Hulu Plus isn’t going to be available on the iPad until later in the year, but it’s going to launch on May 24th for its normal market: the PC. But, Hulu does have plans to bring the service to an application available on the iPad. But, according to MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar tried to get in touch with ABC in hopes to convince them not to make their ABC iPad application free. Obviously, free ABC shows don’t make it easy for Hulu to ask people to pay for them.

Considering how successful the ABC app has been for ABC and the iPad, there’s no wonder that Hulu executives would be dismayed by the fact that they’ve already been undermined even before they can get out the gate, and it will be interesting to see what they do here in the coming weeks.

[via Apple Insider]

So, in those ten days since the launch of the iPad, and the ABC application along with it, ABC says that their app has been downloaded somewhere in the ballpark of 205,000 times. That, if our numbers are correct, puts the ABC player app a little under half of the total number of iPads sold so far, give or take a few thousand. That means the Walt Disney Company has a pretty heavy presence on the iPad right now. But the big number comes in the number of videos the streaming application has provided for those 205,000 downloads. According to ABC, users have watched at least part of 650,000 episodes of their favorite shows, which has generated literally millions of ad impressions.

Accordingly, the folks over at ABC are very pleased with what the iPad app has brought to the table. And, we’ve got to admit that we’re pleased with it, too. We’re also pleased that if this keeps up, and these other video streaming services start paying attention, then maybe we’ll start seeing more options. Options are never a bad thing, and we’d welcome them with open arms. We’re not afraid of advertisements in our streaming episodes of V, or whatever else we may be watching, so don’t be afraid to give us a free service with those ads implanted therein, please.

[via All Things D]

CBS has agreed to mark down certain episodes of TV shows down to the 99 cent mark, in lieu of the launch of the iPad. While it’s been rumored for some time that there are companies out there willing to mark down their TV shows, none of them have come forward up until now. According to CBS CEO Les Moonves, they are more than willing to mark down some of their television shows, but he wasn’t willing to divulge much more information than that.

Even if this is just a promotional period, where the launch of the iPad makes it easier for these companies to make these kinds of concessions for their episodes, that would still be a good plan. The 99 cent mark has an almost magical effect on consumers. They can afford 99 cents. Even if $1.99 isn’t too expensive, it just seems that people are more “secure” when it comes to a 99 cent purchase. There’s also the question of whether or not it would be new shows, or just older episodes. Would the 99 cent treatment get passed around for a full season’s pricing, or how is it going to work? The details haven’t been screened out yet, but as soon as they are, we’ll let you know.

[via Apple Insider]

The iPad was brought up during Disney’s quarterly earnings conference call on Tuesday, and Iger was more than willing to expound on what the iPad means for Disney, and how they plan to position the product. Interactivity is the core of it all, with ideas like using the iPad in conjunction with watching a television show like ABC’s “Lost”, providing a new level of entertainment. ABC News and ESPN Score Center would also get applications specifically for the iPad, where the focus would again be interaction, and providing users a new way to experience the information therein.

Iger went on to say that the iPad has a lot of potential (which is a common theme around these parts), and that he sees it as a game changer in the sense that it would enable Disney to provide new forms of content. And while there are plenty of people out there excited about iBooks and the iBookstore, there’s just as many people out there eagerly anticipating reading comic books on the iPad. Considering the events that took place between Marvel and Disney last year, it’s no surprise that Iger plans on bringing Marvel comics to the iPad. It looks to us that people are starting to realize the iPad is going to be a great way to interact, and not just with games and eBooks. We can’t wait to see what companies like Disney build for the iPad.

[via Apple Insider]