Ready to ditch your cable box, but want to hang onto linear programming? You should take a look at Hulu Plus Live TV. Here’s everything you should know.
If you want to cut the cable but you aren’t ready to let go entirely, one of the best live TV streaming services out there is Hulu Plus Live TV. Billed as a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD), Hulu Plus Live TV (also referred to as Hulu With Live TV) provides many of the features you’ve come to expect from your cable package. Along with live TV, you get access to Hulu’s streaming library which includes thousands of hours of video including existing favorites, alongside original programming like The Bear and The Handmaiden’s Tale. Since Hulu is owned by Disney, you can even bundle Hulu Plus Live TV with Disney Plus and ESPN+ for even more content.
There’s plenty to learn about Hulu Plus Live TV, and we’ve compiled all the most salient information into this helpful explainer. And do be sure to check back often, as Hulu With Live TV pricing and capabilities have been known to change in the blink of an eye.
Hulu Plus Live TV prices and plans
As of this writing, Hulu Plus Live TV’s 90-plus channel base plan costs $77 a month, and includes Hulu (with ads) + Live TV, and actually comes with a couple of pretty huge incentives — ESPN+ (with ads) and Disney+ (with ads). However, be mindful that Hulu is raising prices in October 2024.
Your Hulu Plus Live TV subscription also comes with unlimited recording. That matches what’s available on YouTube TV with 100 channels and which costs $73 per month.
There are channel add-ons available, too, so you’re able to watch more from within the Hulu app itself. They include:
Max (with ads) at $10 per month
Max (no ads) at $17 per month
Paramount+ with Showtime at $13 a month
Cinemax at $10 a month
Starz at $10 a month
There’s also a trio of “network add-ons” that add even more channels to your Hulu With Live TV experience. Here’s how they break down:
Unlimited Screens ($10 a month): You are able to watch two screens at the same time on the base plan, but this upgrade allows you to watch on as many devices as you want on your home network and up to three at once while you’re on the road (with the exception of five devices at once at home for the four add-ons below).
Sports Add-on ($10 a month): You’ll get NFL RedZone, MAV TV, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, FanDuel Racing, FanDuel TV, Strike Zone, and the Tennis Channel.
Entertainment Add-on ($8 a month): American Heroes Channel, BET Her, Boomerang Channel, CNBC World, Cooking Chanel, Crime + Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Hallmark Drama, Nicktoons, Great American Country, Military History, Science, TennNick, MTV Classic, and MTV2.
Español Add-on ($5 a month): CNN Español, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, Fox Deportes, Hogar de HGTV, NBC Universo, The Weather Channel en Español, and History en Español.