News Corp-NBCU JV Hulu is going live for the first time since its launch last year. The site will stream the remaining presidential debates, which air respectively on NBC Tuesday night and on Fox News Oct. 15. (Sense a pattern here?)
The debates also will be available in Hulu’s usual on-demand service. At the same time, Hulu, best known until now as a place to watch Tina Fey spoof Sarah Palin in legit SNL clips, is jumping on the bandwagon with an Election ‘08 hub. The result is an odd mix of debates, speeches, political humor, soundbites and commentary. Hulu is also trying to encourage political discussion through its forums. In another first, Hulu is premiering a film: documentary Crawford, about the effects of the George W. Bush presidency on his adopted hometown.

Hard to tell how much of a strategic evolution this is, although clearly Hulu and its partners are ambitious. A Hulu spokesperson says “live streaming is something we’re experimenting with initially as the presidential debates are highly relevant now.”