Hulu Live TV Review: Hulu Live TV cost, channels, DVR, and More

When Hulu first launched, it purely concentrated on competing with Netflix. As such, Hulu’s initial incarnation focused on delivering on-demand content, with streamable movies and TV shows. But with a wealth of cord cutters abandoning traditional cable and satellite contracts, Hulu + Live TV launched. Including both the Hulu on-demand streaming service and its live TV cable replacement component, Hulu with Live TV boasts a phenomenal value.

What is Hulu + Live TV?

At a mere $45 USD monthly, Hulu with Live TV’s cost certainly justifies itself. It’s worth signing up for Hulu’s base on-demand streaming service purely for exclusives such as “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Tack on live TV with a functional DVR, concurrent streaming options, and a lush user interface (UI), Hulu + Live TV stands as a top pick among cable replacement over-the-top (OTT) streaming bundles.

Hulu + Live TV Channels

Like most OTT cable alternatives, Hulu with Live TV channel lineups vary somewhat by location. In my region, the Raleigh-Durham North Carolina area, Hulu with Live TV local channels include ABC and Fox. There’s no access to CBS or NBC. While it may be inconvenient, pairing an over-the-air (OTA) antenna with Hulu + Live TV solves this problem. For streaming CBS, there’s Watch CBS. And since Hulu with Live TV includes access to Hulu on-demand streaming, many NBC shows such as “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Blindspot.” Currently, syndicated shows appear the next day, but this doesn’t help for sports, news, and live event coverage.

Aside from local channels, you’ll find the likes of A&E, Bravo, Discovery Channel, Food Network, FX and its affiliates FXX and FXM, National Geographic, Syfy, TBS, TCM, History Channel TNT, TLC, TruTV, USA, Viceland, Cartoon Network, Disney, Disney Junior, Disney XD, CNN, and a handful of others. Notably absent are several popular stations such as the Hallmark Channel, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central.

Sports Streaming on Hulu with Live TV

Although streaming movies and TV shows isn’t typically much of an issue with an on-demand streaming service, sports streaming is notoriously difficult sans a cable replacement package. For sports streaming, Hulu + Live TV delivers. You’ll find a slew of sports channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded BTN, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, ESPN SEC, ESPN College Extra, NBC Golf, and the Olympic Channel. Absent are several professional sports-centric channels such as NFL Network and NBA TV.

Streaming sports on Hulu with Live TV (may vary by region):

• BTN
• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN
• ESPN Bases Loaded
• ESPN College Extra
• ESPN Goal Line
• ESPN2
• ESPNews
• ESPNU
• Fox Sports South
• FS1
• FS1
• FOx Carolinas
• NBC Golf
• NBCSN
• Olympic Channel
• SEC Network
• ACC Network

Premium Channels and Add-ons with Hulu + Live TV

Aside from the base channel lineup, Hulu + Live TV offers several premium channels and entertainment add-on packages. HBO is available for an extra $15 a month. You can stream Showtime bundled with Hulu Live TV for an extra $11. Cinemax comes at $10 monthly, and Starz is a reasonable $9 additional a month. You won’t find the likes of Epix however. An entertainment package grants access to CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Discovery Life Channel DIY Network, FYI AHC, Lifetime Movies, SCI, and Destination America. Then the Español add-on package provides several Spanish-language programming channels such as History, Discovery, CNN, Familia Discovery, ESPN Deportes, and NBC Universo.

Hulu with Live TV premium channels and add-ons:

• HBO: $15/month
• Showtime: $11/month
• Cinemax: $10/month
• Starz: $9/month
• Entertainment add-on: $8/month
• Espanol add-on: $5/month

Hulu with Live TV DVR

Just like a traditional cable package, there’s a Hulu + Live TV DVR. However, it’s a bit complicated. Whereas the $45 a month plan touts a 50-hour DVR with saves shows never expiring, you can’t skip commercials. That’s a major downside, and one which commands a $15 upgrade get around. Of course, your $15 extra to fast forward through commercials also adds 200 hours of storage, but it significantly raises the price.

Moreover, the on-demand Hulu streaming service bundled in Hulu + Live TV similarly won’t allow you to skip commercials. Instead, you’ll need to shell out another $6 for that privilege. Costs, evidently, can add up quickly. If you want to skip ads on both its on-demand and live TV components, you’ll need to tack on ad-skip as well as the enhanced cloud with ad-skip for Hulu Live TV. So Hulu with limited adds clocks in at $5.99, while Hulu no ads retails for $11.99 monthly. Hulu + Live TV retails for $44.99, and it’s $50.99 for Hulu no ads + Live TV. Then, you can snag an enhanced cloud DVR with 200 hours of recording space for $10. Alternatively, $10 a month extra gains access to unlimited screens. You’re better off bundling them with a $15 monthly add-on which combines an enhanced cloud DVR with unlimited screens.

