Swine flu as profit-driver, and ABC as Hulu booster

Good day for 3M and Kimberly-Clark, Bad day for iTunes

GOOD DAY FOR: 3M and Kimberly-Clark, as the two companies are the among a small handful of manufacturers of N95-rated respiratory masks—the only ones sophisticated enough to protect the wearer from swine flu. People are snapping up the masks faster than 3M, Kimberly-Clark, and the other N95 mask producers are able to make them. (Bloomberg)

BAD DAY FOR: iTunes, after Disney’s ABC network agreed to start streaming its shows on Hulu, owned by rivals NBC and Fox. The free, ad-supported Hulu could pose a formidable challenge to the rent- or purchase-to-view model used by Apple’s iTunes. The deal also leaves CBS, the owner of Hulu rival TV.com, standing apart from the other networks. (BusinessWeek)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up