Hulu Plus Live TV: Our Honest Review

Pros

• Solid mix of channels
• Fun to use
• Hulu's on-demand, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus included
• Unlimited DVR

Cons

• YouTube TV has a stronger live channel selection

For $10 a month, a basic Hulu on-demand subscription is a competitive streaming deal. It offers an extensive collection of both current and past TV shows and movies. But if you're craving even more content, Hulu Plus Live TV is the way to go. You get a healthy mix of live sports, news and local channels, plus Hulu's secret weapons: the ad-supported Disney bundle and an unlimited DVR. It's also eight times the price of the basic subscription at $83. That combination of live channels with Hulu and Disney and a deep on-demand catalog, however, is something no other live TV streaming service offers.

Prices in live TV streaming change constantly, and Hulu competitor YouTube TV made one of its biggest jumps in years in 2023 to $73. The main advantage YouTube TV maintains over Hulu is a better live channel selection, but Hulu is supplemented by Disney and DVR upgrades. If you're looking for value, and especially if you already subscribe to Disney Plus, switching to Hulu Plus Live TV brings a wealth of content for one price.

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What do you get?

Hulu Plus Live TV expands upon the on-demand service with more than 90 live channels and throws in both a cloud DVR and program guide. Live TV is available via Hulu's standard app on all the major platforms, including computer browsers, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku and smart TV systems. 

Channels: Hulu's channel count is solid but has a handful fewer major cable channels than YouTube TV. The service is missing popular channels AMC and BBC America, which every one of Hulu's competitors offers -- except Fubo. It now carries PBS stations which are available on YouTube TV. As a counterpoint to this, Hulu does offer the History Channel, MLB TV, Lifetime and A&E, none of which are on YouTube TV. However, the basic Hulu Plus Live TV package also includes ad-supported Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, which -- with the already-included Hulu -- is a $15 value on its own. If you want to skip the Disney Bundle, you can opt for the $82 plan or pay more to get the ad-free Disney Bundle included at $96 per month.

Read more: A Guide to Streaming Your Favorite Live TV Channels Without Cable

Sports: Just like YouTube TV, Hulu has dropped many regional sports networks, so if you want MLB regular season games, your best bet is DirecTV Stream's $109 plan. The same goes for the NHL and NBA during those sports' regular seasons. If you're a football fan, though, the included NFL Network is a sweetener. For further channel inclusions, check the lineup at the end of this article, or our baseball guide below, to see if the Hulu Plus Live TV's mix is right for you.

Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service of 2024

What it's like to use

Hulu has been tweaking its live TV interface ever since it launched, and the most recent changes have been the best. A large marquee and "cover" art features on the Home page, and shows are now arranged in a traditional grid according to type. Across most streaming devices, the sidebar of the Hulu interface has a simplified selection featuring Home, Live, TV, My Stuff (favorites and DVR recordings), TV, Movies, Sports and Hubs, which are essentially channels broken up by genre -- sports, movies and so on. You also have the ability to click on submenus for live programming that includes sports, news, kids and your favorite channels. In terms of user-friendliness, Hulu Plus Live TV is now in line with its biggest competitor, YouTube TV, but even more lovely to the eye. 

Hulu's live programming guide is a traditional grid with guide data up to 14 days out. Scrolling through these pages is zippy, especially on an Apple TV. In comparison, YouTube TV's guide has undergone some recent improvements on streaming boxes, which means it's not only faster but now displays nine days in advance (up from a paltry 8 hours). However, the web version of YouTube TV is still painfully slow to navigate.

Also, there's a difference between the "My Stuff" and "record" options when you bring up an individual program's page. My Stuff is similar to the My List function on other streaming services -- adding a program bookmarks it -- while Record actually can record instances of it to your DVR (either one-offs or whole seasons). You can fast-forward and rewind ads on recorded material but not on shows from the catalog, such as your My Stuff tags.

Getting recordings onto your DVR does involve a bit of a trick, though. You can't simply press "record" while watching a live program. Instead, you need to exit the guide, click on the program to access its page and then select the option to record. On phones, you can either select record on the program page or click on the title from the channel guide and hit record when the pop-up box appears (see below). Hulu also offers time-shift capabilities on live programs, including pause, rewind and fast-forward (though no ad-skipping is available). 

N.B. When setting up a new Hulu Plus Live TV account, be sure to check the option at the bottom that says, "I'd like to pause, rewind and fast-forward Live TV, so I want Hulu to create temporary recordings." I have yet to get confirmation from Hulu, but it's unclear if you can do time-shifting if this box isn't checked.

Should you get it?

If Hulu Plus Live TV's channels meet your needs and you subscribe to the services in the bundle already, Hulu Plus Live TV is a perfect fit. Its biggest trump card is its tight integration with the Hulu service (as well as Disney Plus and ESPN Plus). The interface is now a dressing on what was already a lovely window, especially with the zippy 14-day guide. It's has the priciest basic package of all the live TV streaming platforms, but the added perk of the Disney Bundle may make it a good fit for your viewing needs.

That said, YouTube TV offers a more robust, cable-like service for $10 less. And if you don't need as many channels or streaming local network affiliates (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox), Sling TV Blue offers a much cheaper rate at $40-$45 a month, depending on your region.

Channel comparison

Below you'll find a chart that's a smaller version of this massive channel comparison. It contains the top 100 channels from select services. Some notes:

• Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier.
  
• No = The channel isn't available at all on that service. 
  
• $ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on. 
  
• Not every channel a service carries is listed, just the "top 100" as determined by CNET's editors. Minor channels such as AXS TV, CNBC World, Discovery Life, GSN, POP and Universal Kids didn't make the cut.
• Regional sports networks -- channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams -- are not listed.