A Review of Hulu TV Channels, Plans, and Pricing

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Dennis Restauro

President at Grounded Reason LLC

Dennis is the editor in chief at Grounded Reason. Before writing about using technology to save you money he spent 20 years working in the tech sector as a sysadmin, an analyst, and an enterprise architect.

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For more than a decade, Hulu was known as on-demand streaming service. However, in May of 2017, Hulu launched a Live TV service supplying subscribers to live network and cable TV channels.

 This articles will provide all you need to know about Hulu’s Live TV service and the original on-demand streaming library. Ultimately this will help you determine if the content available through Hulu is worth the monthly cost.

What is Hulu Live TV

Hulu is a Disney owned streaming service that provides online TV shows and movies to Internet-connected devices.

While I’ll go into greater detail in this article, Hulu’s live TV services provide subscribers with:

• Local Broadcast Networks in over 200 U.S. markets (ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS)
• Many Popular Channels found on cable
• A Cloud DVR
• One of the largest on-demand libraries on the market

Most shows on ABC, Fox, NBC, and The CW are available one day after they air their national broadcast. If you purchase the Hulu Live TV option you can watch shows as they air.

If you are curious about all the channels Hulu Live TV offers in your area, you can use this tool: Hulu Live TV Channels by Zipcode.

While Hulu is ad-supported, there are options that will allow subscribers to completely avoid watching commercials when streaming on demand. Hulu also offers a back catalog of movies and TV shows originating on cable and network television. They have also recently developed a strong stable of original content, including their biggest hit, The Handmaid’s Tale.

All this makes Hulu a top notch streaming service, and it’s at the top of my list of cable tv alternatives.

How Much is Hulu?

Hulu offers a few different subscription plans. The price of the Hulu on-demand library ranges from $5.99 – $11.99 per month while Hulu’s live TV service starts at $44.99 per month. Subscribers also have the option of adding additional features, which will increase the monthly price.

The table below covers the monthly cost, the number of streams you can watch at once, add on features and a brief description of the service.

Hulu Subscription Plans and Pricing

Sign Up and Try Hulu Live TV

Hulu subscribers have a few choices when it comes to service plans. Ultimately, the choice depends on whether you want to stream live TV with the Hulu on-demand library or just Hulu’s on-demand library.

The on-demand streaming library costs $5.99 per month.  This plan includes “limited commercials.” However, for $11.99 per month and you can stream on-demand with an “ad-free” experience.

New customers can sign up for their on-demand service with no long term contract.

The price of the Hulu live service is $44.99 per month. That price includes the original Hulu on-demand service with commercials (the on-demand library.) If you want “ad-free viewing” with the original Hulu library, the cost of the live service is $50.99.

I’ve put “ad-free” in quotes as there are some shows that air commercials before and after the show. Otherwise, the show streams uninterrupted. This is due to licensing agreements with the content providers. 

The basic live service comes with 2 simultaneous streams, but an option for adding unlimited streams. It also includes a Cloud DVR with the option to add storage.  Both of these options can be bundled for $14.99. The details of each of these features are described later in the article.

Hulu Premium Channel Pricing

Hulu also provides premium add-on channels like HBO Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. These add-ons provide all the content on regular premium cable and are available through both the Hulu Streaming Library and the Hulu Live TV Service. Pricing for each is in the table below.

Once signed on to the on-demand service, you can upgrade to Live TV and other add-ons. 

Hulu Streaming Library

While Hulu just released their Live TV service in 2017, their original streaming library is still available to customers. The streaming library airs the current season of most hit shows airing on ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, and The CW. New episodes are typically available for streaming one day after they air on their respective networks. This means you can watch the latest seasons of shows like “Bob’s Burgers”, “Brooklyn 99”, “This Is Us”, “The Goldbergs”, “Superstore”, and more.

In addition to the latest episodes of network TV, Hulu provides thousands of episodes of hit TV shows on cable. Granted, many are on a one season delay. Meaning Hulu won’t provide a season until it’s roughly a year old. However, there are a few exceptions. If this is a concern, you may want to look into the Hulu Live TV service which I’ll get to in a moment. It includes a cloud DVR for recording shows.

Hulu also has a fairly decent arsenal of original programming. Shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Harlots”, “Pen15“,  and “Ramy” are only available on Hulu, adding additional value to the service.

In addition to a vast library of TV shows, Hulu also offers a decent selection of movies. You can check here to see what is new every month on Hulu.

See All The New Shows On Hulu This Month

Hulu Live TV Service

Hulu live TV is available on Android, iOS, Xbox One, 4th Gen Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and stick. Hulu provides contract-free access to Live TV

What Channels are On Hulu

Hulu will offer the following cable channels on its live TV service: A&E, Boomerang, Bravo, BTN, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, CNBC, CNN, CNNi, Disney, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN-U, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, FreeForm, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf, HGTV, HLN, Lifetime, MSNBC, Discovery, TLC, Motor Trend, Animal Planet, ID, National Geographic, Nat GEO Wild, NBCSN, Oxygen, Pop, SEC Espn, Sprout, Syfy, TBS, History, Travel, TNT, TruTV, Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Motor Trend,  Animal Planet, Turner Classic Movies, USA, Viceland.

Hulu will offer live local CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX where they have deals with the local affiliate. They will also have On-Demand offerings. There is a section below showing all the local channels available on Hulu.

Premium Channels – Hulu also provides access to HBO for $14.99 per month, Showtime for $10.99 per month, Starz for $8.99 per month and Cinemax for $9.99 per month. 

Hulu Live TV Entertainment Add-On – For an additional $7.99 per month, you receive the following additional channels: DIY, Lifetime Movies, FYI, the Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Science, Discovery Life, AHC, and CNBC World.

