Hulu might be put up for sale

The popular online streaming site Hulu, which is partly owned by Comcast Corp. and streams TV shows over the Internet, could be sold after reported clashes about its future direction with its corporate owners.

The free service was launched in 2008 and now includes a $7.99-a-month "plus" service with current-season TV episodes of Glee, 30 Rock, Modern Family, and other popular shows.

Yahoo, the Internet news site, has expressed an interest in Hulu, but others could kick the tires. Hulu's corporate owners in addition to Comcast are News Corp. and the Walt Disney Co.

Because of agreements with the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department that allowed it to gain control of NBCUniversal, cable giant Comcast would not play a direct role in any Hulu deal.

To win over the government, Comcast surrendered management and voting rights in Hulu because some viewed Hulu's streaming service as a potential competitor to Comcast's cable-TV business.

This seems to put News Corp. and Disney in the driver's seat in determining Hulu's fate.

"We don't get a vote on a sale," Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said. "Our interest is now only a passive one."

Comcast owns roughly 30 percent of Los Hulu through NBCUniversal.

Hulu, based in Los Angeles, did not respond to a request for comment. News Corp. and Disney also did not return phone calls.

When Hulu launched, it announced rights deals with major networks and movie studios. Since then, the company has started a subscription service similar to one offered by Netflix.

Hulu has reportedly clashed with its corporate parents over several issues, among them the "ad load" on TV shows streamed over the Internet.

In a service similar to Hulu, Comcast has made available for free most prime-time shows from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC on its on-demand platform the morning after those shows are broadcast.

Comcast has been experimenting with inserting advertisements into its on-demand TV shows.