Hulu names Forssell interim CEO

Hulu has named senior VP of content Andy Forssell as its interim CEO, who will take over when Jason Kilar steps down at the end of this month.

Andy Forssell

Kilar finally put an end to rumours about his exit at the start of the year when he confirmed his intention to leave the US online video service he has helmed since its inception in 2007.

Forssell is also one of the original Hulu team members, back when the business was set up as a joint venture between News Corp’s Fox, NBCUniversal and Providence Equity Partners.

Kilar announced Forssell’s new role in a blog post saying, “Andy exemplifies the Hulu culture and has been central to Hulu’s journey, helping to grow this company from two content partners and no revenue to over 450 content partners and approximately $700 million revenue in 2012.

“In his role, Andy has built strong relationships with many of our board members. Andy has the board’s strong support in leading the team during this important time.”

These “strong relationships” and “strong support” will be crucial in the months ahead as Hulu’s owners, which these days comprise News Corp, NBCU and Disney, figure out the future ownership structure of the company.

Following Providence’s exit last year, after and abandoned sale attempt the year before, Hulu’s shareholders are reviewing their continued involvement, though NBCU has no choice but to stay due to the terms of its 2011 merger with Comcast.

“Disney and News Corporation are currently finalizing their forward-looking plans with Hulu, and the senior team has been working closely with them in that process. Once the plans are finalized, a permanent decision will be made regarding the CEO position,” said Kilar.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that both Disney and News Corp are considering buying each other out – a move that would give either one a controlling stake in Hulu.