Everything you need to know about Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV review summary:

• $55/mo. for Hulu (with ads) + Live TV
• $61/mo. for Hulu (no ads) + Live TV
• Includes Hulu’s on-demand service with ads, but can upgrade to ad-free for $61/mo.
• 50 hours of cloud DVR storage
• Two simultaneous streams

Hulu + Live TV channel selection

Hulu currently has one of the most well-rounded and comprehensive channel selections of any live TV streaming service. Whether you’re looking for sports, news or TV for the whole family, chances are Hulu has everything you need.

It has 69 channels in total — fewer than YouTube TV’s 86 and fuboTV’s 99 — but Hulu is refreshingly free of the filler that pads most service’s numbers.

Here are some of the most popular channels included in Hulu + Live TV:

For a complete listing of the channels available in your area, enter your ZIP code on Hulu’s home page.

What channels is Hulu + Live TV missing?

Even though we love Hulu’s channel lineup overall, it’s still missing some big names. Here are some of the most popular channels that aren’t available in Hulu’s base plan or any of its add-ons:

If any of these are must-haves for you, YouTube TV or fuboTV might be better options, although they both have their own drawbacks, too.

How does Hulu + Live TV compare to other live TV streaming services?

There are two classes of live TV streaming services: “skinny bundles” like Philo ($20/mo.) and AT&T WatchTV ($15/mo.), and more comprehensive cable replacements like Hulu. Of the latter category, there are six main players, and the differences between them are relatively minor.

Which service is best for you generally comes down to a few key preferences. Do you want to pay a little more for the NFL Network or are you fine with missing some football games? Do you need local channels or can you get by with a TV antenna or Locast? AMC or A&E?

We utilized TiVo’s recent survey of 3,330 adults in order to evaluate each service on a level playing field. Respondents were asked, “Which channels would you be interested in including in your TV package?” The more people wanted a channel included, the higher it ranked.

Here’s how many channels from TiVo’s survey each streaming service includes:

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 01/29/20.

As you can see, there isn’t a ton of separation (aside from AT&T TV NOW being solidly last). Hulu’s closest competitors are Sling Orange + Blue, YouTube TV and fuboTV. It depends on which channels you prioritize, but all three generally provide more value than Hulu.

Again, these services share about 90% of the same channels, so a lot comes down to a few personal preferences. Here are some of the key channel differences between streaming services:

Plenty of add-ons available

Hulu also offers a number of add-ons to its live TV service that allow you to customize your package to your liking:

• HBO ($15/mo.)
• Cinemax ($10/mo.)
• SHOWTIME ($11/mo.)
• STARZ ($9/mo.)

These are all premium networks that you can add to your Hulu plan. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t discounted — you’ll pay the same here as you would if you subscribed to HBO Now or SHOWTIME directly.

In addition to these premium networks, Hulu also offers a couple of channel bundles for anyone looking to expand their lineups:

• Entertainment Add-on ($8/mo.): American Heroes Channel, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, FYI, Lifetime Movies, Science
• Español Add-on ($5/mo.): CNN en Español, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, History en Español, NBC Universo

How does Hulu + Live TV fare for sports fans?

Hulu + Live TV is a great option for sports fans. If you don’t need to catch every game from every league, it will probably do just fine. But if you’re a diehard fan of a specific sport or team, you might find it lacking. Our Hulu + Live TV review focused on two types of live games: nationally televised and local teams.

National games

Hulu has most of the channels that air nationally televised games from the major American sports, but it is missing the league-specific channels from the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. These are generally second-tier marquee games. For instance, you’ll miss five Thursday Night Football games in 2019 — probably not essential for most people, but it could be a dealbreaker if your team happens to be playing in one of them.

Hulu does have excellent college football and basketball coverage — the only conference channel it’s missing is the PAC-12 Network. If you need that channel, the only streaming services that carry it are Sling TV and fuboTV.

Regional sports networks

While the national games are key for following each sport as a whole, most fans also want to keep up with their local teams, too. Regional sports networks (RSNs) carry every game from your local MLB, NBA and NHL teams.

Hulu + Live TV excels here, carrying both Fox Sports and NBC Sports RSNs, which cover about 75% of teams. Running your ZIP code through Hulu’s ZIP check will tell you for sure if your RSN is included, but chances are good you’ll be covered.

The major teams it’s missing are from New York, Los Angeles and Boston.

Will Hulu + Live TV actually save you money?

