Could Hulu--or its premium service, Hulu Plus--be headed for Roku? BusinessofVideo.com's Dan Rayburn says he's talked with a couple of Hulu content partners after receiving a photo of a Hulu channel on the popular streaming player's service, and they've confirmed Roku owners soon will be getting access to the video catch-up service. If so, it'll be a coup, of sorts, for Roku, which is sailing into the holiday season getting ready to do battle with Apple TV, Google TV and the forthcoming Boxee Box, which all give users access to online video content though their TV.
Roku earlier this month dropped the prices on its devices to offer a lower-priced alternative to other streaming players and also last week introduced three new models, starting at $59.95, and all offering 1080p playback. Roku already streams Netflix, Major League Baseball, Amazon VOD, Flickr, Pandora and content from an increasing array of providers. While much of its content is free, Roku does offer some premium content, so a Hulu Plus addition wouldn't be too much of a stretch.
Hulu Plus--which is owned jointly by NBC Universal, Disney and News Corp.--meanwhile, has been stuck in low gear, grinding along in an invite-only netherworld that has slowed its rollout to the general public.
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