Hulu Live TV Review, Tips, and FAQs (2020 Updates)

You want to watch tv on Hulu but you’re not sure what’s the difference between regular Hulu, Hulu Plus, or Hulu Live TV? Or perhaps you want to know what channels Hulu offers? Or more about Hulu Original Programming? Or what Hulu’s prices are like? We’ve got you covered on all these questions and more.

In this article and video we’ll discuss Hulu Live TV channel packages, Hulu pricing, Hulu premiums, what local channels you can get on Hulu, how to customize Hulu, HBO on Hulu, the Hulu DVR, how Hulu Live TV compares to other streaming tv providers like Netflix, Sling, Amazon, ATT Now, and so much more. Ready? Let’s go.

Hulu Plus


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Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series devoted to helping people learn how to stream tv online and get rid of cable. You can get all tips on this page: Best Streaming TV Providers.

Credibility Notice: I am an average consumer just like you. This is an honest review. I am a real life cord cutter not a paid endorser.


Hulu Live TV FAQ’s for Cord Cutters

What is the Website for Hulu Live TV?

https://www.hulu.com/welcome

There is also a Help Center link too: https://help.hulu.com/s/?language=en_US

What Devices Can I use to Watch Hulu Plus?

You can watch Hulu Live TV on pretty much every streaming device (Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, etc), as well as on tablets/phones and computers.

BONUS – You can watch Hulu Live TV outside the home to when you travel on your laptop or mobile device.

What Channels does Hulu Live TV Offer? Are Channel Packages Available on Hulu Plus?

Hulu with Live TV has ONE channel lineup. Here is the current list of channels offered by Hulu with Live TV at this time. The cost for this plan is about $44. Please note that this plan includes BOTH Hulu Basic and Hulu with Live TV – therefore some people refer to this plan as “Hulu Plus.”

Hulu with Live TV Channel Lineup

To learn more, visit this page: https://www.hulu.com/live-tv

Does Hulu offer other plans?

As of now Hulu doesn’t really have customizable channel packages like those offered by its competitors at Sling, Direct TV Now, etc.  That said, Hulu does offer a couple other options:

You can choose regular Hulu without the ‘live’ tv option as noted here…

Hulu basic

Keep in mind that the ‘limited’ commercials option actually means LOTS of commercials and many who choose this option hate it because you can’t skip through the commercials and it’s very annoying.

Also you can choose to have just Hulu Live TV without the rest of Hulu Basic as noted here…

Hulu with Live TV Options

Learn more about the current prices and plans here: https://signup.hulu.com/plans

What does the “Beta” in Hulu Live TV Beta mean?

Hulu with Live TV is a relatively new service and the company recognizes that there may be ‘hiccups’ – thus they say it’s still in beta testing mode. That said, I did not notice any mishaps when I used it and I would not let that stop you from choosing Hulu.

Is there a Limit on the Number of Screens I Can Watch Hulu Live TV on simultaneously?

Yes – you can stream Hulu Plus on up to 3 devices at a time under the regular plan.

You can pay an additional $14.99/month and watch Hulu Plus on ‘unlimited’ screens while you are at home and up to 3 devices while you are away from home. Personally I think that’s a steep price to pay for an add-on you will probably not use very often. Learn more about it here: https://help.hulu.com/en-us/overview-unlimited-screens-add-on

Does Hulu with Live TV have a DVR?

Yes, Hulu Plus as a cloud DVR and it’s pretty good. You can record up to 50 hours on your DVR BUT you can’t fast forward through commercials.

You can pay an additional $14.99/month and add the ‘Enhanced Cloud DVR Option’ which gives you up to 200 hours of recorded content AND the ability to fast forward through commercials of your live tv recordings. Learn more here: https://help.hulu.com/en-us/upgrade-cloud-dvr-storage-space

Does Hulu have On-Demand TV Shows and Movies?

Yes. The on-demand library content is essentially the “Hulu Basic” service that is offered for $7.99/month on it’s own but is included in the Hulu Plus package noted above.

