Hulu could be about to launch in Australia. Or possibly not. In order to do so the U.S. company is going to have to persuade the local television networks that it’s worth striking a deal. And that’s proving to be no mean feat.
Hulu Australia
There have been rumors of Hulu launching in Australia for several years now, but nothing has yet come to fruition. However, could the latest report, which suggests that Hulu is actively “preparing to launch,” mean it’s finally going to happen? Well, who knows, really.
The latest speculation began a few weeks ago with this post from the Sydney Morning Herald, but nothing concrete has yet emerged. The reason for the fresh update was Hulu filing for an Australian trademark at the end of March. Which means little in real terms.
Until there are deals in place for content and advertising, and until a launch date and schedule has been set, I urge our Australian readers to hold fire on celebrating just yet. Indeed the launch was stated as being “not imminent but … definitely on the cards.” Which could mean anytime in the next decade.
Cursed From The Outset?
In the U.K. Hulu never quite managed to get the local networks on board. It looked as though there could be a deal in the offing for a while but in the end the major channels decided they’d be better off providing their own content through their own online services.
Hulu faces a similar dilemma in Australia, because the local networks offer a mix of imported U.S. content and homemade shows. The imported content isn’t usually available to watch online outside of its country of origin, and the networks will want to carry on offering their own shows via their own online destinations.
The hopes for an Australian Hulu are further diminished by the fact that not all the networks are keen. Nine are reportedly close to doing a deal, but Ten and the ABC haven’t made their positions clear, while Seven has already dismissed the whole idea for the reasons stated in the paragraph above.
Conclusions
I hate to say it but I’m still not convinced this will actually happen. A trademark filing would suggest Hulu itself is confident it will, but inflated confidence won’t make up for the lack of content deals.
