Cannes: It's been a long time coming but television on the Internet appears finally to be taking off, opening up a new viewing experience for free and helping to fight online piracy.

One of the newest services, Hulu, which was launched a month ago in the United States, is backed by media giant NBC Universal and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The online video-on-demand (VOD) service "will let you watch your favourite programmes anytime for free", Hulu's youthful CEO Jason Kilar told a conference at the giant MIPTV audiovisual entertainment industry trade show this week.

Geared to appeal to a wide audience, Hulu, which is free but comes with short 15 to 30-second advertising spots that fund the service, offers high picture and sound quality, Kilar said.

Another service that could prove a big hit is that users can select any video content and embed it on their blog or favourite Internet sites such as a MySpace page or Facebook, where it can be shared with friends.

As well as offering Fox and NBC hits like "The Simpsons" and "Heroes", Hulu has also inked deals with about 50 leading content providers that include Sony Pictures, Warner Bros and National Geographic.

But while viewers can choose from 250 hit TV series, they cannot watch any live shows and instead are re-directed, if seeking "Grey's Anatomy" for example, to the ABC website which does have the show.

Kilar said the plan was to make Hulu available outside the US. "It can be a global service and that's our aim," he said. But this will take time as the company would need to negotiate content rights issues for each country.
Source : PTI