Hulu: UK launch is their No.1 priority

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A top-dog at Hulu International, Johannes Larcher has announced that the UK is “very ready for a product like Hulu” and that the UK is “number one priority in terms of international expansion”.

Speaking at the IEA’s Future of Broadcasting event in London, Larcher confirmed that the collapse of Project Kangaroo had opened up some possibilities for Hulu.

It is reported that there are still a few stumbling blocks, in terms of advertising control, that need to be overcome before a UK launch is officially announced. A September launch had been touted although it’s not clear if this is still achievable.

When it does arrive, however, expect the service to look somewhat different from its American counterpart. Larcher said: “We will localise our model so we are not perceived as a US company.”

Let’s hope we still get plenty of US content though. I’d take Family Guy and CSI over My Family and Hetty Wainwright Investigates any day of the week.

(via Mediaweek)

15 ways to watch TV programmes and films online in the UK… legally

It may come as a bit of a shock to anyone deeply entrenched in YouTube, TBP and other P2P sites, but it is possible to watch a lot of TV shows and films online in the UK totally legally.

Some are even free.

It’s a fairly depressing exercise hunting them all down, though. Many services are only available in the US, have shut down or are on an extended hiatus.

Nevertheless, here are 15 services (eight free, seven paid for) that you can use to view TV programmes or films. If you know of any more that are legal and easily available in the UK, let us know in the comments below.

Free Online TV / Film Services

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BBC Online / iPlayer

About: Offers live streaming of BBC1 and BBC2 plus 7-day programme catchup service.

Pros:

  • Well-established service offering access to a wide range of BBC TV programming.
  • Wide range of platforms supported for either streaming or downloading content, including PC, Mac, iPhone, Nokia devices.
  • Shows from BBC HD are available to download in high definition.

Cons:

  • Rights management issues means some programmes aren’t available to watch live or archived.
  • Streaming service can sometimes appear jittery (this may be due to broadband connection)

4oD to relaunch with huge archive

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Channel 4 has today announced plans for a relaunch of 4oD, its catch up service that was originally released in November 2006.

The new version, available from July, will allow users to watch their favourite Channel 4 programmes direct from Channel4.com, free of charge.

The current service allows users to watch programmes for up to 30 days after they are first broadcast. With the exclusion of US shows such as Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, users will no longer be restricted to the 30 day period.

In fact, full seasons of older shows such as Queer as Folk, Brass Eye and Father Ted will be available in their entirety. Users will have a massive selection of Channel 4 shows at their fingertips, without the need to purchase DVD box-sets. What’s more, the service will be fully compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.

The move is sure to put pressure on the BBC’s iPlayer service which, despite proving massively popular, only has access to programming from the previous 7 days.

With rumours also persisting that Hulu are also planning a UK launch, it’s an exciting time for on-demand television.

(via Brand Republic)

YouTube launch XL for your TV

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YouTube yesterday launched it’s new multi-platform version of its website, YouTubeXL, designed to bring YouTube content your big screen PC or TV.

The new site is basically an oversized redesign of the current website, minus; comments, adds and other common web-frippery. It’s meant to look and work like a native app, but actually it looks and feels like a Fisher-Price website.

The content is hard to move through and the colours of the site are quite jarring. High Quality and HD videos aren’t available on it either, which seems like a ridiculous omission for a service that’s aimed at large-screen computers and TVs.

The one good thing about XL is that it’ll work in anything that’s got a browser, so you’ll be able to use your PS3 and Wii to watch YouTube videos on your TV.

Not all of YouTube’s content will be available immediately on XL, but with Hulu launching it’s native app stateside this week YouTubeXL will need to pull its socks up if it wants to win the web-TV war.

Don’t get me wrong, YouTube is brilliant for just this reason, but I’m not sure XL knows what it is.

(Via Tech Crunch)