It’s been a big year for Live TV Streaming Services. We’ve seen them add hundreds of local channels, expand their DVRs, add new channels, stream in 4K and unfortunately, in some cases raise prices.
We’re still in a better place now then we were when the clock struck midnight to kickoff 2015 — when the only option was a big fat content bundle from your cable or satellite provider. In 2018, the services found themselves trying to figure out how to be great for the customer, while being profitable businesses. They are losing money every month, hoping to build a sizable subscriber base and make it up with addressable advertising.
We took a pulse of where each of the 7 Live TV Streaming Services stand today, and what their 2019 New Year’s resolution should be. Over the next week, we’ll take a look at AT&T TV NOW, Fubo, PlayStation Vue, Philo, YouTube TV, Sling TV, but today we’ll start with Hulu Live TV.
Hulu Live TV Year-In-Review
While YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV NOW, and fuboTV raised prices this year — Hulu Live TV did not.
The company has been able to maintain their $40 price, while adding channels from Discovery, surpassing over 750 of local channels, updating their interface including a grid guide, and expanding 60 fps support across most channels & devices.
They also introduced new Entertainment and Espanol add-ons which give them flexibility to add channels, while maintaining price. The service has hinted that they’ve surpassed 1 million subscribers and continue to see strong growth. There has been some discussion that Hulu may try to shift some of their live channels, to on demand to save on technology costs — but that may not happen in 2019.
While the interface is dramatically better than it first was — thanks to their Live Guide introduced in May — it still often feels like Live TV is an afterthought.
Hulu with Live TV’s 2019 New Year’s Resolution
Our resolutions for Hulu are to continue to improve their interface and include skippable commercials on the DVR.
We would love for them to introduce a Live TV mode for people who primarily use Hulu for Live TV. We’d like the app to open directly to the Live Guide and the interface to be rearranged. Instead - your home screen would show multiple rows of featured content, recorded shows, favorites, and popular live shows. Right now, you’re generally stuck with a single piece of featured content and it always feels a few clicks away to get to live content.
The biggest negative to Hulu’s DVR is that that it costs $15 a month to skip commercials. While the upgrade also expands the DVR from 50 to 200 hours, it’s way too expensive for a feature that everyone else includes for free. They should make the upgrade about additional storage and consider updating pricing — maybe $5 a month for 100 hours and $10 for 200 hours.
Want to Learn More About Live TV Streaming Services?
- You can read our comprehensive Hulu Live TV review which highlights channels, features, performance, and supported devices, and more.
- You can read comparison of 7 different cord-cutting services including DIRECTV NOW, PlayStation Vue, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.
- If you need a recommendation, use Channel Finder to add your favorite channels, shows, and sports teams and we’ll tell you the best service for you.