After about a year in incubation, Hulu on Wednesday officially launched its live TV service—well, in beta. The service arrives alongside what Hulu is calling a “groundbreaking new user experience,” which includes a completely revamped interface that learns what viewers like and tailors the experience to them.
Consumers who subscribe to the Hulu with Live TV beta will get access to more than 50 channels, along with Hulu’s robust on-demand library of over 3,500 TV shows and movies—all for $39.99 per month. All accounts will also get 50 hours of DVR storage, up to six individual profiles, and two simultaneous streams per account.
There are also options to upgrade to an enhanced Cloud DVR ($14.99/month) and unlimited in-home streams ($14.99/month); you can bundle the two features together for $19.99/month.
With so many other streaming TV alternatives available, Hulu’s service aims to stand out by offering its beloved on-demand library alongside live TV. If you’re already a Hulu subscriber, you’ll simply just pay the difference.
Some of the channels offered by Hulu’s live TV service include ABC, CBS, CBS sports, ESPN, FOX, NBC, NBC Sports, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, regional sports in select markets. The lineup is pretty robust at launch, though some notable names are missing. No Viacom channels made the cut—at least not yet—and neither did AMC Networks, which means no The Walking Dead. Those are some big holes.
A big part of the service is what Hulu claims will be an individually personalized experience (you can have up to six profiles).
“The more a viewer watches, the more tailored the service gets, adjusting its recommendations based not only on the content they consume, but also time of day and which device they’re using,” Hulu said.
That even applies to children in Hulu’s “Kids Mode,” which provides younger audiences with kid-friendly programming.
In addition, Hulu will offer access to premium channel add-ons, including Showtime, for $8.99/month. Unfortunately, HBO isn’t listed as an option (yet), which is a pretty big deal with the seventh season of Game of Thrones launching this summer.
Hulu is joining a pretty crowded market, with alternatives such as DirecTV Now and YouTube TV recently joining the fray. At $39.99 per month, subscribers are getting access to a lot of channels and on-demand content—though, it’s worth noting, the base package includes commercials for on-demand content; you’ll have to pay an additional $4 per month for the No Commercials plan.
We’ll have a breakdown of how Hulu’s new service compares to the others soon. In the meantime, you can learn more by checking out the source link below. Hulu’s live TV service is currently available for iOS and Android devices, as well as Apple TV, Xbox One, and Chromecast.
