Hulu in talks with Time Warner, Comcast, and others about possible cable bundling deals: WSJ

Hulu officially appointed its new CEO last month, and it appears the company may now be pursuing a new business strategy as well. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the streaming video service is in talks with several high-profile television providers about potential bundling deals that could see the Hulu Plus subscription tier wrapped into pay-TV packages. According to the report, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox, AT&T, and Verizon have been among the companies in the talks. Piping Hulu in directly through customers’ set-top boxes is said to have been discussed, along with an AT&T bundle that would pair Hulu Plus with wireless broadband service.

Hulu is essentially pitching itself as a turnkey solution for cable and satellite providers looking to provide online content for their users. Rather than building out their own services, companies like Time Warner could just direct their users to Hulu; Hulu, on the other hand, would get an almost instant bump in subscriber base and heavy promotion through bundled cable television packages. However, those goals would seem to be in opposition to the goals of the various networks themselves, many of whom already offer their own online video options. The talks are said be in the relatively early stages, with any final deal still months away.