When Microsoft made the decision this week to drop out as the sole sponsor of Fox’s upcoming special “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show,” the software giant said, “The content was not a fit with the Windows brand.”
When NBC Universal and News Corp. created Hulu, they gave the video portal a valuable but short-term asset: exclusive rights to distribute NBC and Fox shows outside of the media giants’ own websites. Hulu.com has become the fourth-biggest online video distributor. But with exclusivity deal ending soon, Hulu will have to see if it can defend the audience and brand it has built.
by Michael Learmonth, Senior Editor, Silicon Alley Insider
Credit “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane’s genius, or maybe just YouTube’s distribution clout: his channel, “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” has taken the No. 1 spot on YouTube, edging out Tania Derveaux and AtheneWins.
Web search giant Google has enlisted “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane to create an original animated series that it will distribute on the Web via its AdSense advertising system, according to a report in the New York Times.
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