Hulu + Live TV is still a fantastic option, and one of my favorite cable replacement OTT streaming services. But for Hulu no ads with Live TV, unlimited screens, and an enhanced cloud DVR, you’re paying $66. Without the unlimited screens add-on you’re limited to two simultaneous streams. The unlimited screens option unlocks unlimited in-home streaming, and three out of network streams. Thus, it’s not quite truly unlimited. Moreover, you can’t stream via set-top boxes like Amazon Fire TV devices or Rokus out of your home. Instead, you’re stuck streaming on Android and iOS devices, or PCs.

Hulu + Live TV User Interface and Everyday Use

Whereas alternatives such as YouTube TV features a pretty simple user interface (UI), Hulu opts for a rather bold design. If you’ve used Hulu’s on-demand streaming service before, you’ll notice a familiar design. Live TV adds My Stuff (DVR) as well as Live TV. Home, Browse, Search, and Profile transfer from the on-demand iteration. The channel guide is polished and mimics the aesthetic of a standard cable or satellite channel guide. Selecting the Live TV tab automatically displays All. But you can sort by various categories such as Sports, News, Movies, and Kids. Additionally, a pair of arrows let you flip around to see future airings.

Selecting a particular live TV program provides options to watch now, record, start from the beginning, and go to the details page. Only certain movies and TV shows feature the ability to start from the beginning. Picture quality is top-notch. I streamed Hulu + Live TV on my Windows 10 PC, Nvidia Shield TV Android TV box, plus my Samsung Galaxy S9+ handset.

While I appreciate the seamless navigation between Hulu’s on-demand service and its Live TV streaming, a way to truly browse one or the other isn’t really an option. For instance, tabbing over to Browse and perusing a category such as Movies presents not only on-demand movies available via Hulu’s standalone SVOD service, but live and upcoming movies as well. Some users may prefer this functionality, but I felt it cluttered the experience a bit. Still, I found Hulu with Live TV an overall polished, streamlined, high-quality service.

Hulu Live TV Device Support: What Streaming Devices Support Hulu with Live TV?

Device support for Hulu + Live TV is pleasantly wide-ranging. You can stream Hulu Live TV on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, iOS, Google Chromecast, Android, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android TV, and smart TVs from Vizio, Samsung, and LG. Nintendo Switch sets Hulu with Live TV apart since no other cable replacement streaming services support the Nintendo Switch. Disappointingly, there’s no PlayStation support. Yet, it’s easy and affordable enough for PlayStation users to pick up a Roku Stick or Fire TV device for Hulu Live TV streaming. The best streaming devices for Hulu + Live TV are the Nvidia Shield TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Roku Ultra, Amazon Fire TV Cube, Apple TV, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.

Hulu Live TV compatible devices:

• Android
• Android TV
• Apple TV
• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One
• Nintendo Switch
• Chromecast
• iOS
• In-browser streaming (PC, macOS, Linux)

Is Hulu + Live TV Good – Should You Use Hulu with Live TV?

With a beefy channel lineup, DVR with recordings saved indefinitely, and Hulu’s streaming video-on-demand service included in the price, Hulu with Live TV offers a truly phenomenal value. There’s excellent device compatibility, a slick interface that’s easy to navigate, and fantastic audio/video quality.

Unfortunately, Hulu + Live TV’s DVR limitations at the base price really hamper functionality. Instead, you’ll want to snag the enhanced cloud DVR and unlimited screens bundle for $15. Similarly, you might consider snagging the no-ads package to eliminate ads for its on-demand streaming service. At that point, the reasonable $45 monthly Hulu Live TV cost skyrockets to $66. Nevertheless, this is likely less than you’d pay for a traditional cable package. Ultimately, certain restrictions such as its crippled standard DVR, the inclusion of ads, and out-of-home streaming limitations prove mildly annoying, though by no means deal-breakers. It’s one of the best cable replacement streaming services on the market, and ranks up there with YouTube TV as a top choice for cord cutters.

Hulu with Live TV channel list:

• A&E
• ABC
• Animal Planet
• Big Ten Network
• Boomerang
• Bravo
• Cartoon Network/Adult Swim
• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• Cheddar
• CNBC
• CNN
• CNN International
• CW
• Discovery
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• E!
• ESPN
• ESPN College Extra
• ESPN-SEC Network
• ESPN2
• ESPNEWS
• ESPNU
• Food Network
• Fox
• Fox Business
• Fox News
• Fox Sports regionals
• Freeform
• FS1
• FS2
• FX
• FXM
• FXX
• Golf Channel
• HGTV
• History
• HLN
• Investigation Discovery
• Lifetime
• MotorTrend
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo Wild
• National Geographic
• NBC
• NBC Sports Regionals
• NBCSN
• NECN
• Olympic Channel
• Oxygen Network
• POP
• Smithsonian Channel
• SNY
• Syfy
• TBS
• Telemundo
• TLC
• TNT
• Travel Channel
• TruTV
• Turner Classic Movies
• Universal Kids
• USA Network
• Viceland

Entertainment channels add-on ($8 per month):

• CNBC World
• Cooking Channel
• DIY Network
• FYI
• Lifetime Movie Network

Premium channels:

• Starz ($9 per month)
• Cinemax ($10 per month)
• Showtime ($11 per month)
• HBO ($15 per month)