Tablets are becoming a bigger part of our tech lives—and in a very short period of time. According to a new study by Pew Research Center, 11 percent of U.S. consumers own tablets. Considering that it has been just 18 months since Apple “redefined” the category in March 2010, that number is significant. READ MORE
Bowing to investor pressure, the struggling Internet company Yahoo has fired CEO Carol Bartz without naming a permanent successor, signaling that the board may be seriously considering selling all or parts of the company, reports The Los Angeles Times. READ MORE
You would think that after a summer of will-they-wont-they rumors, confirmation of an impending Hulu sale would have quieted speculation. But in fact, it has only increased it. According to Venture Beat’s Tom Cheredar, sources are reporting that Hulu’s owners—Disney, News Corp., Comcast, and Providence Equity—expect bidding to start at $1.5 billion for the video-streaming company. READ MORE
Hulu, the online video service that streams popular TV shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox, is reportedly shopping around for potential bidders, according to Dan Rayburn, an analyst with Frost and Sullivan. Rayburn says Hulu and its owners have been meeting with suitors from Yahoo, Google, and Apple, and are seeking as much as $2 billion. While none of these meetings have been independently confirmed, most of the rumors say Apple will be the company to purchase Hulu. The belief is that acquiring Hulu would bolster Apple’s iTunes Store and help it compete with Netflix’s subscription streaming service with one of its own. “Content is king,” says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. “People spend four to five hours a day watching TV. If you get them to your platform, it immediately becomes relevant.” Hulu currently streams TV episodes and movies on many devices, including the Roku, Xbox 360, iPad, and iPhone through its monthly subscription service Hulu Plus. An alliance with Apple might mean pulling Hulu off other devices, but Rayburn asks, “then why spend $2 billion to get it?” Hulu says it will have one million Hulu Plus subscribers by year’s end. Read more from USA Today.
Hulu is remaining tight-lipped about a possible sale of the company; but that hasn’t stopped analysts from speculating. And based on the video-streaming site’s recent moves, they have good reason. Sources say the company has retained investment banking firms Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to facilitate a sale that could take place in two weeks. READ MORE
About 96 percent of all U.S. households own a TV, but with the ability to watch shows and movies online and on-demand, consumers are relying less on over-the-air TV signals. According to a survey conducted by Consumer Electronics Association, only eight percent of U.S. households with TVs still rely on over-the-air signals for their programming. READ MORE
