Yahoo! in early talks with Hulu

Yahoo! has reportedly held preliminary talks with US video-on-demand site Hulu and is one of a number of firms considering making a bid for the business.

According to an All Things Digital report, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer and COO Henrique De Castro recently met with top executives at Hulu and is looking at the business, though has not made a formal bid.

The news marks the latest deal speculation about the News Corp and Walt Disney-owned site, which is said to have reached out to potential bidders in March. Comcast, Hulu’s third co-owner, gave up corporate control of the site as part of its NBCUniversal takeover deal.

According to a Reuters report last month, former News Corp president and chief operating officer Peter Chernin reportedly tabled a US$500 million (€384 million) bid for US video-on-demand portal Hulu.

The digital arm of financial services business Guggenheim Partners and Amazon are also reported to be interested in the VOD site.

Yahoo! was also recently reported to have been in talks with French VOD site DailyMotion about taking a 75% stake in the business, before the French government expressed misgivings about a US firm taking over one of France’s few preeminent internet companies.