Internet, Online Video | featured news

Hulu, the online-video site owned by three large media companies, is exploring an initial public offering.

Online video site Hulu could begin testing a paid subscription service as early as later this month, according to people briefed on the plans, a high-profile test of whether consumers will pay to watch television shows online.

Google Inc.'s YouTube video-sharing website didn't infringe copyrights owned by movie and television producer Viacom Inc., a judge ruled. US District Judge Louis Stanton in New York today ...

One minute you're chatting via webcam with a mom of two from Montauk, N.Y. -- and the next you're staring at a stark-naked man in Bangkok. Such is virtual life on Chatroulette, an "extreme social networking" Web site that connects users with a limitless number of "random strangers" from around the globe.

YouTube's movie rental service is still in its infancy, and it still only offers a small selection of films, but that could change quickly. YouTube exec Hunter Walk told MediaPost that the site will soon offer its users the ability to charge rental fees for their uploaded videos.

Earlier this week, Steve Jobs kicked the debate about the need for Flash into high gear, especially for Web video.

Hulu reportedly will introduce a subscription plan as soon as May 24, which would cost $10 per month for access to anything older than the last five episodes of popular TV shows, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Competitor Lin Yu Chun blew away judges on the Taiwanese singing show 'Super Star Avenue' with his version of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." He won the $1M prize for his performance and a recording contract and has become a YouTube sensation. British papers have even crowned him the next Susan Boyle.

The creator of Chatroulette has revealed that he is working on a way to preserve user’s privacy, following the launch of Chat Roulette Map, a Google Maps mashups that pinpoints the location of users of the service.

Google's YouTube said it will soon begin testing a new video-rental service, starting with movies from the Sundance Film Festival.