Hulu Live TV Español Add-On – For an additional $4.99 per month you receive the following additional channels: ESPN Deportes, NBC Universo, CNN En Español, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia and History Channel En Español

Hulu Live-TV Features

• The basic package comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. You can upgrade to 200 hours and gain the ability to fast-forward through recorded commercials for an additional $9.99 per month.
• Watch on 2 screens at once. You can upgrade to unlimited screens for $9.99 per month. This upgrade also gives you 3 screens while away from your home network.
• Comes with 6 customizable profiles
• Includes entire Hulu streaming library

How to Watch Hulu On TV

 Hulu live TV and streaming library are supported by the following popular streaming devices:

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV (4th generation or later)
• Google Chromecast
• iOS and Android Smartphones and Tablets
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One 
• Echo Show
• Fire Tablets
• Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
• LG TV (select models)
• Nintendo Switch
• Mac and PC browsers
• Samsung TV (select models)
• VIZIO SmartCast TVs
• Windows 10

PlayStation 3 and 4 support Hulu’s on-demand streaming library, but not the Hulu Live TV service.

Here is a full listing of devices supported by Hulu. If you do not have one of these streaming devices, Hulu is supported by the major computer browsers. Therefore, you can simply hook your laptop or PC to your television and use your TV as a monitor. I explain how to do this in my guide on How to watch Netflix on your TV. Hulu is supported on the following browsers: Internet Explorer 10 or above, Firefox 15 or above, Safari 5 or above, Chrome, or Edge.

How Does Hulu Work

Depending on the device you are using, setting up Hulu may vary. However, in all cases, it’s very straightforward. Setup typically involves downloading an app to the device and simply logging in with the username and password you used when you signed up for Hulu.

The service itself is extremely stable. I’ve been a subscriber for over 4 years and have never had an issue. I can’t even remember ever having an instance when a show was dropped or even buffered. Hulu is one of the most dependable streaming services I have ever used.

Content on Hulu can be viewed in 720p, 1080p, and 60fps/720p high definition (HD) video qualities.

In other words, if the show has availability in 1080p high definition, Hulu will offer it in that resolution. To stream Hulu in 1080p HD it’s recommended you have an internet connection speed of at least 3 Mbps. However, it may be possible to stream at 720p with just 1.5 Mbps without much buffering. It’s recommended to have 8 Mbps to stream Hulu Live TV.

I’m a Hulu Subscriber and find the service to be well worth the money. I currently have the $11.99 per month ad-free streaming subscription. With that said the quality of service and content available make Hulu On Demand a great value at either price. If Hulu has the content you want, it’s well worth the price. Hulu is easily a top-notch 5-star streaming service.

Overall, Hulu Live-TV offers all the bells and whistles you would get with a Multi-room HD\DVR cable subscription. However, that price tag comes to around $75. I see this option as less for cord cutters, and more for those looking to not have a year-long contract with a cable provider. I personally find it a much better deal than cable TV

Hulu Frequently Asked Questions

Being a popular service, I get a ton of questions about Hulu. You can find the answer to all of them below.

How Many People Can Watch Hulu at Once?

Subscribers to Hulu with Live TV can watch Hulu on 2 different devices at the same time. Subscribers can add the unlimited screens feature for an additional $9.99 per month and simultaneously watch Hulu on as many devices as they like.  Subscribers to Hulu’s on-demand library ($5.99 and $11.99 per month plans) can only watch on one device at a time.

What Shows Are On Hulu?

Readers want to know what’s on Hulu. Of course, the Hulu Live TV service will offer all the shows on the networks the service carries. As for their streaming library, there are a ton. There are original shows like  “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Pen15”, “Shrill”,  and “Marvel Runaways.” Check out our ranking of the best Hulu Originals for more info on Hulu’s original programming.

There are network and cable TV hits like “This is Us”, “Empire”, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Law and Order SVU”, and more.

There are too many shows available to list here. If you want to know what to watch on Hulu, this website does a great job of keeping track of new movies available on Hulu.

How Does Hulu Compare Vs. Other Streaming Services

We rated Hulu as the best TV live streaming service on the market. We also rated Hulu as good or better in the following comparisons.

• Hulu Vs. Sling TV
• Hulu Vs. DirecTV Now
• Hulu Vs. YouTube TV 

What is Hulu Plus?

Hulu Plus or (Hulu+) no longer exists. When Hulu first started, they would offer a free version that you could watch online. The Hulu Plus version was a paid version of Hulu that opened up more content and provided customers with the ability to use mobile and streaming devices.

How Many Devices Can you Have On Hulu?

Hulu’s on-demand service only allows one stream at a time. However, that stream can be on any supported device you choose.

The Live TV service allows 2 simultaneous streams. The Live TV service also allows you to upgrade to unlimited screens for an extra $9.99 per month. 

What Local Channels are on Hulu?

While we do our best to keep the table of local affiliates available on Hulu, we recommend checking here to guarantee the availability of local channels in your area.:

Why Does Hulu Have Commercials?

Hulu provides an ad-free option to On-Demand streaming. However, the live service will include ads. Even with the ad-free service, a few shows will have an ad at the beginning of the show. This is due to licensing agreements with the owner of the show.

How Do You Cancel Hulu?

It’s extremely easy to cancel Hulu. Simply follow these steps.

1. 1. Log in to your Hulu account.
   2. Click on your profile name in the top right-hand corner of the page.
   3. Under Your Subscription, click “Cancel Subscription.”
   4. Provide a reason for canceling
   5. Finalize your cancellation.

It will cancel at the end of this billing cycle. (Usually within 30 days at most.)

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