Written by Liz Gannes
Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 10:48 AM PT

 

NBC Launching VOD Service — What about Hulu?

NBC will offer its top television shows as ad-supported downloads for up to a week after broadcast on a new service called “NBC Direct” that will launch this fall, the network is announcing today. It seems we’re not the only ones scratching our heads waiting for this whole Hulu thing, the joint venture between NBC U and News Corp (NWS). Outside competitors like YouTube and Amazon Unbox (AMZN) aren’t the only ones benefiting from Hulu’s delays (the latest estimate for a private beta is also October of this year). In the interim, both NBC U and News Corp are launching their own competitors to their joint venture.

MySpace has been putting serious resources into MySpace TV, buying rights to shows like quarterlife and the Lonelygirl15 season finale. Now NBC — which has been very publicly negotiating pulling its content off iTunes, leading many of us to wonder where we’ll watch our NBC shows — is creating a competitor of its own.

NBC said, via an emailed press release, that NBC Direct will offer Heroes, The Office, Life, Bionic Woman, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at launch. While at first, ad-supported Windows downloads will be the only option, automatic delivery, Apple (AAPL) and portable device compatibility, download-to-own, rental, and subscription models are also planned. NBC also said it was working on high-resolution versions delivered through a closed peer-to-peer network.

Update: NBC responds to this article via email:

“NBC Direct isn’t competing with Hulu, it’s complimentary and in-line with our strategy of offering consumers multiple ways to access our content. NBC Direct is an extension of NBC.com, so it’s no more of a competitor than NBC.com is today – which focuses on offering a deeper fan experience. Hulu is intended to provide a broad entertainment experience, of which NBC is one part, made available to a massive audience.”

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Topic: Networks & Studios

Comments (3)

Linkbacks (9)

  • [...] As NewTeeVee notes, where does “NBC Direct” leave Hulu, NBC and News Corp.’s joint Internet TV venture? [...]

    NBC to launch TV catchup service | last100 — 1:43 PM on September 19, 2007

  • [...] episodes on Amazon Unbox, and presumably continues to offer streaming content from its website. And what’s to happen to Hulu.com, its YouTube-killing venture with News Corp.? It looks like someone can’t make up his mind, or [...]

    Great Moments In Journalism: The TechCrunch40… — 6:03 PM on September 19, 2007

  • [...] Newteevee is reporting that NBC is launching NBC Direct, a video on demand service where you will be able to get Heroes, The Office, Life, Bionic Woman, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at launch. While at first, ad-supported Windows downloads will be the only option, automatic delivery, Apple (AAPL) and portable device compatibility, download-to-own, rental, and subscription models are also planned. NBC also said it was working on high-resolution versions delivered through a closed peer-to-peer network. [...]

    NBC Direct - Is Hulu Dying Before It Starts… — 6:28 PM on September 19, 2007

  • [...] Earlier this week, NBC said it will debut its VOD service in October (prompting Liz to wonder What about Hulu?). One thing is clear, as the annual fall TV season kicks off, this year networks don’t just [...]

    Where To Watch Network TV Online «… — 9:41 PM on September 20, 2007

  • [...] First it was NBC (GE), then ABC (DIS), and now FOX (NWS) is giving away some of its shows on iTunes. (NewTeeVee has made a list of places where you can find network television, it’s also organized the networks in terms of 1980s movie characters.) [...]

    TV Networks: Can They Handle The Truth? … — 3:43 PM on September 21, 2007

  • [...] NBC Launching VOD Service – What most Hulu?, NewTeeVee [...]

    SearchCap: The Day In Search, September 20… — 11:20 AM on September 22, 2007

  • [...] release audio-only podcasts of their programming as well. Sure, they can still roll out their fancy Windows Media DRM-protected video-on-demand services. Just give us the audio podcast too. You know, for those days when you really can’t stand the [...]

    TV on the Radio, Podcast-Style « NewTeeVee — 12:01 AM on September 23, 2007

  • [...] NBC Launching VOD Service — What about Hulu? « NewTeeVee NBC will offer its top television shows as ad-supported downloads for up to a week after broadcast on a new service called “NBC Direct” that will launch this fall, the network is announcing today. It seems we’re not the only ones scratching our heads waiting for this whole Hulu thing, the joint venture between NBC U and News Corp (NWS). Outside competitors like YouTube and Amazon Unbox (AMZN) aren’t the only ones benefiting from Hulu’s delays (the latest estimate for a private beta is also October of this year). In the interim, both NBC U and News Corp are launching their own competitors to their joint venture. [...]

    modernfeed.com » Blog Archive »… — 10:46 PM on September 23, 2007

  • [...] all, it is only offering web-based advertising-supported streaming. Its co-founder NBC is actually gearing up to offer an ad-supported video download service of its own called NBC Direct this fall. It’s [...]

    Hulu Debuts to Meet Foes and Find Friends… — 9:17 PM on October 28, 2007

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