Hulu gets the jump on US TV shows

NBC and Fox will premiere several shows on Hulu, including Prison Break

Web video service Hulu has announced that it will be premiering several television shows up to a week before they hit the airwaves.

NBC, one of the co-founders of the video sharing service, plans to air the season premieres of at least four shows on Hulu prior to airing on TV.

Among the line-up airing on Hulu will be Lipstick Jungle, Life, Chuck and 30 Rock. The service will also air the premiere of the upcoming remake of Knight Rider.

The site also plans to air the premieres of several Fox programmes, including Bones and Prison Break, as well as cult-comedy hit It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The news could mark new confidence in Hulu by NBC. The service was originally launched on the background of battles between YouTube and TV studios over pirated videos.

But Hulu has risen fast and some industry pundits are predicting that the service could soon surpass YouTube in advertising revenues.

NBC has had a tumultuous relationship of its own with web video. The studio made major headlines last year when it conducted a very public break-up with Apple's iTunes service and made the jump to the less popular Amazon Unbox service.