At $55/mo., Hulu + Live TV is one of the more expensive streaming services around, behind only AT&T TV and AT&T TV NOW. Truth be told, you probably won’t save much with Hulu over cable or satellite TV.

That’s because you typically get a hefty discount for bundling TV and internet services. Here’s how a few common packages compare to Hulu:

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 01/03/20.
*Average price of broadband internet in U.S.

That said, you don’t need to rent equipment to use live streaming services, and you aren’t locked into long contracts that leave you vulnerable to random price hikes. The savings might be negligible — or even nonexistent — but you’ll probably have a better experience with Hulu than a traditional cable or satellite company.

According to the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index, streaming services as an industry received a 76/100 score, on par with hotels and internet search engines. Cable and satellite, meanwhile, came in dead last with a 62/100.

What about the user experience?

As good as Hulu + Live TV’s channel lineup is, it’s interface and navigation were some of the worst we tested. We spent about a week using it on an Amazon Fire TV Stick and Roku Streaming Stick, and in both cases, it left a lot to be desired.

It’s cumbersome to even get to the live TV part of the Hulu app. When you click the “TV” section, for example, it takes you to Hulu’s on-demand library. There is a “Live TV” section you can navigate to, but that live TV guide is pretty disappointing, too.

You can only see about four channels at once, and only the program that’s currently playing. If you want to see what’s coming up next, you have to click the channel and arrow over. And even then, you can’t see anything beyond the next immediate slot.

It also doesn’t make channel-surfing very pleasurable. While most services keep a box with your current channel open in the corner, Hulu blocks about half the screen, so you can’t really see what’s currently playing.

Mobile app

We enjoyed the experience of using Hulu’s mobile app much more than on streaming devices. The guide still only showed one time slot at a time, but it was much easier to arrow over to see what’s coming up next. We also liked how the current channel continues playing while you browse.

Hulu’s mobile app has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, too — it has a 4.7 rating on over a million reviews on the App Store, and 4.0 on 386K from Google Play.

Decent extra perks

Hulu’s extra perks fall somewhere in the middle of the pack of live TV streaming services.

It offers 50 hours of cloud DVR storage — less than Philo, AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV — but it has no expiration date. If that’s not enough, you can upgrade to 200 hours for an extra $10/mo.

Hulu’s two simultaneous streams — the number of devices you can watch at the same time — are on the low side, too. If you live in a house with diverse TV tastes, Hulu lets you upgrade to unlimited screens for $10/mo. Keep in mind, though, that only applies to devices in the same home.

Hulu + Live TV FAQs

Which streaming devices work with Hulu + Live TV?

Along with Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV has the broadest device compatibility of any streaming service around. With the exception of PlayStation, it works with just about every streaming device, smart TV and gaming console:

What internet speed do I need for Hulu + Live TV?

Hulu recommends at least 8 Mbps for live TV, but if you plan on watching 4K content, that number goes all the way up to 16 Mbps. You’ll also need to increase that number for every device that’s using the connection at the same time. Not sure what kinds of speed you’re currently getting? Use our speed test below to find out.

Can you fast forward through commercials on Hulu + Live TV?

Unfortunately, you can’t fast forward through commercials on Hulu + Live TV, or any live TV streaming service. But unlike other services, you can’t fast forward through ads on programs you’ve recorded in your DVR. To do that, you’ll need to add Hulu’s Enhanced Cloud DVR option for an extra $10/mo.

Our other live TV streaming service reviews

We’ve written extensively about every live TV streaming service around. For more detailed information, you can check out our full reviews below:

• AT&T Watch TV ($15/mo.)
• Philo TV ($20/mo.)
• Sling TV ($30/mo.)
• YouTube TV ($50/mo.)
• fuboTV ($55/mo.)
• AT&T TV NOW ($65/mo.)
• AT&T TV ($60/mo. in year one, $93/mo. in year two)
• Best live TV streaming services

The bottom line

Our Hulu + Live TV review places the streaming service in the middle of the pack where it really matters: the channels included in its plan. It has nine of the top 10 consumers want most — something only AT&T TV could match — but there are plenty missing after that.

Included in Hulu’s lineup are about 20 channels devoted entirely to sports. You might miss a handful of games here and there, but for the most part, it’s a great option for sports fans.

Where Hulu + Live TV falls a little short is its user experience and, to a lesser extent, the extra perks it provides. If things like a positive channel-surfing design, plenty of DVR storage and simultaneous streams are important to you, we’d go with YouTube TV.

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