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)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff