While measurements of Hulu’s audience have been disputed recently, there is no question that the site, while certainly gaining popularity, still has quite a ways to go before it catches YouTube.
Hulu has lemonade to make of such lemons, however as its YouTube channel (yes, it has a YouTube Channel – who would’ve thought?) is the tenth most popular channel on the online video leader’s site. And that’s of all time.
This is according to Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider, who also notes, “We couldn’t find any ads in Hulu’s YouTube clips, either. So Google doesn’t even get the bonus of making a little bit of money off Hulu’s exclusive content.”
Frommer suggests that the biggest reason for the channel’s popularity is the inclusion of a bunch of Family Guy clips. For some reason that I will never understand, people really, really love Family Guy – now. I don’t know where they were when the show was canceled years ago, but despite the fact that I can barely view a television screen (or computer monitor…or go out in public) without seeing Peter Griffin or Stewie, there is evidently a thirst so great that clips have to be pursued even further.
A quick search for “family guy” on YouTube (for research’s sake only I assure you) brings back mostly Hulu-provided content. So Hulu must be doing a decent job at making sure the Hulu name is attached. Good work, Hulu. You’ve managed to penetrate your biggest competitor’s inventory.
