A plea for context
Dear Everyone on the Internet:
Please stop referring to Hulu as a competitor to YouTube. That was alright a few months ago when plans were still sketchy and no one - including yours truly - didn't think it would actually get off the ground. But now we know what it looks like and what the content is and the analogy is completely off-base.
Saying Hulu competes with YouTube is like saying your Aunt Rosemary inviting you over to watch slides of her 55+ singles cruise competes with the local AMC Theater multiplex. Yes, they both require an investment of time by the user but that's about the extent of where they overlap.
Hulu is stocked with professionally produced television shows and movies. YouTube is, by and large, stocked with videos created by amateurs. That's not always the case - the site is a valuable tool for companies to distribute their commercials, movie trailers or other officially produced videos. And it's a great place to run a video contest or other promotion.
But it's not a home for full-length entertainment product. Hulu is, at least within the parameters of its partnerships with network partners.
So please stop it. I've been guilty of labeling the venture as a "YouTube-killer" or something like that in the past, but that was in the past. Now we know better.
Regards,
--Chris