Watch this: Live TV streaming services for cord cutters: How to choose the best one for you
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The biggest difference comes down to channels. Comparing the total channel counts from our big list of the top 100 channels on every service, YouTube TV comes out on top with 78 from that list, closely followed by Hulu with 75. That total doesn't include every channel the services carry, just the ones in the top 100 as determined by the editors at CNET, but it still provides a good indication.
The two share most major national channels including Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, ESPN, Fox News, NFL, TBS, USA Network, PBS and more, but there are a few differences.
Here's a condensed version of that list showing the 12 of those 100 channels carried by one and not the other.
Channel | YouTube TV | Hulu Plus Live TV |
---|---|---|
A&E | No | Yes |
AMC | Yes | No |
BBC America | Yes | No |
BBC World News | Yes | No |
History | No | Yes |
IFC | Yes | No |
Lifetime | No | Yes |
NBA TV | Yes | No |
Sundance TV | Yes | No |
Tastemade | Yes | No |
Vice | No | Yes |
WE tv | Yes | No |
Both services offer all four of the major local channels -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC -- in most areas of the country, and both also carry local affiliates from The CW and MyTV. Both services also carry a number of local PBS stations.
Neither service offers many regional sports networks after both YouTube TV and Hulu dropped them in 2020. Beyond RSNs, however, YouTube TV has an advantage in national sports networks, with NBA TV available as part of its base package. YouTube users can pay another $11 to get the "Sports Plus" add-on that also includes Fox Soccer Plus, NFL RedZone and Tennis Channel. In addition, users also have exclusive access to the NFL Sunday Ticket for an added $449. Meanwhile, Hulu users can sign up for a $10 package which includes NFL RedZone, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, MAVTV Motorsports Network, FanDuel Racing and FanDuel TV.
Premium channels like HBO, Starz and Showtime are also available for extra fees, and Hulu has two optional channel packages. One is an add-on for $8 per month with 16 channels including MTV Classic, CNBC World, the Cooking Channel and Science, and the other is a Spanish-language package with nine channels for $5. YouTube TV doesn't have any other additional channel packages, although you can add individual channels like Shudder and CuriosityStream for additional fees.
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The menus and interfaces on both are quite different from one another and from regular cable, and we like YouTube TV's menus better overall.
YouTube TV: In general the YouTube TV interface is easier to use, and not just for people used to using regular YouTube. If you're using the desktop or app versions, Google's streamer offers a streamlined structure -- even if it's not as pretty as Hulu.
Hulu Plus Live TV: If it was all a matter of which interface is more fun, then Hulu would take it. Hulu's look is brighter, and though it lacks YouTube's comprehensive search, it's still relatively easy to drill down into the kind of content you want to watch.
The difference in the number of simultaneous streams is worth noting, especially for families and other households who watch a lot of TV. YouTube TV lets you stream to three different devices -- say, the living room TV, a bedroom TV and a tablet -- at the same time, while Hulu lets you stream to two. Pay Hulu a hefty $10 extra per month and it will upgrade your number of streams to unlimited. On the other hand, the only real reason to pay for the $20 4K upgrade on YouTube is to also get unlimited streams.
YouTube TV has rightly earned accolades for its excellent cloud DVR but Hulu closed the gap with an upgrade in 2022. Both now have unlimited storage and let you fast-forward through commercials in recorded content, so while we still consider YouTube TV's DVR the gold standard, Hulu's is very good too.
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YouTube TV includes on-demand TV shows and movies from participating networks and shows, much like your cable service, and also offers YouTube Originals commercial-free. But it pales in comparison to Hulu.
As we mentioned above, a Hulu Plus Live TV subscription unlocks all of the on-demand TV shows and movies available on the standard Hulu service, including thousands of episodes of network TV shows, as well as originals like The Bear, The Handmaid's Tale, Only Murders in the Building, Pam & Tommy and the movie Palm Springs. It also includes an ad-supported Disney Plus and ESPN Plus subscription, with their massive on-demand libraries.
