The Hulu Conundrum
A quick history of the streaming service and a look into its future as part of Disney
The story of Hulu has more twists and turns than almost anything you could watch on the service itself. Hulu has always had multiple owners with competing priorities and has never reached its true potential. But somehow, 13 years after its founding, it remains one of the most recognizable, important, and utilized streaming services in the US.
Here is a quick rundown of Hulu’s recent history. Until recently, 21st Century Fox, Disney, and Comcast each held 30% of the company, while AT&T held 10%. Then, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox and AT&T divested. With AT&T and 21st Century Fox out, Hulu was down to just 2 owners.
Next, Comcast made a deal to give Disney full operational control of Hulu while retaining its ownership stake until 2024. In 2024, Disney will pay Comcast the market value for its stake, not to be less than $5.8 billion. (The deal is more complicated than that, but those are the cliff notes.) At the time, it seemed like a fantastic deal for…
