NBC Universal has quietly pulled the official channel on YouTube the two companies established last June. Of course, that was a long time ago, in Internet years, and the relationship had run its course. NBC got buzz for a revived Saturday Night Live and The Office, and YouTube, through the sheen of legitimacy NBC gave it, got a $1.65 billion buyout. With NBC set to launch its own video site, the laughably named Hulu, the pulling of the YouTube plug was just a matter of time. Speaking of time: Could this move be a sign that Hulu, scheduled for "private beta" testing this month, is finally ready?

NBC has announced yet another new video product — and left behind a wake of confusion. NBC Direct, which is launching this fall, will offer ad-supported downloads of its popular properties that can be viewed up to a week after they air on television. A convenient feature for anyone wanting to watch the shows on their time, for free. But NBC's video strategy, since its break up with iTunes, is exploratory at best. It's testing out this download service, while selling episodes on Amazon Unbox, and presumably continues to offer streaming content from its website. And what's to happen to Hulu.com, its YouTube-killing venture with News Corp.? It looks like someone can't make up his mind, or is taking the precaution of not putting all its video eggs in one basket.

Quincy Smith, head of CBS's online business, on competing networks News Corp. and NBC's online video play Hulu: "I love everything about the joint venture and the notion of syndicating content with distribution partners that are already proven in the business, both in the video-destination and the widget business. But why—why still hold on to a destination [Web site]? That's a huge amount of infrastructure, that's a huge part of investment and frankly, a huge distraction." [Forbes]

TechCrunch posts a rumor that NBC and News Corp. joint online video venture, recently dubbed Hulu, has purchased a little known company based in China called Mojiti to power its video platform. If true, it's just the latest sign that the oft-delayed Hulu doesn't stand a chance of competing with popular video destination site YouTube. Silicon Alley Insider thinks it's better to buy than build, but Hulu went the entire summer without a name or any details rather than delivering on a promised launch. When Hulu finally did announce its name, an October beta was mentioned. Mojiti is primarily a video annotation service, an interesting but minor addition to what is currently nonexistent. Purchasing a little-known, eight man operation out of China with a niche focus for an alleged $10 million at the eleventh hour to power a delayed and highly-criticized video platform is anything but a good move.

Nevermind stealing domain names from little girls, Hulu, NBC's and News Corp.'s bid for video marketplace domination, is now accused of "federal cyberpiracy." User-generated content tool provider Lulu.com, which also operates a a profit sharing YouTube clone Lulu.TV, alleges that NewCo has "intentionally attempted to create confusion in the marketplace" and has filed suit for trademark infringement and unfair and deceptive trade practices. [PR Newswire]

Apple is not content to let NBC hog all the drama after NBC's TV shows dropped off iTunes. In a "I broke up with you" move, Apple's iTunes store will not host NBC's upcoming fall season, even though the companies' contract runs through December. Why? Because after December, shows would be withdrawn from the store midseason. According to Apple, NBC was trying to rip consumers off by jacking episode prices from $1.99 to $4.99. Hopefully that's not the price NBC's hoping to charge on its Hulu online-video site. Who would be silly enough to pay the cost of a full DVD box set for just half a season? If so, expect rampant piracy.

Money makes people crazy. When it comes to media conglomerates, the lust is insatiable. NBC Universal plans to pull its television catalog off iTunes by the end of the year. The marriage, initially, was lovestruck, with NBC crediting iTunes sales for boosting ratings of "The Office." But now, the grounds for divorce ostensibly include disagreements over piracy controls and pricing; Apple now says NBC wanted to charge $4.99 an episode. Some may speculate, rather, that the decision is fueled by NBC's desire to stock its own online-video site, Hulu, with shows. But the real reason for NBC's withdrawal is probably much less sinister.

News Corp., under CEO Rupert Murdoch, already has developed a reputation for stealing websites, when a Fox television show or advertiser covets a desirable URL on the MySpace social network. But Murdoch's website-snatching ways extend further than that. On Wednesday, News Corp. and NBC Universal announced that their online-video joint venture finally had a name, "Hulu". But before Hulu.com fell into Murdoch's hands, the website featured no videos at all — just innocent pictures of a couple's 7-year-old daughter.

"Hulu," the name for NBC Universal and News Corp.'s new online-video site, means "butt" in Bahasa Indonesia, the language spoken in the southeast Asian archipelago. [Webster's Online Dictionary]

At last, the online-video joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp., long ridiculed for its lack of a name other than "NewCo," has an official moniker, and a website, Hulu. It also has a $100 million investment, besides the backing of its parent companies, from Providence Equity Partners; a CEO, former Amazon.com executive Jason Kilar; and fancy offices in Los Angeles. What it still lacks, of course, is a shot in hell at competing with YouTube.