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NBC’s Zucker: Hulu Inventory Sold Out, Olympics Running Low

NBCU prez Jeff Zucker says ad inventory on the new Hulu.com site is sold out; more ad opportunities are being created for those who arrived late to the ball.

Speaking with Michael Kassan, principal of Media Link, during the International Advertising Association’s World Congress yesterday, he made a pretty clear dig (via AdAge) at YouTube while touting Hulu: “Advertisers want to be on something where you know what you get, and not on something where you could be advertising [next to a video of] a cat on a skateboard.”

Conversations with CBS, Disney and Viacom to join Hulu are continuing, he said.

Zucker also touched on the impact of an actors strike, saying that, with the economy as it is now, a follow-up strike by actors would have a real impact on the TV business. “I don’t think the economy or the TV business would be able to survive something like that,” he is quoted as saying.

NBC is still hopeful that it can work out a content deal with Apple that reflects different pricing for new shows versus older shows on iTunes, Zucker says. NBC pulled the plug on a contract with iTunes after the two parties failed to come to an agreement over prices.

Zucker mentioned that NBC has sold 75 percent of its Olympics inventory. He said (via CNBC) that pricing for the event has been “incredibly strong.”

With its new development slate, the network is poised to move out of fourth place, Zucker feels.