Hulu & Hulu Live TV Plans & Pricing [Updated This Month]

Some of us love the idea of surfing TV channels mindlessly and watching content as they’re being aired while a few others just love bringing on previously aired shows or have a wide selection of movies for a late-night movie marathon. The latter was introduced in the market before the former with the aim to attract people, especially young millennials to watch quality content irrespective of time, place, or device.

Soon, Live TV was launched and served as a recovery drug for those who were suffering from cable TV withdrawals. Furthermore, it appealed to baby boomers who were finding it hard to let go of traditional TV viewing systems. In 2016, Hulu finally announced its Live TV service and launched it earlier this month in a beta version. Its Live TV feature has plenty in store but we’ll come to that in just a bit. First, let’s take a quick glance at the different plans now available on Hulu:

Hulu Live TV & Hulu Plans

Hulu Live TV and Hulu are both separate services offered by Hulu. Earlier Hulu used to be free for a limited set of content but as the market evolved, Hulu completely shut its free service and now running several paid plans.

Hulu Basic Plan And Cost

Hulu’s VOD part of the business has two pricing tiers. Both plans have the same content but differ in the way they are presented.

1. Limited Commercials

Priced at just $5.99 a month, you can get access to all of Hulu’s on-demand shows and popular movies. However, these might be interrupted with short 10-second ads which can be quite the peeve. If you’re on a strict budget, this plan would be good enough for you to still get to enjoy all the premium content.

2. No Commercials

Priced at $11.99 per month, Hulu’s no commercial plan offers just that – content sans the annoying ads. If ads in the middle of your movie/TV show watching experience are too bothersome for you, upgrading to this plan is totally worth it.

Both these plans officially allow simultaneous streaming on only one device but in our experience, there was no trouble streaming on two devices at a time. Note that the content available under these plans includes on-demand TV series and movies which have already been aired before. They have forged ties with more than 200 networks. You can check the complete network we have curated.

Hulu’s Live TV Plan & Pricing Details

The latest feature on Hulu’s platform, Live TV comes with two pricing tiers. At $53.99 a month, you’ll be able to watch Live TV just like you did use Cable TV. Here’s how Hulu Live TV plans look like:

1. Hulu with Live TV

At $54.99, you get hands-on Hulu Live TV with Hulu Plus. Start your one-week free trial and start watching the Hulu library and live TV. With 50+ live channels and on-demand channels.

• Over 50 TV live as well as on-demand TV channels.
• A 7-day free trial period.
• 50 Hours of Cloud DVR
• The option of adding features like SHOWTIME at an additional charge of $8.99/month, multiple screens at an additional cost of $9.99/month, enhanced DVR for extra storage at $9.99/month, and a combo plan of enhanced DVR plus multiple screens at $14.99 per month.
• You also get free, unlimited access to Hulu on-demand content.

2. Live TV Only

At $53.99 one can access Hulu Live TV. One should know that this plan doesn’t include the access to Hulu Plus catalog. You get only Live TV channels. Unlike the $54.99 Plan, no free trials are available. All other features remain the same.

With Hulu Basic Plan

You get access to on-demand TV shows including The Handmaid’s Tale, Family Guy, Seinfeld, Rick and Morty, South Park, Pretty Little Liars, and Casual. You can also enjoy hit movies titles like Cloverfield, Interstellar, the Hurt Locker and much more content

With Hulu Live TV ($54.99 Plan)

You can live stream across 65+ channels including ABC, CBS, FOX, CNBC, CNN, Disney, National Geographic, A&E, and Cartoon Network. Additionally, you get everything that’s on the Hulu library.

Why is Hulu Live TV Better Than Hulu?

The most obvious reason is that the Live TV feature enables subscribers to watch TV across a huge range of channels in sync with the official airtime. Most people who’ve already subscribed to a VOD service are also usually subscribed to a supplementary service such as Cable/Satellite TV that offers a live TV. However, that option may be quite convoluted as you don’t get everything under one umbrella.

As mentioned earlier, with Hulu Live TV, you get access to both, on-demand content (including Hulu originals) as well as live streaming at a bargain. Hulu’s live TV feature gives access to a big channel.

Moreover, you also get to stream on multiple screens simultaneously albeit at an extra cost. On the other hand, Hulu Plus lets you stream only one screen at once. You can even record, pause, and rewind with Hulu’s DVR feature which is only available with the Live TV plan.

The Bottom Line

 We’ll be honest. If you add all the additional features such as multiple screens, SHOWTIME, and enhanced DVR to your Live TV base package, the total cost comes up to almost $70 a month, which is almost as much as a cable TV package. Yet, it would still be worth it because you’re getting a lot for what you pay, unlike cable TV.

If you stick with the Live TV base plan, it’s the perfect deal because you still get to enjoy the popular Hulu originals as well as live TV streaming while saving significant sums of money per month. However, if channel surfing or live streaming isn’t that important or useful to you, you can continue with Hulu Plus services.