But this isn’t any TV network Web site. It’s not abc.com or cbs.com. Instead, it’s a new joint collaboration between between Fox’s corporate owners – News Corp. – and NBC / Universal called Hulu, which debuted in “test” form today.

Hulu is an advertising-supported site offering free, full-length viewings of TV programs and movies. In addition to current TV programming like NBC’s “30 Rock” and “My Name Is Earl,” Hulu will also offer ghosts of TV’s past such as “Lou Grant” and “Lost In Space.”

Because Hulu is about video with backing from two major media companies, it would appear the new site is meant to compete with YouTube. But NBC / Universal CEO Jeff Zucker says that isn’t necessarily accurate.

“Hulu is about quality, premium video,” Zucker said while speaking at Syracuse University over the weekend. “It’s a safe haven for advertisers. Advertisers want to know where they’re placing their ads. It’s a lot easier to place your ad in an episode of ‘The Office’ than it is on the cat on the skateboard.”

In addition to presenting TV and movie content on Hulu, the programs and films will also be distributed to partner sites like AOL, MSN, MySpace, Yahoo and Comcast. Hulu will also provide tools allowing bloggers to embed video, including advertisements, into their own Web sites.

But is Hulu all that big a deal? Probably too early to tell since the site is currently available in beta form and won’t finalize its look and feel until a few months from now. But it does give audiences another choice when it comes to authorized TV and movie content on the Net.

“The technology they’ve put together on this short notice is not only adequate, it’s also better than most of what else is out there,” said Forrester Research TV / media technology analyst James McQuivey. “I think they have moved a couple of steps forward compared to their competitors in the industry.”