fi, unscripted videoblog with a loud, emphatic host who screams about wines.
###So does this mean Hulu’s opened up the floodgates? Is Gary heralding the arrival of videobloggers and web producers, ushering them onto the same stage as traditional television shows? No.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s made it to primetime. He’s been on Ellen. He tasted red, whites, and roses with Conan last night, for a second time. His book is in Amazon’s Top 100. The press coverage continues.
Unless you got that kind of media cred., a big media award, or a big media exec in your corner, it’s still plain old YouTube for you.
