Jason Kilar, who is the CEO of Hulu, was interviewed by iwantmedia lately on the progress of the new online professional video site.
Kilar said that in the early stages, unsurprisingly, comedy is the most watched content. Leading the way is "The Simpsons, " he said, with "The Office" and "30 Rock" also being popular.
On the short-form content side of it, "Saturday Night Live" is very popular.
What this says is young males are again leading the way as early adopters.
Difference between TV and Online Experience
Kilar also highlighted the difference between watching professional content online versus on TV.
Along with being able to consume content where and when they want, users are also able to take something interesting they find and share it with others via email, or embed it in their blog or social networking page. It's more than passive consumption of content, but initiating a conversation around it.
Advertising
Kilar says that the ad-based model provides advertising interruptions similar to traditional TV, but it only is offered at a clip of about 25 percent of what is presented on network television.
Another new thing in connection to advertising they're trying out on a limited rollout, is the choice between watching a movie trailer at the beginning of the video, and then view the rest of the video content commercial-free.
He said they're doing it on a small basis in order to "get it right." I think that will go over really well with users.
User Input
So far feedback from users had resulted in enhancing the pages for specific shows, where much more content in information is provided for fans.
Users also asked for better navigation into all the content, and the company responded by providing a dedicated focus; not only for television shows but for films as well.
Misson
When asked about what the company mission was, Kilar responded:
"To help people to find and enjoy the world's premium content when, where, and how they want it.
"We're not going to stop until we have aggregated the world's best content and presented it on users' terms."
Kilar reiterated that they in no way consider YouTube (GOOG) a rival, and have never considered them as one. User-generated content won't be part of their vision, and premium, professional content will be the sole purpose of the site.
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