Hulu Reaches 43.8 Million Subscribers in Q4 2021, Including 4 Million with Hulu + Live TV
Disney reported that Hulu now has 43.8 million subscribers, including 4 million with Hulu + Live TV, as of Q4 2021 (October 2, 2021). That number is up 20% over last year, when it had 36.6 million subscribers.
Hulu Live TV and YouTube are both leading the pack amongst Live TV Streaming Services with 4 million subscribers, but Hulu has declined 2% from the year prior when it had 4.1 million subscribers. In comparison, Sling TV has 2.5 million, fuboTV has 1 million, while Philo has 800K.
In August, Hulu with Live TV rolled out NFL Network to their channel line-up late last month, and the channel is now included as part of the $64.99 a month base plan. NFL RedZone was added as part of a brand-new $9.99 Sports Add-On.
As the competition continues to heat up in the streaming wars front, Hulu’s churn rate has doubled and they have yet to find enough loyal viewers who will stay for its original content. They are also losing contracts such as the one with Discovery and its TLC programming which only makes the recent $1 price hike hurt that much more for its subscribers.
On the SVOD side, they are nearing the subscription base on HBO Max, which has 45.2 million domestic subscribers. Despite the cheaper price point, earn more than HBO Max averaging $12.75 a month, since they most subscribers are on their ad-supported plan. They are still behind Netflix which has ~74 million subscribers in North America.
Another reason for potential downfall is having to meet the expectations of Disney’s own streaming platform, Disney+. Although Hulu has a lot more diverse categories and content, the only thing they really can rely on is non-exclusive, licensed content like Fox and FX properties such as “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” along with other popular shows like “Modern Family,” “Rick & Morty,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Will & Grace.” This also includes Vice's 130+ hours of content with 50 more just recently added in July.
Hulu Originals has been a slow burner with titles “Handmaids Tale,” “Nine Perfect Strangers,” “Only Murders in the Building,” and “Reservation Dogs” receiving some success. But, they don’t compare to Disney+ and its huge fan following of “Loki,” “Wandavision,” “The Mandalorian,” and “Falcon and The Winter Soldier.”
While this is a better selection for its “Original Shows” tab, Hulu will have to step it up even more if they want to continue the race with Netflix and HBO Max.