Hulu blocks Kylo – yet again

Ah, the trials and tribulations of over-the-top delivery. Last week, Hillcrest Labs released the newest version of its Web browser for TV, Kylo beta 0.7 and Hillcrest CEO and founder Dan Simpkins noted (with a wink and a nod) that the browser would, with a little tweaking, allow users to view Hulu content on their big screens.

Not any more.

Hulu, as has been its practice from the beginning, has plugged that hole in its armor and is blocking access via Kylo, reports Multichannel News.

The company has maintained that it wants to keep its ABC, NBC and Fox content online and out of the living room... until, one would assume, it can figure out a better way to monetize it and minimize the threat of OTT.

Hulu has had a run-and-gun battle with browsers attempting to get its content into a TV environment. But the company, which is owned by Disney, News Corp. and NBC Universal, has steadfastly refused to let it happen.

Said Simpkins last week when Hillcrest announced the latest workaround: "We know that one feature that is likely to attract attention is the capability for advanced users to configure the Kylo browser to access Hulu. It remains our position that Kylo is simply a Web browser based on open-source Mozilla code, like Firefox. We fully respect the rights of content owners and aggregators, and as such, we do not deep link, re-index, divert users past ads, or overlay different user interfaces on video players. However, we believe consumers should be able to use the Kylo browser to visit any site on the Web on the display screen of their choice.  Our hope is that a respectful dialog with Hulu will encourage them to consider changing their policies."

Good luck with that.

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