Time Warner invests into Hulu as equity owner

BENGALURU: Time Warner Inc. and Hulu LLC announced today that Time Warner will become a 10 percent owner of Hulu, the premium streaming TV service that offers the best of current season programming, premium original content, films and full seasons of hit series. Time Warner joins The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, and Comcast in the joint venture.

Turner’s powerful entertainment, sports, news and kids networks including TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, Boomerang and Turner Classic Movies will be available live and on-demand on Hulu’s new live-streaming service, which is slated to launch early next year. Hulu will continue its current offering of ad-supported and ad-free subscription video on demand products to complement both traditional pay TV packages as well as the new streaming service.

Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “Our investment in Hulu underscores Time Warner’s commitment to supporting and developing new platforms for the delivery of high-quality content and great consumer experiences to audiences around the globe.”

Bewkes continued: “We’re also excited to join Hulu’s other owners in launching a new consumer-friendly package featuring leading networks that will deliver more value to audiences and complement Hulu’s core SVOD offerings. The inclusion of Turner’s networks in Hulu’s new streaming service furthers our efforts to allow consumers to engage with and enjoy our brands across a wide range of platforms and services.”

Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins said, “This investment from Time Warner marks a major step for Hulu as we continue to redefine television for both consumers and advertisers. Our two companies have long enjoyed a productive relationship – which includes the availability of past seasons of popular Turner shows on our current SVOD offerings – and we are very proud that Turner’s networks will be included in our planned live streaming service.”