Hulu

Verdict

Hulu continues to evolve within the Disney empire, but huge price increases and loss of traditional catch-up content makes its various offerings a much tougher sell in 2024, even with the savings on bundles.

Introduction

In 2024, Hulu is a different and somewhat unwieldy beast to the OG streaming platform that broke the mould by serving traditional television programming, on-demand through your internet router.

Today, the Disney-owned incarnation of Hulu is many things to many people. Hulu is a supercharged live TV streaming service that well-beyond what its inception taught people they could live without. In that use-case it’s a rival to YouTube TV and fuboTV, among others.

Hulu is a destination for critically acclaimed original programming of its own – like The Bear and Only Murders In The Building, making it an alternative to Netflix.

Hulu is a place where you can access content from other streaming services. There’s live sports from ESPN+ and the best of the Disney empire through Disney+. Speaking of bundles, Hulu is also now a venue within the Disney+ app, with talk the Hulu app might be phased out completely.

And, yes, finally, you can still catch up on last night’s American Idol episode with a standalone Hulu subscription, like the good old days 10-15 years ago.

Many Hulu originals are available in 4K HDR, and offline downloads are available on mobile apps for ad-free subscribers. The apps are available on most platforms and, for old times’ sake, you can watch on the web too via your laptop or desktop PC.

Can Hulu, a streaming OG stand out in crowed streaming arena featuring Netflix, Max, it’s Disney Plus stablemate, Peacock, Paramount+ and countless others that have flourished in its wake? Let’s find out.

Availability

• Big price increases as of October 2024
• Much higher prices than just two years ago

Hulu is only available in the United States. Before we get into assessing its content, Hulu has multiple offerings. However, prices will increase dramatically on October 17 2024, compared with our last review in April 2022

Hulu (With Ads), Hulu (No Ads): The basic Hulu proposition remains on-demand TV from US networks and Hulu Originals included. With Ads is $9.99. That’s up $3 a month on our last review in 2022. No Ads is now $18.99 a month. Up $6 on the 2022 pricing.

The Disney Bundle: You can bundle Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ save a few dollars in the process. With Ads is $16.99 a month (up $3 on 2022), No Ads is $26.99 (up $7). Hulu Originals included.

Hulu Live TV: A replacement for your current TV subscription with the major live channels. You also get Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus and Hulu Originals included. The only ads you’ll see are through Live TV. That’s now $95.99 a month, up from $75.99 in 2022. All of the above with ads costs $82.99 a month, which is more than ad-free cost in 2022.

There’s a bunch of add-ons you can sign up for too and a Bundle that now includes Max, but it’s far too convoluted to be getting into that right now.

Platforms

• Wide support on mobile, consoles and smart TV
• There’s a Switch app too! 

Hulu is available in most of the major app stores but is still absent from some of the second tier smart TV platforms. However, if you have a set-top box or streaming stick from pretty much anyone else, you can access Hulu. There’s also AirPlay and Google Cast support within the mobile app to send content to supported television. 

The official list of supported devices is as follows: Amazon Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV (Fire OS 5.0 and later), Android phones and tablets, Android TV devices, Apple iPhones and iPads, Apple TV (4th generation and later), Chromecast, Contour 2 and Stream Player Boxes, Echo Show, LG WebOS smart TVs, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and 5, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, Vizio SmartCast TVs, Web browsers, Xbox, Xfinity Flex and X1 TV boxes, Xumo TV and XiOne box.

Interface

• Dedicated row for live content
• Collated rows to suit your habits
• No dedicated 4K HDR content portal

There’s nothing too remarkable about the Hulu interface. Content is logically arranged in categories, with a menu at the side of the display. It separates home TV, Movies, Sports, News, My Stuff and various Hubs from the content providers. The Home page itself is headlined by one rotating piece of content Hulu is promoting and a “TV For You” row of recommendations, and larger thumbnails for available movies that are popular right now. Pretty standard stuff these days.

