Disney Joins Hulu.com

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Walt Disney Co. has purchased a 30% stake in the popular video-distribution website Hulu.com, becoming the third of the four major U.S broadcasters to do so.

The deal will mean that TV shows such as “Lost”, “Greys Anatomy” among others to the Hulu service. Hulu now has ABC (Disney), Fox, and NBC in on the deal, with only CBS missing from the service. An inside source has reported that Disney will have a 30% stake in Hulu (which translates into 3 seats on the 12-seat board), which is equal to that of the other two networks.

Financial details have not been disclosed, as the agreement (which took months to negotiate) included a confidentiality agreement.

Don’t count CBS out of the deal however – Hulu and CBS are still busy negotiating a deal.

“We’d love to have them be a part of Hulu … ultimately it’s their decision,”

said Jason Kilar,  Hulu Chief Executive, regarding CBS.

Hulu was founded in 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp. and has grown so rapidly that it is now ranked as one of the top 3 video website in the U.S, with over 380 million views in March. Youtube still remains top dog, but Hulu is closing the gap.