By Jessi Hempel, writer


Saturday Night Live isn't the only brand boosted by Tina Fey's Sarah Palin routines. If you're one of the millions who's watched those skits online within a week of their original broadcast, chances are you've seen them at Hulu.com. It's a big moment for the free video site.

Backed by News Corp. (NWS, Fortune 500) and NBC Universal, the "YouTube killer" launched a year ago with ten advertisers, scant content, and a lot of skepticism. But the site has grown fast, and in September, viewers watched Hulu clips 142 million times, a 32% jump from August.

Hulu has two things going for it: copious professionally produced content and stellar technology. CEO Jason Kilar's dealmaking with studios and networks has given the site a growing lode of stuff people want to watch - NBC's SNL, of course, plus Comedy Central's The Daily Show, Fox's House, and hundreds of other shows and movies.



»money.cnn.com/2008/10/31/technol···08103107