New York & California, U.S. – 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company have jointly announced that they will maintain their respective ownership positions in Hulu and together provide a cash infusion of US $750 million in order to propel future growth.
Launched in 2008, Hulu is a aggregator of premium online television content from over 400 content partners, and has achieved more than 30 million monthly unique visitors.
“Hulu has emerged as one of the most consumer friendly, technologically innovative viewing platforms in the digital era. As its evolution continues, Disney and its partners are committing resources to enable Hulu to achieve its maximum potential,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.
“We believe the best path forward for Hulu is a meaningful recapitalisation that will further accelerate its growth under the current ownership structure,” said Chase Carey, President and Chief Operating Officer of 21st Century Fox. “We had meaningful conversations with a number of potential partners and buyers, each with impressive plans and offers to match, but with 21st Century Fox and Disney fully aligned in our collective vision and goals for the business, we decided to continue to empower the Hulu team, in this fashion, to continue the incredible momentum they’ve built over the last few years.”
Hulu launched its premium subscription service, Hulu Plus, in 2010, which has now surpassed four million subscribers after more than doubling in 2012. Hulu achieved record revenues of US $690 million that same year.