Bidders line up for Hulu deadline

Bidders including DirecTV and AT&T in partnership with Peter Chernin are still said to be in the running for Hulu, ahead of the VOD services’ reported final bid deadline of Friday.

According to a Deadline report “conventional wisdom is that DirecTV remains the bidder to beat,” though a Peter Chernin-assisted AT&T offer is also still expected, with other interested parties – Guggenheim Digital, investment firm KKR, Time Warner Cable, and Silver Lake Partners in partnership with Hollywood talent agency WME – also expected to be in final contention.

The news comes despite claims by The Wrap earlier this week that there were a number of sticking points to a potential deal – including purchase price, content exclusivity and delays before TV programming appears on the site – and that final bids could come in “far below” the US$1bn Hulu is rumoured to be seeking.