Considering all you get, Hulu + Live TV is a pretty sweet deal. That’s why we’ve named it our choice for Best Value among live TV streaming services.
You probably already know Hulu—it’s the on-demand service where you stream TV shows the day after they air or watch originals like Palm Springs and The Handmaid’s Tale.
But you may not have tried out the live version, the service’s bid to woo you away from cable and satellite. And at a base price of $64.99 a month, Hulu + Live TV has some serious woo.
We were already fans of Hulu’s growing slate of original series, including gems like Shrill, Woke, and Ramy. Hulu + Live TV sweetens the deal by giving us one less reason to click out of the app to watch a livestreaming channel.
But, Hulu + Live TV doesn’t carry several of our favorite entertainment and sports networks, and availability of local channels is spotty from city to city.
You can bundle Hulu (with ads), Disney+, and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month for a savings of $5.98 monthly (or 71.76 annually). This bundle deal also applies to ad-free Hulu ($19.99 a month), ad-supported Hulu + Live TV ($72.99 a month), and ad-free Hulu + Live TV ($78.99 a month).
College students can bundle ad-supported Hulu with Spotify Premium and SHOWTIME for just $4.99 a month, an overall savings of $21.98 monthly.
Sprint Unlimited Wireless customers can get Hulu (with ads) for free with a Sprint mobile plan (which run between $60 and $85 a month).
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
The difference between classic Hulu and the newer Hulu + Live TV is made reasonably clear in the titles: Hulu is the original on-demand programming model (like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video); Hulu + Live TV adds livestreaming cable and broadcast channels (as YouTube TV and fuboTV do).
The common ground: Hulu on demand is a part of Hulu + Live TV, with no separate service hassles or secondary apps.
Like other livestreaming services making moves into cord-cutter territory, Hulu and Hulu + Live TV don’t deliver all the entertainment and sports options you may want. But together, they come closer than most—and don’t forget the endless buffet of Seinfeld episodes.
Before it began producing its own original series and movies, Hulu was best known as a destination to watch TV classics and new network shows after episodes aired on regular television (the dawn of cord-cutting, in other words).
This still applies today—you can see new episodes of ABC, NBC, and Fox series on Hulu soon after they air. CBS and The CW aren’t as available through Hulu as they once were, though, thanks to CBS All Access and The CW’s free streaming app.
Shows from Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and other cable networks turn up post-broadcast on Hulu, as do many recent theatrical release movies.
Worth noting: Hulu + Live TV plans don’t livestream several popular channels, including AMC, Hallmark, WEtv, and IFC. An additional app like Philo can help fill the channel gaps if you’re willing to spend a little more on live TV streaming.
The Handmaid’s Tale is Hulu’s best-known original, and in-house productions like The Great, Letterkenny, and Shrill aren’t far behind rivals like Netflix originals. Hulu has been producing its own content since 2012, with an equal number of hits and misses.
Hulu doesn’t crank out original content with the same frequency of Netflix, but its series and documentaries generate serious buzz. In 2015, Hulu scored its first Golden Globe nomination with an under-the-radar comedy called Casual years before The Handmaid’s Tale debuted.
Don’t know where to start? We’ve compiled a few lists of acquired shows and Hulu originals we think are worth checking out on our What to Watch on Hulu guide.
Aside from five seasons of Friday Night Lights, you won’t find much in the way of sports in Hulu plans—but Hulu + Live TV is another matter. Live regional and college ball get plenty of play, and several of the bigger sports networks are repped in the channel grid.
On the downside, Hulu + Live TV doesn’t carry MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, NFL RedZone, or NHL Network, and fútbol favorites like beIN Sports and FOX Soccer Plus are also M.I.A.
Hulu + Live TV features over 70 entertainment and sports channels, including most popular cable networks, as well as local stations that carry ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW.
But local channel availability varies greatly by area, and very few ZIP codes get all of them—check with Hulu for what’s available in your area. Sorry, Riverdale fandom: The CW is the least-available livestreaming channel on Hulu Live lineups across the US. Double sorry, Antiques Roadshow buffs: PBS isn’t on Hulu + Live TV (currently, it’s only on YouTube TV).
You can customize any Hulu plan with premium add-ons like HBO, CINEMAX, SHOWTIME, and STARZ.
Hulu + Live TV also offers an “Entertainment” add-on package, which includes channels like American Heroes, Destination America, DIY, FYI, and Lifetime Movies.
There’s also an Español package that includes CNN en Español and Discovery Famila.
Hulu offers no sports channel add-ons—sorry, sports ball fans. We recommend fuboTV as the best streaming service for sports fans.
If Hulu doesn’t give you everything you want, try pairing it with another streaming service to fill in the blanks—you’ll probably still save money over a cable or satellite subscription.
Hulu + Live TV’s included cloud DVR gives you 50 hours of storage for recording live shows. Not bad, but, unlike other cloud DVRs, you can’t fast-forward through commercials.
Skipping through commercials on recorded shows is allowed if you opt for the $14.99 a month Enhanced DVR that comes with 200 hours of cloud storage. That many hours seems excessive, until you realize how quickly nine seasons of Bob’s Burgers can pile up (that’s 80 hours of hamburger puns, FYI).
Hulu + Live TV allows two simultaneous streams between TVs, tablets, phones, and computers, while Hulu alone allows just one.
For an additional monthly $9.99, you can upgrade to unlimited simultaneous Hulu Live streams. That’ll get you watching on multiple TVs and up to three mobile screens—as long as they’re all on the same home Wi-Fi network.
Yes, you read that right. So even if your mom across town has the password to your account, she’ll have to wait to watch Blue Bloods.
While the classic Hulu app is available on almost every streaming TV device out there, not all of them support the Live TV function.
Most Blu-ray players, TiVos, and VIZIO TVs will let you stream Hulu’s on-demand content but not live programming.
Hulu + Live TV streams at 720p, which lines up with the HD picture quality you’re used to with other live TV streaming services.
Likewise, Hulu’s connection quality is consistently strong, with little buffering or interruptions. If you’re binge-watching the first season of ER and George Clooney looks a little fuzzy, it’s only because it was filmed in 1994.
On the sound side, most of Hulu’s content, both its on-demand library and live channels, streams in 2.0 stereo audio. Some on-demand shows and movies support Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound—if your device can handle it. Audiophiles may want to locate their device’s manual.
For Hulu devotees, there’s even more to like about Hulu + Live TV, especially if you’ve been looking for an excuse to cut the cord completely.
It’s missing a few key entertainment and sports channels but, at $64.99 a month—which includes the content-loaded, on-demand Hulu experience—Hulu + Live TV offers more than cable or satellite ever could at the same price.
In most cases, we think Hulu + Live TV is as good as cable. But, if you’re a diehard sports fan, for example, Hulu + Live TV might not make the cut.
Yes, Hulu + Live TV is reliable. In our experience, most problems with Hulu + Live TV either have to do with your streaming device or your internet connection.
Casting Hulu + Live TV from a phone or tablet can be a pain, and buffering, well, just plain sucks. If you’ve got a compatible streaming device and a good broadband internet connection, you shouldn’t have any reliability issues.
