Over-the-top (OTT) media services continue to grow, allowing you to move away from traditional cable and satellite outlets for your home and mobile entertainment needs. One of the fastest growing products in this segment is Hulu with Live TV.
First introduced in May 2017, Hulu with Live TV offers live programming from cable and television brands. This works in conjunction with the more traditional Hulu subscription service which allows you to watch current and past TV series.
In this article, you will learn all about how to watch live TV on Hulu using Hulu with Live TV.
Unlike similar services like Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue, Hulu With Live TV doesn't offer a selection of channel packages. Instead, you pay $39.99 per month to receive access to 50+ channels.
From there, you can select add-ons like premium channels like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz, plus additional channel packages. Perfect for cord cutters, YouTube TV is similar in that it offers a basic package plus premium channels for more.
The Hulu With Live TV base package varies slightly depending on your location. Includes live local, regional and national channels. Selected channels may offer only on-demand content. Certain channels or content may not be available in all locations or on all devices.
With the base package, most subscribers have access to:
Premium channels vary in price and are subject to limited time promotions. Most of these channels include a week of free access. At the time of writing, for example, Showtime is priced at $10.99/month, but for a limited time, you can subscribe for $4.99/month for three months.
Hulu With Live TV recently introduced two additional packages. These include a $7.99/month entertainment package, which includes channels like DYI and FYI, and a $4.99/month Spanish language package featuring CNN, ESPN Deportes and more.
Hulu With Live TV also includes unlimited access to Hulu's streaming library traditional plan, plus 50 hours of DVR cloud storage, and the ability to watch on two screens at the same time. If there are many people in your household, you can add unlimited screens for an additional $14.99/month.
Also for $14.99/month, you can upgrade your Cloud DVR to 200 hours. With cloud storage, you can fast-forward through commercials and enjoy your shows anywhere on compatible devices. (You'll soon be able to download Hulu shows for offline viewing.)
Finally, you can upgrade your plan, so Hulu's traditional streaming library plan streams ad-free. For this, the standard price for Hulu with Live TV increases from $39.99/mo to $43.99/mo.
Imagine you have a household of five people and you want to subscribe to Hulu with Live TV. You want to pay extra for HBO and unlimited screens. Also, you prefer not to watch commercials when streaming content from Hulu's traditional streaming library.
The monthly fee for this package would be:
You'll have to decide if it's worth switching to Hulu with Live TV or a similar solution or if all your favorite shows are covered.
To subscribe to Hulu With Live TV, you must do so from the Hulu website by following these steps:
Hulu With Live TV is available on multiple platforms including Mac and PC, iOS, Apple TV, Xbox, Chromecast, and many more.
Getting around Hulu with live TV varies slightly, depending on the platform. To watch live TV, click on the live icon From the main Hulu screen. The main navigation on Hulu includes Home, Search, Search, My Stuff, and Live TV.
By default, you will first see a guide with the most recent channels. You'll also see a window showing live TV for your last viewed channel. Click the TV window pause/play live TV or make it bigger. Click or tap on one of the other recent channels to change which show is displayed.
Tap Recent Channels to change your view to All Channels, News, Sports, Kids, or Movies. Scroll to find the channel you want to watch. You can find future programming using scrolling; when you see something to record, click on it and select Record .
The Hulu Guide with Live TV can be sorted alphabetically or by category, and you can use the guide during live programming.
There are two final notes to consider about the Hulu with Live TV service:home internet settings and profiles.
To use Hulu with Live TV, you must verify your home Internet network location within 30 days. Hulu uses this information to configure its local and regional programming for your area.
Note: Your home network must be a residential network, not a mobile network. So make sure you buy a good router and modem.
Note: Mobile device users must connect to their home Internet network at least once every 30 days to use Hulu with Live TV.
To set or update your home location, you can sign in to a living room device that supports Hulu with Live TV while it's connected to your network. You can also visit Hulu.com and select Set or Change Home on your account page.
You can create up to six profiles on Hulu with a single account. These profiles personalize the TV experience by tracking viewing history to make recommendations. You can also create profiles for your children so only family-friendly content can be accessed.
To set up or change profiles, sign in to your Hulu account online. From there, click on Profiles from the main account page.
Hulu with Live TV doesn't offer as many channels as other services. Nonetheless, it's a great option for those new to OTT services and current Hulu users. It's a great way to cut the cord once and for all.
Before you make a choice, be sure to shop around and see the price of similar services before you cut the cord for good consideration. Considering canceling the cable? The true cost of cutting the cord considering canceling the cord? The True Cost of Cutting Cord When you add everything up, do you really save money by cutting cord? We do the necessary calculations to cancel the cable in favor of Internet services. Read more.
