Rogers Launches Canadianized Hulu Site

The face of Hulu in Canada is Rogers On Demand Online, an ad-supported online video service from cable giant Rogers Communications to launch nationwide on Nov. 30.

Canadians are currently blocked from watching Hulu due to licensing issues. So Toronto-based Rogers is to launch its broadband portal as an online extension of its local and Hollywood TV and movie content to its 2.3 million cable subscribers.

“We’re no longer in the cable TV business. We’re in the video entertainment business,” he said as he unveiled a beta version of Rogers On Demand Online Monday night ahead of the national rollout.

Rogers will offer its cable and high-speed Internet subscribers access online to an initial 15 channels which it owns in whole or partly, including Citytv, Rogers Sportsnet, A&E Canada, Bio and G4 Canada.

Cable TV subscribers will be able to watch the broadband content anywhere in Canada where their computer can access the Internet after user authentication.

By the second half of 2010, the Rogers service will be extended to a mobile app, social media sites and live event streaming.

Read the full article at The Hollywood Reporter.