hulu

Illegal downloads of some Fox Networks TV shows have increased since the company established an eight-day delay before its TV shows are made available on Hulu and Fox.com, according to TorrentFreak.

The torrent news Web site tracked several popular Fox shows--including Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef--on BitTorrent over the last week to see if there had been an increase in illegal download activity. The results are alarming.

"During the first five days, the number of downloads from the U.S. for the latest episode of Hell's Kitchen increased by 114 percent compared to the previous three episodes,&… Read more

Video streaming service Hulu is accepting initial acquisition bids starting on Wednesday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reported today that Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com, and DirecTV are among the companies interested in acquiring the video service. Although none of the companies has made an offer yet, the Journal's sources said the bids are expected to range from $500 million to $2 billion.

Talks of Hulu being acquired began in June when reports claimed Yahoo had approached the company to inquire about a possible buy. Soon after, Hulu's … Read more

Hulu is going international for the first time with plans to expand its subscription service to Japan later this year.

The company didn't give too many specifics in yesterday's blog announcing the move. But it sounds like Japanese consumers will be getting their own version of Hulu Plus with access to films and TV shows across PCs, TVs, smartphones, and tablets, all for one monthly price.

Why Japan? The company cited a few reasons for expanding its service to Japanese customers.

Noting that Japanese audiences are "passionate" about video content, Hulu said it sees an "… Read more

Hulu got more bad news late last week in the form of a patent infringement lawsuit.

Rovi Technologies, a provider of digital home-entertainment products, accused the online video service of infringing on three of its patents related to online TV program guides and search products in a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Delaware. Rovi, which was formed after Macrovision's acquisition of Gemstar-TV Guide International in 2008, seeks compensation for the alleged infringement as well as attorneys' costs and related fees.

Rovi, which licenses its patents to Apple, Microsoft, Comcast, and DirecTV, said in the lawsuit … Read more

OK, so Netflix really stepped in it. The company's recently announced price increase for a DVD and streaming plan was at least a presentation disaster if not a true pricing insult.

No matter, a lot of people are making noises about dumping Netflix now (at least when pollsters ask). So Brian Cooley did his own poll - of CNET editors - to pull together our list of the Top 5 ways to say goodbye to Netflix.

Keep up on all the latest Netflix news from CNET.

What are all those Netflix and Hulu viewers watching, and how are they accessing that content? A new study out yesterday from Nielsen offers some answers.

Among Netflix subscribers, 53 percent watch movies, 11 percent tune into TV shows, and 36 percent catch a mixture of both. But among Hulu viewers, only 9 percent are streaming movies, 73 percent are watching TV episodes, and 18 percent grab both equally.

Those results aren't surprising since Hulu isn't exactly known for its vast movie library, focusing instead on providing current and past seasons of popular TV series. In contrast, Netflix … Read more

They said Hulu was going to save the film studios and television networks from repeating the mistakes of the music industry.

They said the video portal would help turn the Internet into a new means of distributing the most popular TV shows and movies for less money than cable and offer viewers much more control over where and when they watch.

But the latest news out of Hollywood seems to indicate that enthusiasm was misplaced, premature, or both. The most recent and most dramatic sign of this came yesterday, when the Fox Network, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., … Read more

Fox Network announced late today that it will begin delaying Web access to many of its popular TV shows to give cable and satellite TV providers greater exclusivity with programming, essentially putting up a de facto pay wall around its content.

Beginning August 15, only those people who subscribe to a participating video distributor will be able to view TV shows on an Internet portal the day after shows air on the network, the company said in a press release. All other viewers who are used to seeing episodes of "The Simpsons," "Bones," and "Glee&… Read more

Apple has reportedly joined a growing list of companies said to be considering a bid for Hulu.

The iPad maker and iTunes purveyor is in early talks that may lead to an acquisition of the online video service, two unidentified sources told Bloomberg.

Apple could not immediately be reached for comment, and Hulu representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple, which currently holds $76.2 billion in cash and securities, has hinted that more content is coming to Apple's iTunes catalog, and Hulu's subscription service would instantly bolster its offerings and let it mount … Read more