"Hulu is about the shows, not the networks. The shows are the brands that users care about"
About this Quote
Kilar’s line is a quiet declaration of independence from the old TV order: viewers don’t wake up craving a logo, they crave the next episode. It’s a deceptively simple framing that smuggles in a major power shift. If “the shows are the brands,” then the gatekeepers who once controlled distribution (networks, schedules, cable bundles) become middlemen, not monarchs. Hulu, in this worldview, isn’t a network at all; it’s a shelf, a search box, a habit.
The intent is strategic, not philosophical. By insisting that audiences attach loyalty to titles rather than channels, Kilar is arguing for a platform-first model where aggregation wins. That’s how you justify licensing deals, cross-network catalogs, and a user experience built around discovery instead of affiliation. It also subtly rebrands Hulu as aligned with the audience’s desires rather than the industry’s turf wars: we’re on your side, not theirs.
The subtext has teeth for networks: your brand equity is fragile if it can be unbundled into individual series. A hit show becomes a portable asset, capable of traveling to the best bidder or the best interface. In the early streaming era, that was a threat and an opportunity: threat to network identity, opportunity to monetize libraries and reach cord-cutters.
Context matters: this is the language of the transition period, when streaming was still negotiating with legacy TV rather than replacing it. Kilar is staking out the principle that later became obvious - and brutal: in the attention economy, the “channel” is increasingly an algorithm, and the real currency is the story you can’t stop watching.
The intent is strategic, not philosophical. By insisting that audiences attach loyalty to titles rather than channels, Kilar is arguing for a platform-first model where aggregation wins. That’s how you justify licensing deals, cross-network catalogs, and a user experience built around discovery instead of affiliation. It also subtly rebrands Hulu as aligned with the audience’s desires rather than the industry’s turf wars: we’re on your side, not theirs.
The subtext has teeth for networks: your brand equity is fragile if it can be unbundled into individual series. A hit show becomes a portable asset, capable of traveling to the best bidder or the best interface. In the early streaming era, that was a threat and an opportunity: threat to network identity, opportunity to monetize libraries and reach cord-cutters.
Context matters: this is the language of the transition period, when streaming was still negotiating with legacy TV rather than replacing it. Kilar is staking out the principle that later became obvious - and brutal: in the attention economy, the “channel” is increasingly an algorithm, and the real currency is the story you can’t stop watching.
Quote Details
| Topic | Marketing |
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