Internet, Disney | featured news

Disney and News Corp. have begun discussions about resolving uncertainty over online video site Hulu, with one possible outcome being that one or the other sells their stake.

Netflix Inc doesn't plan to pass along the cost of the rights to Walt Disney Co movies to subscribers, a senior executive at the video streaming company said on Wednesday.

Netflix’s video subscription service has trumped pay-TV channels and grabbed the rights to show Disney movies shortly after they finish their runs in theaters. The multiyear licensing agreement announced Tuesday represents a breakthrough for Netflix as it tries to add more recent movies to its popular service that streams video over high-speed Internet connections.

Trying to finally master the Internet the way it has theme parks or animated films, the Walt Disney Company has redesigned its Web site, Disney.com, for the third time in five years.

Disney is buying Babble Media, whose website carries news for parents and blogs written by moms and dads, in a deal that could further blur the line between advertising and blogs.

After months of being courted by technology giants and TV signal providers, online video service Hulu is no longer for sale, its media company owners said Thursday. The Walt Disney Co., News Corp., Comcast Corp. and Providence Equity Partners had been shopping the site since June after receiving an unsolicited takeover offer.

Disney (DIS) has acquired Rocket Pack, a Helsinki-based start up producing HTML5 video games, TechCrunch reports. Terms weren’t disclosed, but TechCrunch says one source said the deal was valued at between $10 million and $20 million. The story adds that the company’s software allows the creation of games that run in Web browsers, with no plug-in or Flash required.

The Walt Disney Company became Hollywood's leading player in the booming social gaming business on Tuesday with the purchase of Playdom in a deal valued at $763.2 million.

Tech blog TechCrunch and the Wall Street Journal on Friday reported Disney is talking about an acquisition of social gaming firm Playdom, in which it is already an investor, for more than $500 million.

As a joint venture between Disney, Fox and NBC Universal, Hulu is best known for its free and extensive library of TV shows and movies.