Hulu went public as of today, with a wide variety of hit TV shows, movies, clips and other videos, all for free, and all for U.S. customers, at least for now. With over 20 partners, such as Warner Bros., Television Group, Lionsgate, NBA or NHL, Hulu tries to offer a wide variety of videos, and compete with sites that have already established a well determined place in the online video market, such as YouTube.

“Today Hulu is crossing a milestone in its mission to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium content, when where and how they want it,” said Jason Kilar, chief executive officer of Hulu. “With full-length episodes of current and archived television shows, feature films, sport and news, we believe the Hulu service is a step forward in giving consumers entertainment on their terms.”

So far, the service looks promising, and customer oriented, which could make it quite a challenger for video sites available today on the Web. There are positive and negative points to it, but things look pretty good for now. One thing that promises to attract viewers is of course the high-quality of the videos, which unfortunately is only available in the U.S., but with promises for future expansion.

One element they’ve tried to incorporate into Hulu is the ‘addiction’ factor that makes people want to come back: “Hulu.com’s impressive content line up and user experience are equally important in bringing consumers back again and again,” said Jeff Zucker, president and chief executive officer, NBC Universal. “These are the same attributes that make Hulu attractive to major brands. Both groups (NBC Universal and News Corp.) see the value in a quality, clutter-free online service.”

Hulu started as a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp in March 2007 and also closed a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. “As a single source of free, on-demand programming from some of the most popular studios and online networks, Hulu helps consumers quickly and easily find and enjoy the premium content they are looking for,” said Peter Chernin, president of News Corp.