According to two sources at Bloomberg, Money bags Apple with a few dollars to spare is considering making a bid for the Hulu online video service.
Hulu would give Apple another subscription service and possibly be able to challenge Netflix Inc. Hulu’s media- company owners, Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp.’s NBC Universal, are offering broadcasters a five-year extension of programming rights, including two years of exclusive access.
“Part of the ecosystem of Apple’s future is to include more video,” said Scott Sutherland, Wedbush Securities Inc. analyst in San Francisco who recommends buying the stock. “It’s something they are focused on.”
Apple typically doesn’t make such large puchases, Sutherland said in an interview. Its biggest purchase of a company was the $400 million spent for NeXT Software Inc., the 1996 deal that returned Steve Jobs to the company, he said.
