Hulu sale process dead

Hulu is off the auction block. The sale of the Internet vid behemoth has been tabled by its owners -- News Corp., NBCUniversal, Disney and Providence Equity Partners -- after months of soliciting bids from prospective buyers. In a short statement, the partners said the decision was made because the service has "unique and compelling strategic value to each of its owners." But it is no secret that the partners had a lofty $2 billion price expectation for Hulu. Google, Amazon and Dish Network were finalists awaiting word on their latest round of bids. Taking nibbles in earlier rounds were big players like DirecTV andDirecTV and Yahoo, which may have jumpstarted the sales process by making an unsolicited inquiry. Now Yahoo find itself the subject of acquisition speculation including a potential tie-up with AOL. CEO Jason Kilar is still with the company, according to sources. His future with Hulu has been in doubt given his contract with the company has reportedly already expired. The former Amazon exec has also had his share of friction with owners, though he's said to have patched things up and has faith of the company's board of directors. Estimates of Hulu's value were all over the map, reflecting uncertainty over what exactly a buyer would be getting. The most valuable parts of Hulu are the licensing deals the streaming service has with its principals that delivers series programming from broadcasters Fox, NBC and ABC as soon as 24 hours after the shows' original airdate. Google was reportedly ready to spend as much as $4 billion to land Hulu with extensions on content rights beyond existing parameters. The latest episodes of hits like "Family Guy" and "The Office" are the biggest draws on Hulu, which has also begun to license and develop original content such as its new Morgan Spurlock series "A Day in the Life." Hulu has also been putting increasing emphasis on its subscription component, Hulu Plus. The service recently reached 1 million subscribers, each paying $8 apiece. The company also went public with its first international foray, Japan, where it launched a subscription-only service. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com