Hulu to Introduce Scripted Series, ‘Battleground’ [VIDEO] ~ Pare News

Thank you for using rssforward.com! This service has been made possible by all our customers. In order to provide a sustainable, best of the breed RSS to Email experience, we've chosen to keep this as a paid subscription service. If you are satisfied with your free trial, please sign-up today. Subscriptions without a plan would soon be removed. Thank you!

In a move illustrating the blurring lines between content distributors and producers, Hulu is planning to launch a scripted series, a political mockumentary called Battleground.

Hulu executives, who unveiled the show at the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles on Sunday, likened it to an independent movie, but for TV. “We’ve long asked the question, how come the creativity and vibrancy that exists in the indie film world doesn’t exist in TV?” Andy Forssell, Hulu’s senior vice president of content, said in an interview. The reason, according to Hulu executives, is that TV shows are under pressure to score big ratings within a short time. Without those constraints, Hulu can nurture new shows over a longer period.

This isn’t the first time Hulu has tried its hand at content creation. The company launched a reality show called If I I Can Dream in 2010. Hulu is also said to be planning to launch another new show this year, a yet-unnamed travelogue from director Richard Linklater.

Battleground, which follows the campaign of a dark horse contender for a Senate seat, is set to premiere on Feb. 14. Hulu has ordered 13 episodes of the 22-minute show. Hulu’s latest content creation plans put it in ndirect competition with Netflix. Netflix announced its first original series, Lillyhammer, earlier this month. Hulu also has to vie with YouTube, which is planning to spend $100 million on celeb-studded channels that will start producing original content this year.

Like Netflix, Hulu wants to become less reliant on the studios and networks for its content. That’s an especially pressing concern for Netflix since HBO has decided to stop offering discounted DVDs to the service and Warner Bros. has announced it will delay the introduction of new movies on Netflix and others for 56 days after the discs go on sale, vs. the current 28 days.

What do you think? Can Hulu, Netflix and YouTube become effective premium content producers? Sound off in the comments.

More About: hbo, hulu, netflix, YouTube

For more Entertainment coverage: