Hulu's 14 New Live TV Channels Revealed
Hulu is one of the leading options for viewers who want to watch live TV via streaming, and its selection just got even wider. Deadline reported last month that Hulu + Live TV would be adding 14 new channels to its offers, including the Hallmark Channel just in time for the holiday season. These options may help Hulu stand out as more live TV streaming services compete with its price.
The 14 new channels joining Hulu + Live TV will reportedly be added a few at a time in stages, beginning with The Weather Channel and Comedy.TV on Nov. 1, 2022. Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries joined last month as well, while Hallmark Drama became available as a premium add-on for a monthly fee. On Dec. 1, the streamer added Vevo, TheGrio Television Network, Justice Central.TV and The Weather en Español.
Many of these new additions are actually requests directly from Hulu users, according to the company's executive Reagan Feeney. Feeney said: "We have been listening to our subscribers and are thrilled to bring some of their most requested channels to our service just in time for the holidays. With these additions, Hulu + Live TV continues to be one of the most valuable live TV streaming destinations on the market, offering subscribers access to more than 85 live channels and entire on-demand content libraries from Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+."
Allen Media Group executive Byron Allen also offered a comment, saying that this deal is "another major step in the continued growth and expansion" of his collaboration with Hulu. Allen Media Group owns several of the channels now joining Hulu, signaling new opportunities for some of the old network and cable distributors that have been competing with streaming in the past.
Hulu seems to be one of the more popular streaming services out there, but its live TV subscription tiers are some of the most expensive on the market. Subscribers can pay $68.99 per month for a "live TV only" plan, which does not include the Hulu streaming library, or they can pay $69.99 per month for Hulu with ads and live TV access. This automatically comes with access to Disney+ and ESPN+, but both come with ads. Otherwise, the most expensive plan is Hulu + Live TV with no ads for $75.99 per month. This includes Disney+ with no ads but ESPN+ with ads.