Can I watch Local Channels on Hulu Plus? What Regional Sports Networks are offered?

It depends on your area. In my area (Tampa) it’s very good. Basically we can get every local channel we want (except for our local NBC which no streaming service offers in our area).

To see what’s offered in YOUR area here’s what you do:

  1. Use this link: https://www.hulu.com/live-tv
  2. Look for the “VIEW ALL CHANNELS IN YOUR AREA” link below the Channel Icons as shown here…
  3. Hulu Plus Local Channels
  4. Enter your ZIP Code in the popup window
  5. See ALL the channels offered by Hulu with Live TV in your area – including the all important local channels and regional sports networks.

What Premium Channels does Hulu Plus Offer?

You can get HBO for 14.99/month, Cinemax for $9.99/month, or Showtime for $8.99/month.

What Promotions does Hulu Plus offer for New Subscribers?

Not a lot. You can basically get a 7-day free trial unless you have one of their not very often promo codes.

What is the User Interface like on Hulu? Does Hulu offer a Channel Guide?

This is the major problem with Hulu with Live TV at this time – their channel guide sucks because they don’t actually have a traditional tv guide. If you always know what you want to watch then this may not be a problem for you, but if you are used to watching cable tv and you like to use a traditional channel guide to browse what’s on, you can’t do that with Hulu. It’s so hard to actually find anything and it became such a problem for us that we canceled our Hulu with Live TV subscription.

Hulu Plus does have Amazon Alexa Voice Control but we found that it only worked successfully about 1/3 of the time so it didn’t help.

Here are some screenshots of the Hulu UI:


Hulu Live TV – What’s the Bottom Line?

Because of the lack of some of the channels we wanted (Nick Jr) and the lack of the channel guide we had to cancel with Hulu Plus. I did like the service overall but not as much as Direct TV Now (our current primary streaming service).

That said, we do still have the “No Commercials” version of Hulu Basic and still enjoy watching their on-demand content and original shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Handmaids Tale Show


What to read next?

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6 thoughts on “Hulu Live TV Review, Tips, and FAQs (2020 Updates)”

  1. I would like to know why I can’t print the Hulu channels for my zip code are so I don’t have to keep going back and forth searching for what I want to watch.

    Reply
    • That’s a great point, Tina. I tried going online without logging in and just entering my zip so I could print screen but even that didn’t work. Unfortunately this just continues the issues that Hulu has with it’s channel guides. Overall it’s a nice product but they need to continue working on the user experience when it comes to channels and finding things.

      Reply
  2. Switched from Sling TV to Hulu Live. Why? Hulu was 5/month more with slightly better sports (golf + extra espn channels) and Hulu content.

    Within 30 days they jacked up their price by 10/month, making it 15/month more.

    But get a lot of errors from Hulu – We’re having difficulty streaming this content at the moment. Try restarting your device.

    Hulu’s channel guide and interface is terrible.
    -To navigate through the Sports and Movies is ridiculous. You have to click left or right on the current time.
    -Hulu tries to hide the idea a ‘channel’ and shows you content Icons. I don’t want to memorize every sports team logo in the world. Just tell me the freaking channel name, so I can go to easily.
    -Hulu doesn’t partition content well. There is a News, a Movies, a Sports … but if i want to go to Vice or USA channel, I have to go to ALL and then down click through the entire channel list to reach them.

    Hulu list of originals is not overly impressive. HandMaiden’s tale and then a bunch of junk.
    Movies, original TV shows again – nothing that makes we want to pay to see it. Does have Community, Adventure Time and a few others.

    I am probably heading back to Sling.

    Reply
    • Gypo, this is great feedback, thanks for sharing. It’s a shame about Hulu – it’s got a lot of promise and there is a lot of opportunity for it to rule the streaming world if it could solve it’s issues, but so far it hasn’t done that.

      Reply
  3. You just saved me $56/month. Thank you for this review!

    Reply

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