Google is in talks to buy the popular online video service Hulu, according to the L.A. Times. Google is among several companies that have been kicking Hulu’s tires, with Microsoft and Yahoo also showing interest in Hulu and the major brand advertising that it would bring, says the report.
Hulu’s advisors are Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners, says the Times.
As many have noted recently as word of a potential sale leaked, Walt Disney, owner of ABC; News Corp., owner of Fox; and NBC Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast and GE, each own a stake in Hulu and will have to approve any sale. More, they provide the majority of Hulu’s content. If any one were to pull their programming the service from the site, it could very well diminish its appeal.
Hulu is the second biggest video network in the world behind YouTube, acquired by Google in 2006.
