During the recent announcements about television for the fall, it seems that Hulu, the on-line website giant is jumping into television programming of their own. We discovered that one of the many shows they are launching is a show titled We Got Next, from Kenya Barris (of Are We There Yet? fame ), along with Hale Rothstein ( of Everybody Hates Chris), and Danny Leiner (of The Office). The show is supposedly about four unlikely friends who butt heads on the pick-up basketball court and on the sidelines of everyday life.
Check out the article from Hollywood Reporter;
At a presentation today to ad buyers, Hulu touted its growth, saying that the more than the two million paid subscribers had made its $8-per-month video subscription service the fastest growing in U.S. history. The company also reported $420 million in revenue last year and expressed a commitment to original programming with new series, including one titled The Awesomes from Saturday Night Live star Seth Meyers.
Hulu was the first of many online giants scheduled over the next two weeks to roll out their content and meet with advertisers in TV industry style upfront presentations. In a room that included Smash star Megan Hilty, Morgan Spurlock, Seth Meyers, and Adrian Grenier, the company touted that in February of this year, Americans watched 2.5 billion videos on Hulu, which is about 1,000 videos a second. Hulu also said it held 20 percent of the online video market, and 40 percent of of the premium video market.
Most of Hulu’s traffic comes from the 1,900 TV series on Hulu and Hulu Plus, but the company also has big hopes on its new original programming. Hulu has recently made in-roads here, by launching the political-themed series Battleground and Spurlock’s documentary series, A Day in the Life, and the online video site introduced its latest programming investments.
From SNL writer Seth Meyers and producer Michael Shoemaker comes The Awesomes, about an unassuming superhero and his cohorts battle diabolical villains, the ever-present paparazzi, and a less-than-ideal reputation as second-class crime fighters. The series was previously under development for MTV and has now been resurrected.
Hulu is also greenlighting a show entitled We Got Next from Kenya Barris (Are We There Yet?), Hale Rothstein (Everybody Hates Chris), and Danny Leiner (The Office), about four unlikely friends who butt heads on the pick-up basketball court and on the sidelines of everyday life.
Other new shows include video game industry star Michael Wendschuh‘s series, Flow, about an individuals’ quest for justice and redemption after being framed with a crime and Adrian Grenier‘s Don’t Quit Your Daydream, about famous musicians collaborating with those who gave up their musical career ambitions. A new unscripted show from Richard Linklater titled Up to Speed, about tour guide Timothy Levitch‘s visits to ignored monuments of America’s cities was previously announced, but also highlighted during the presentation and will be launched in the summer.
Hulu is expanding into original content upon word of some troubles on the acquisition front, including from its entertainment conglomerate owners News Corp., Walt Disney and NBCUniversal. The New York Times recently quoted a TV executive as saying that at the Hulu board level, “there is disagreement about the amount of investment necessary to acquire content for Hulu Plus.”
The company is reportedly planning spending $500 million this year to acquire content and enticing producers with the prospect of having greater control over their work.
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