There are many live TV services out there, and it’s tough to try them all out for yourself. After theYouTube TV price increase, I decided to go out and test the waters and search for greener pastures. My latest stop brings me to Hulu + Live TV, a mouthful of a name that has a lot of positives. However, like all things, there are some aspects of the service I don’t like.
I’ve always been aware that Hulu had a live TV service, but I never paid it much attention. Shortly after signing up, I realized what I was missing, and strangely, there are some real good deals here that I don’t think enough people have shed light on. If YouTube TV has a true rival, I believe it’s Hulu + Live TV. If you want streaming services included with the cost on top of live TV, then it’s a very hard bargain to beat.
Hulu + Live TV
95+ live channels
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Price, availability, and specs
Expensive, but packed with value
As for what the service provides, it’s a lot of what you’d expect at this price. You have over 95 live channels, unlimited DVR, a hardware-free setup, and the ability to watch on your TV, laptop, phone, or tablet – both Android and iOS.
Hulu + Live TV is a bundle that adds live TV to the Hulu service.
What I like about Hulu + Live TV
A well-developed service
If you ask me, Hulu + Live TV is the closest thing YouTube TV has to a true competitor. It comes from a recognizable brand, it’s about the same price, and the quality of the service is good. One of the major things I dinged Fubo for was its quality being lower than YouTube, and I can confirm that’s not the case with Hulu. Some channels still struggle with quality, such as the CW, but I suspect that’s more of an issue with the individual channel than the service.
As for the channels, there’s nothing missing that I’m broken up about. Fubodoesn’t have accessto the Turner networks like TNT or TBS, but that’s not a problem with Hulu. YouTube TV and Hulu have largely the same lineup, so there aren’t a lot of surprises here.
I touched on it earlier, but one of the biggest bonuses Hulu + Live TV offers over its competition is access to Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ at barely any additional cost. If you’re somebody who likes to have all the streaming services, you can save a lot of money by moving over to Hulu + Live TV and bundling the services together. With rising costs being a problem across all of streaming, it’s hard to beat value like this when it comes around. On top of this, you get unlimited DVR space, so there’s no need to worry about missing out on your favorite shows.
If you share Hulu + Live TV with somebody else, you can add another profile to ensure your DVR doesn’t fill up unnecessary space. The same goes for anything you add to the My Stuff page. Not everybody likes to dig through a bunch of recordings they aren’t interested in just to find the show they want to watch.
I might never go back to YouTube TV after trying out Fubo
I tested Fubo TV for a month, and I might have a new favorite service.
What I don’t like about Hulu + Live TV
Nothing’s perfect
While I appreciate having the Live TV service baked into the Hulu app, that doesn’t mean the UI is as fleshed out as it could be. For example, hitting the Live button brings me into a channel where I then have to hit an extra button to bring up the guide. It’s small things such as this that become tedious over time, and it has me wondering if a standalone app is the solution here. The UI does leave a lot to be desired, but it largely works as long as you set your favorite channels so you can cut down on the scrolling.
Using the service on a desktop is simple enough as the guide pops right up and lets you scroll through while watching a channel if you’d like. It’s something I appreciate for something I want on my second monitor. The app is also fine on my Android, so it’s only on my Apple TV 4K where I run into some of my annoyances. However, the majority of my TV time is spent in the living room on my Apple TV, so it’s a shame that it’s the worst experience. There’s also a rebuffering that tends to take place at the end of a show that causes a slight delay. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s noticeable when it happens.
Luckily, the UI is pretty much the only notable downside I can think of. The channels are here, the services are here, and everything works right away after signing up for a subscription. Although you have to bump up your monthly fee to $96 for ad-free Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+, it still beats paying for all three separately.
The projector with Dolby Audio that turned my living room into a theater
If you’ve got some extra dough to drop on a high-quality projector that doesn’t compromise on sound, this is your pick.
I think it’s a great choice
Anybody looking for a live TV service will find a lot to like about Hulu’s offering. Sure, the UI could be better, but once you get past that, there’s a fully developed app here that brings a lot to the table. When you couple that with the apps you get for the same price as YouTube TV, there’s a lot to love.
What it’ll come down to for a lot of people is the user experience. I believeYouTube TVand Fubo both edge Hulu out in that area. Hulu + Live TV has just a tad too many button clicks for me to give it the win there, but I think that’s the only notable downside. If you’re looking for a live TV service, and you’re fine with hitting some extra buttons to get to your guide, then this is as good of an app as any.
