Hulu developing iPad-friendly website?
updated 05:55 pm EST, Wed February 10, 2010
Hulu may skip Flash to reach iPad
Hulu has been developing a version of its website just for the iPad, a rumor asserts today. One believed insider claims Hulu has been readying a version of its page that would drop Flash altogether and put videos in a format friendly to mobile Safari. It would potentially be ready in time for when the iPad ships in late March.
The TechCrunch tipster doesn't explain exactly how the system would work, though any change would require a substantial reworking of how Hulu delivers video. Although the video itself is encoded in H.264 and relatively easy to deliver, Hulu has largely relied on inserting ads that often work best in Flash. An iPad version with ads would need to find a way to insert ads in between show segments automatically both to streamline the experience as well as to allow insertion of new ads over time.
No outside corroboration of a specific iPad version exists, but company CEO Jason Kilar has called for a strong push into mobile as it reflectors Hulu's goals for its streaming TV. It considers mobile a way of getting customers to continue to watch shows outside of TV and considers tablets ideal as they provide relatively large screens without scaring cable or satellite TV providers worried about guarding their full-size experiences.
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It makes sense that any site would
try and accommodate a device that is likely to become extremely popular for viewing media. Especially sites that are trying to attract advertisers. What people don't seem to understand is that Flash exists on the internet to make money for advertisers. If it's no longer necessary to get most of your advertising money from Flash c*** then it's time to move on to something else. This c*** talk about iPhones and iPads will fail because they don't run Flash is absurd. The only large company that actually wants Flash on the internet is Adobe.
I'm glad that Hulu is giving Apple mobile users an alternative. I like using Hulu on my desktop and notebook Macs and if the rumor is true I'll look forward to using it on my iPad when I get one. One by one, sites that are totally dependent on Flash may just start to offer alternatives when they see which way the wind is blowing.