Hulu, which now counts Disney as one of its owners, wants to build its international viewership.
The L.A.-based Internet TV company, formed in 2007 by NBCU and News Corp., posted a job listing yesterday seeking a director of international business development. Hulu hired Johannes Larcher, who previously ran international operations for Friendster and Overture, as SVP of international in late March.
Today non-U.S. visitors to Hulu see the following message: “Hulu is committed to making its content available worldwide. To do so, we must work through a number of legal and business issues, including obtaining international streaming rights. Know that we are working to make this happen and will continue to do so. Given the international background of the Hulu team, we have both a professional and personal interest in bringing Hulu to a global audience.”
Here’s the description for the international biz dev role:
Hulu’s small but growing team is seeking a talented Business Development professional to help build a service that lets people find and enjoy the world’s premier content when, where and how they want it. The ideal candidate will have significant experience working in an International Business Development role with heavy deal making and relationship building experience in the online media and entertainment marketplace.
This exec’s responsibilities, according to the job listing, will include working with Larcher to:
• Prioritize, research, and analyze new international opportunities for the Hulu service
• Lead definition of regional and country-specific market entry strategies
• Identify and close key partnerships for acquiring content for new markets, both from US-based and local content partners
• Identify and close key distribution partnership agreements in Hulu’s international markets
• Support the operational process to launch Hulu’s service in select international markets
• Assist launched markets in ongoing business development, and provide/coordinate support services as needed
• Provide ongoing business and financial planning support for Hulu’s international markets