Below that is the ‘Live Now’ row with content identified by a green lightning bolt, which is mainly ESPN+ programming for subscribers. Having the ESPN+ content within the main Hulu app is a bonus that means you don’t have to switch apps. It helps a lot because the ESPN app is terrible. Hulu subscribers also get the ABC News channel live.

Collated rows include recommended TV and movies and a ‘continue watching’ pane. However, the latter should be at the top, enabling viewers to pick-up their shows easily. You’ll also see some newly added TV and movies, some charts of what’s popular today, There’s space carved out for award-winning TV, trending, easy to watch TV and various other genre and current events-themed rows to help you narrow things down.

As with Max, there’s not really an easy way to discover the 4K HDR content. You’ll see that within the content pages themselves. Like Netflix, Hulu users have the option to add a show to ‘My Stuff’, and like or dislike to inform recommendations.

Content pages also offer access to ‘You May Also Like’ recommendations, ‘Extras’ and ‘Details’. You’ll also see, where available, 4K, HDR, and Dolby 5.1 sound support referenced within title pages. 

Hulu’s playback interface is largely consistent across mobile apps, the web and the TV apps with the ability to cycle back and forth ten seconds, start over, play next, play picture-in-picture (depending on your host device), adjust audio and titles and scrub along the playback bar. There are various means of viewing the series details, episode description, add content to My Stuff, or share the episode (on mobile).

Features

• 4K HDR for most original shows
• Awkward Watch Party feature
• Offline downloads available on mobile

There is 4K HDR content available on smart TV apps and set-top boxes from the major providers. As most broadcast and cable networks don’t shoot in 4K yet, most 4K content is limited to the stuff Hulu makes or has a hand in making. Only Murders In The Building, The Bear, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, The Dropout and others.

Some of the FX shows (also owned by Disney) like American Horror Story, Reservation Dogs, and Shogun are offered in 4K. A good portion of this stuff also supports HDR and 5.1 too.

Availability is dependent on the app you’re using and the TV and audio set up you have at your disposal. Hulu, like Netflix, Disney+ and Max, is pretty good at offering 4K for in-house content. Unlike some of those streaming providers, Hulu doesn’t charge a premium for 4K either. If your set up is capable of playing in 4K, you’ll be able to access it.

Unfortunately, for high-end AV connoisseurs, there’s still no Dolby Atmos support on any of the Hulu apps right now, but if you have a capable sound system, you can at least get 5.1 sound. 

Hulu also offers a Watch Party feature, which is only available via Hulu.com on a supported web browser. The icon appears next to compatible content and tapping it to Start The Party conjures a unique link you can share with fellow viewers. Once everyone has joined, the host can start the party. However, that feature feels very 2020 and gives me Covid flashbacks. Still, it’s there on the web if you want to use it.

The mobile apps offer offline downloads and when you visit the downloads tab, and there’s a handy “see what’s downloadable” button, showcasing series and movies. You’ll see the download icon next to an episode listing. Once complete, videos expire 30 days after download or 2 days after playback. However, you can renew when you’re back online. 

Parental controls are possible by creating a Kids profile to ensure only wholesome content is shown and adding pin protection to existing adult profiles. 

Library

• Loss of non-Disney owned network and basic cable shows
• ABC, Fox, FX, Hulu Originals make up bulk of content

The basic Hulu on-demand library is a rotating selection when it comes to network and cable TV. Given so many of the content providers have now set up shop for themselves, a lot of content has been lost from the standard Hulu subscription over the last couple of years.

With Live TV you’ll get more on-demand access to recent episodes of top shows from across the neworks and DVR functionality to record what you want.

However, if you’re not paying for that, loads of previously-available content has dropped off. BBC America shows have gone, AMC is limited to a little anime, Bravo content is gone and only available via Hulu with Live TV. In a lot of cases, it’s because the content owners pulling it back to their own services.

NBC content like Saturday Night Live, Bravo and E! reality shows like Below Deck and Real Housewives and the Kardashians are now on Peacock. Comedy Central stuff has mostly gone back to Paramount+. Discovery, Adult Swim, TNT and Food Network stuff is mostly on Max.

