Current Events > Does anybody use Hulu + Live TV?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The channels it provides, plus Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+, all for $77, seems like a steal compared to regular cable prices, if you're somebody who still wants the traditional "cable" experience. Is there a catch, of some kind?

It's the best non-traditional cable service but it might not be worth it depending on how much you watch regular television shows that aren't also on existing platforms. What are some shows/channels you regularly watch live?

CRON posted...

It's the best non-traditional cable service but it might not be worth it depending on how much you watch regular television shows that aren't also on existing platforms. What are some shows/channels you regularly watch live?

I'm mostly asking for my parents. Between the two of them, they love to watch stuff on History, Motor Trend, Bravo, SyFy, some of the news channels, and things like that. I know these channels also have their own streaming apps, but they appear to gate things behind some kind of cable/whatever log-in, so it appears they couldn't really just watch said stuff without having the actual channel. I noticed Hulu + Live TV has all of these channels, and then they do like to watch some stuff on streaming that appears on things like Hulu and Disney, so it kinda felt like a slam dunk to me. I just was curious if there was something I should know before I suggest it to them, because Cox tried to raise their cable bill to $200 this month.

They'd probably like Hulu with Live TV then. It's just a standard basic cable package but streamed through the app and has its own channel guide UI like a cable box. There's also some premium channel add-ons they can optionally get, and if they like streaming platforms they could get the Disney bundle which gives them Hulu and ESPN but with ads.

If your parents like older TV shows you could always show them Pluto TV which is basically Paramount Plus's library but 100% free on a streaming app that functions like a cable guide.

CRON posted...

They'd probably like Hulu with Live TV then. It's just a standard basic cable package but streamed through the app and has its own channel guide UI like a cable box. There's also some premium channel add-ons they can optionally get, and if they like streaming platforms they could get the Disney bundle which gives them Hulu and ESPN but with ads.

If your parents like older TV shows you could always show them Pluto TV which is basically Paramount Plus's library but 100% free on a streaming app that functions like a cable guide.

Thanks for the info! It feels like the "basic" package (which includes the regular Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ with ads) would suit their needs. They've somewhat embraced streaming, but they still sometimes like to just throw on a channel they like, such as History, Bravo, MotorTrend, etc., so they don't want to completely abandon the cable-style. Honestly, Cox tried to raise their bill to $200 this month for barely more channels than Hulu offers, which I think is insane, so I was hoping to find an alternative for them, and this sounds like it.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I looked at Youtube, and it's very similar for about $5 cheaper, but it lacks the Hulu/Disney/ESPN package, which they don't necessarily need, but it did lack one big channel they love, which is History. There are very few channels that differ between Youtube and Hulu, but History was one, so that crossed Youtube off the list almost immediately.

StealThisSheen posted...

Thanks for the info! It feels like the "basic" package (which includes the regular Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+ with ads) would suit their needs. They've somewhat embraced streaming, but they still sometimes like to just throw on a channel they like, such as History, Bravo, MotorTrend, etc., so they don't want to completely abandon the cable-style. Honestly, Cox tried to raise their bill to $200 this month for barely more channels than Hulu offers, so I was hoping to find an alternative for them, and this sounds like it.

Hope it works out for them. Depending on their budget, maybe look into something like Max as well. It doesn't have live streaming outside of sports and news but it does have the entire catalogue of channels like Discovery, ID, Food Network, HGTV, ID, MotorTrend, TLC, Travel Channel and Turner Classic Movies.

Holy crap if $77 is a steal, then what does cable charge?

Revisited posted...

Holy crap if $77 is a steal, then what does cable charge?

200

To the op, what about sports. Like REAL sports like football. Im watching the UFL right now on fox. Does Hulu actually have live sports? (Live nfl / ufl football)

Revisited posted...

Holy crap if $77 is a steal, then what does cable charge?

A hell of a lot more than $77, I can tell you that, unfortunately.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Yeah, my parents love stuff like Pawn Stars, Swamp People, and so on, so they've gotta have History.

If I didn't like sports so much, I'd be like you, where I generally just watch basic cable stuff and then like, TNT/TBS and USA for wrestling.

StealThisSheen posted...

The channels it provides, plus Hulu/Disney+/ESPN+, all for $77, seems like a steal compared to regular cable prices, if you're somebody who still wants the traditional "cable" experience. Is there a catch, of some kind?

Only for the first few months then they jack up the prices a lot. I had it when Disney+ was brand new and it wasn't included with Hulu TV. It was something like $70 a month and after three or four months they jacked it up to damn near $100 per month. I said f*** that.

DirkDiggles posted...

Only for the first few months then they jack up the prices a lot. I had it when Disney+ was brand new and it wasn't included with Hulu TV. It was something like $70 a month and after three or four months they jacked it up to damn near $100 per month. I said f*** that.

To be fair, it has room to jack up quite a bit before it hits the level of their current bill with Cox. $200 for 150 channels, when about 75 of which are niche channels nobody watches, is insane. The current offer appears to be $76.99 for Hulu TV and Hulu (ads), Disney+ (ads), and ESPN+, so that seems like a miracle in comparison.

My mom has it and likes it. Wouldn't be worth it for me though. I think it's mostly for old people that like linear tv.

I think it really comes down to what the cable company offers for packages of cable and internet, vs just having either one alone. On Comast I have both cable and internet for like $170 a month after taxes and everything. I recently asked what it would cost me if I just kept internet and got rid of cable. I was told it was like $110 a month. Granted I could probably go down to a slower speed for internet, but they really seem to price it so you don't get rid of cable and stick with a package deal. I didn't check to see what the cost of just cable was, but I am sure it was over probably $100 or so.
So they definitely try to make it so you package and don't just get internet through them. But if you can find a cheaper internet service than comcast (or whatever cable/internet provider you have) then it seems like it would definitely be worth it to try Hulu plus live tv.

Mesiah21 posted...

I think it really comes down to what the cable company offers for packages of cable and internet, vs just having either one alone. On Comast I have both cable and internet for like $170 a month after taxes and everything. I recently asked what it would cost me if I just kept internet and got rid of cable. I was told it was like $110 a month. Granted I could probably go down to a slower speed for internet, but they really seem to price it so you don't get rid of cable and stick with a package deal. I didn't check to see what the cost of just cable was, but I am sure it was over probably $100 or so.
So they definitely try to make it so you package and don't just get internet through them. But if you can find a cheaper internet service than comcast (or whatever cable/internet provider you have) then it seems like it would definitely be worth it to try Hulu plus live tv.

Yeah, this is fair.

With internet, phone, and TV, Cox is trying to charge them like, $260, total. They already know they can get fiber internet through Optum, in their location, for $50 a month, for the same speed and unlimited data they're getting right now. So if Hulu, for example, can give them a similar TV experience for $77, they're still saving over 100, which means even if they pay like, $30 for phone with Cox, still, they're coming out ahead. That's mainly what I'm trying to help them do.