Hulu Is Adding a Major Feature to Its Live TV Bundle for Free
Hulu just added a generous new feature for its high-tier subscribers at no extra cost. According to a report by Deadline, Hulu + Live TV will soon come with unlimited DVR capacity so that users can record live broadcasts they missed if they are not added to the streaming catalog. However, this is still a case of catch-up since YouTube TV already offered this feature.
Hulu + Live TV will add its unlimited DVR feature starting on Wednesday, April 13. To be clear, this only applies to Hulu's two most expensive subscription plans – Hulu + Live TV and Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV. The former costs $69.99 per month and the latter costs $75.99 per month, but both allow the user to stream live TV and lots of other content that's not available on Hulu's lower tiers. They can take the place of a cable or satellite TV plan, but there are some competitors on the market.
Hulu + Live TV previously came with 50 hours of DVR storage space, which could be boosted to 200 hours for an additional fee. The new unlimited DVR feature will hold recordings for up to 9 months, allowing users to fast forward, rewind or rewatch programs that haven't been added to a streaming service yet. For fans of current-season TV shows, this is invaluable.
Hulu + Live TV's main competitor is YouTube TV, which costs $64.99 per month for many of the same features. Since 2017, YouTube's unlimited DVR capacity has been one of the main features to set it apart from Hulu and other competition, but that will come to an end soon. This may be the final straw to push Hulu into a decisive lead, especially with all the other features it has added in recent years.
Hulu is now owned by Disney, and that corporate backing has given it the resources to offer perks its competitors couldn't match. For example, last year, the price of Hulu + Live TV rose a bit, but at the same time, the company added Disney+ and ESPN+ memberships to the package. The price increase was less than the cost of those two services, so for many users, it evened out. Of course, for those who didn't want the additional catalogs, it was likely frustrating.
Hulu president Joe Earley predicted that the new DVR feature would be much more universally accepted. He said: "Hulu + Live TV is becoming even more valuable and attractive to consumers. Through one single subscription, users get access to 80+ live channels – including all the major broadcast networks – as well as Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and soon Unlimited DVR. We will be one of the only pay-TV providers – traditional or streaming – to offer this feature as part of the base plan at no additional cost."
Hulu + Live TV's new DVR features will go into effect on Wednesday, April 13. Users paying for the Enhanced Cloud DVR add-on now should visit Hulu.com for information on how to manage the switch.