The ABC, Fox and FX stuff is all there still because Disney owns all that too. Overall, it has totally diminished Hulu as a catch-all catch-up service and means the Disney owned content is all that really stands out. No wonder there’s talk of just folding it into the Disney+ app.

Here’s a selection of what you get with a standard Hulu subscription on top of the great Hulu Originals.

Adult Swim: Rick & Morty
ABC (Disney owned) : Scrubs,The Bachelorette, American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy
Bravo: Real Housewives of lots of places
CBS: Frasier, Bluebloods, Survivor, CSI
Comedy Central: Workaholics, Key & Peele, Broad City
Fox (Disney owned): Family Guy, 911, The Simpsons, Family Guy
FX (Disney owned): It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Archer, American Horror Story, The League
History: Pawn Stars, Swamp people
MTV: Catfish, Ru Paul’s Drag Race
Nat Geo Wild/National Geographic: To Catch A Smuggler, Dr. Pol

If you’re a subscriber to the now $9.99 With Ads tier or associated bundles, be prepared for a lot of ads. Even a 20-minute episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia feels besieged by unskippable ads. If you’re the type of person who likes to watch a quick episode before bed, this is incredibly annoying and, for me, not worth it. No ads or no Hulu for me. 

Movies

With a basic Hulu subscription, you’ll get a rotating array of movies from the networks, as well as Hulu Originals. At the time of writing (mid-October 2024), you can choose from the likes of Date Night, Casino, Mean Girls, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Armageddon, Step Brothers, The Princess Diaries, Sicario, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Fight Club, and The Day After Tomorrow.

Hulu Live TV

Hulu with Live TV costs from $82.99/month with ads and $95.99/month, with no ads. It includes Disney+ and ESPN+ plus regular old Hulu. That makes it a direct rival to the likes of Sling TV, YouTube TV and fuboTV. 

It offers over 75 channels, plus add-ons from the pay TV entertainment, news, and sports channels you’d get from a cable or satellite subscription. There’s access to recent episodes of shows from the top cable channels. And you’ll be able to DVR the stuff you can’t watch too.

Importantly, subscribers will get access to their local affiliate channels too, so the likes of CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC will have local news content, for example. This makes it a great option for cable cutters.

Perhaps the biggest reason to sign-up for Live TV is Live Sports. Sports channels include ESPN (2, News, U, ACCN), FS1/2, MLB Network, NFL Network, the Golf Channel and CBS Sports. Plus you’ll be able to access live games aired on regular channels like TBS, TNT, USA Network, ABC, Fox, and CBS.

That means you’ll get nationally televised NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB, English Premier League, college sports, the golf and tennis majors and loads more. With ESPN+ also included as part of the subscription, you’ll get even more.

Performance

• 4K HDR content looks great, but more big movies please
• Excellent offline downloads and reliable app experience 

4K HDR content is limited to Hulu Originals, but looked wonderful on my 65-inch OLED LG C1 connected to an Apple TV 4K (2021). However, as it is mainly New York architecture and the interior of a plush apartment buildings in Only Murders In The Building, it’s not really the type of content you want to watch in 4K HDR.

As much as I enjoyed Pam & Tommy from an aesthetic sense, this Hulu Original could have done more with the grimy Sunset Strip and beautiful Malibu locales. I’d love to see the company add to the array of 4K content with big blockbuster movies, like Max and Disney+ have for their DC and Marvel collections. 

Hulu recommends 8Mbps for live streams and 16Mbps minimum for 4K HDR content, which wasn’t really an issue with my 90Mbps average connection. The lack of Dolby Atmos sound wasn’t a miss for me, but dialogue was crisp, clear and well balanced from my Sonos soundbar.

The app handles everything asked of it without any crashes on TV and on mobile and offline downloads work as advertised. As you’d expect, the app remembers your last viewing position regardless of whether you’re watching on another device.

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