Report: Hulu quickly blocks Hillcrest Labs' Web browser

As quickly as Hillcrest Labs introduced a new Web browser that made it possible to put Hulu content on a TV screen, Hulu shut it down.

In announcing its Kylo beta 0.7 product last week, Dan Simpkins, Hillcrest's CEO was quoted in a release as saying that the feature most likely to attract attention "is the capability for advanced users to configure the Kylo browser to access Hulu." While acceding to the rights of content owners and aggregators, Simpkins further said that Kylo is just a Web browser and "we do not deep link, re-index, divert users past ads, or overlay different user interfaces on video players."

In the release, Simpkins expressed hope that "a respectful dialog with Hulu will encourage them to consider changing their policies."

Of course that dialog next included an announcement by Simpkins that confirmed Hulu has blocked the new browser from playing its videos on the website and thus on the TV. Hulu, a joint venture of Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal and News Corp., has consistently maintained that its owners don't want their content shown in a lean-back TV experience because it could be a substitute for traditional cable TV.

For more:
- see this story
- and this news release

Related articles:
Newly released Kylo browser lets users watch Hulu on TV--for now
Hillcrest confirms Hulu blocking Kylo Web TV browser from its online video content