Read more: Hulu: The 12 Best TV Shows to Watch Now
Both services represent the peak of what live TV streaming has to offer, and both are better overall than the other two major premium options, FuboTV and DirecTV Stream. Your choice between the two comes down to cost, channel selection, usability and content, and it's pretty close between the two Hulu enables you to integrate a wide channel selection with its exemplary on-demand library which may be worth it for some. In the end though it's all about having access to your favorite channels, so choose the service which gives you the channels you want.
Below you'll find a chart that's a smaller version of this massive channel comparison. It contains the top 100 channels from each service. Some notes:
Read more: Best live TV streaming service for cord-cutters: YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu and more compared
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
---|---|---|
Total channels: | 78 | 75 |
ABC | Yes | Yes |
CBS | Yes | Yes |
Fox | Yes | Yes |
NBC | Yes | Yes |
PBS | Yes | Yes |
CW | Yes | Yes |
MyNetworkTV | Yes | Yes |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
A&E | No | Yes |
ACC Network | Yes | Yes |
Accuweather | No | No |
AMC | Yes | No |
Animal Planet | Yes | Yes |
BBC America | Yes | No |
BBC World News | Yes | No |
BET | Yes | Yes |
Big Ten Network | Yes | Yes |
Bloomberg TV | No | Yes |
Boomerang | No | $ |
Bravo | Yes | Yes |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
Cartoon Network | Yes | Yes |
CBS Sports Network | Yes | Yes |
Cheddar | Yes | Yes |
Cinemax | $ | $ |
CMT | Yes | Yes |
CNBC | Yes | Yes |
CNN | Yes | Yes |
Comedy Central | Yes | Yes |
Cooking Channel | No | $ |
Destination America | No | $ |
Discovery Channel | Yes | Yes |
Disney Channel | Yes | Yes |
Disney Junior | Yes | Yes |
Disney XD | Yes | Yes |
E! | Yes | Yes |
ESPN | Yes | Yes |
ESPN 2 | Yes | Yes |
ESPNEWS | Yes | Yes |
ESPNU | Yes | Yes |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
Food Network | Yes | Yes |
Fox Business | Yes | Yes |
Fox News | Yes | Yes |
FS1 | Yes | Yes |
FS2 | Yes | Yes |
Freeform | Yes | Yes |
FX | Yes | Yes |
FX Movies | Yes | Yes |
FXX | Yes | Yes |
FYI | No | Yes |
Golf Channel | Yes | Yes |
Hallmark | Yes | Yes |
HBO/Max | $ | $ |
HGTV | Yes | Yes |
History | No | Yes |
HLN | Yes | Yes |
IFC | Yes | No |
Investigation Discovery | Yes | Yes |
Lifetime | No | Yes |
Lifetime Movie Network | No | Yes |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
Magnolia Network | Yes | Yes |
MGM+ | $ | No |
MLB Network | No | Yes |
Motor Trend | Yes | Yes |
MSNBC | Yes | Yes |
MTV | Yes | Yes |
MTV2 | Yes | $ |
National Geographic | Yes | Yes |
Nat Geo Wild | Yes | Yes |
NBA TV | Yes | No |
NFL Network | Yes | Yes |
NFL Red Zone | $ | $ |
NHL Network | No | No |
Nickelodeon | Yes | Yes |
Nick Jr. | Yes | Yes |
Nicktoons | Yes | $ |
OWN | Yes | Yes |
Oxygen | Yes | Yes |
Paramount Network | Yes | Yes |
Science | No | $ |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
SEC Network | Yes | Yes |
Showtime | $ | $ |
Smithsonian | Yes | Yes |
Starz | $ | $ |
Sundance TV | Yes | No |
Syfy | Yes | Yes |
Tastemade | Yes | No |
TBS | Yes | Yes |
TCM | Yes | Yes |
TeenNick | Yes | $ |
Telemundo | Yes | Yes |
Tennis Channel | No | No |
TLC | Yes | Yes |
TNT | Yes | Yes |
Travel Channel | Yes | Yes |
TruTV | Yes | Yes |
TV Land | Yes | Yes |
USA Network | Yes | Yes |
VH1 | Yes | Yes |
Vice | No | Yes |
WE tv | Yes | No |
Channel | YouTube TV ($73) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) |
Source: cnet.com