Hulu Adds 300K Subscribers for 45.6M in Q2 2022, Live TV Subscribers Down 200K for 4.1M

In the first three months of 2022, Hulu added 300,000 new subscribers, bringing its total up to 45.6 million as of the end of March. Notably, there was a shift away from Hulu Live TV to the on-demand version of the service. Hulu Live TV lost 200,000 subscribers in the quarter, while Hulu on-demand grew by 500,000. The Live TV package now sits at 4.1 million subscribers; while that total is down since Q4 2021, it is up from the 3.8 million at this time last year.

The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) Hulu number is up 16% year-over-year, while Hulu Live TV is up 8% over the same time.

With 45.6 million subscribers, subscription Hulu is quite a bit smaller than its rivals. Netflix announced a decline of 200,000 subscribers since the start of the year, but still leads all streamers with 221.6 million customers. Hulu’s sister service, Disney+, has 137.7 million subscribers. And HBO Max has a worldwide total of 73.8 million.

Hulu Live TV is still likely the largest live TV streaming service, just ahead of YouTube TV. They are still much bigger than Sling TV, which now has 2.25 million subscribers, after losing 234K last quarter, and fuboTV with 1.05M subscribers. The last reported numbers for Philo suggest it has 800,000 subscribers.

Throughout the quarter, Hulu has seen both highs and lows. The company introduced new content, features, and more, to improve viewers’ experience.

In April, Hulu + Live TV rolled out unlimited DVR, which also allows users to fast forward through commercials.

One new feature added to the service is SharePlay support, which is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV Hulu apps. Now, viewers can watch a show or movie with up to 32 friends and family members via FaceTime.

Beginning in 2023, non-theatrical releases from 20th Century Studios will head to Hulu’s library. The streaming service will be the domestic hub for new releases. Steve Asbell, the president of 20th Century, shared plans to release 10 or more movies on Hulu each year.

Though Hulu is gaining access to new content and rolling out different features, select titles have been removed from the platform.

Over the past few months, Hulu has lost several titles from its content library due to agreements ending. In March, the streamer’s deal with EPIX was no longer in effect, so MGM and Paramount films left the platform.

In September, Hulu will no longer have the rights to new episodes of NBCU series. Instead of streaming episodes on Hulu next-day, viewers will have to use Peacock to watch reruns. This change is already in effect for certain content, including Bravo shows.

Recent data shows that Hulu may need to add more children's content to its platform to compete with other major streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.