Hulu Review

Company profile

Hulu started out life in 2007 as an online platform to host recent episodes of TV shows produced by NBC Universal and News Corporation. Its first subscription-based streaming service launched in 2010 and has grown to have more than 30 million subscribers.

Hulu is around the mid-range in terms of market share with just half of Netflix’s 60 million US subscribers. It still has more viewers than Showtime and HBO, however, with their 11 and eight million respectively.

Special features

• Large back catalog of content - Hulu has a huge back catalog of shows that are no longer on the air. They’re co-owned by Disney, NBC Universal, and Warner Brothers, so it can draw on a large library of quality content
• Extensive add-on options available - Alongside your Hulu subscription you can add other streaming services such as HBO, Showtime and Cinemax for an extra cost
• One-month free trial - A no-obligation free trial for one month so you can try it out and see how you like it

Catalog

Hulu is known for its extensive catalog of classic shows such as the X-Files, Malcolm in the Middle and Seinfeld. It also offers several in-house originals and some of the most popular are:

• The Handmaid’s Tale
• Catch 22
• The Bear
• Claim to Fame
• The Old Man
• Castle Rock

Hulu hasn’t made the actual size of its catalog known but estimates put it at around 1,650 TV shows and 2,500 films.

Global coverage

Hulu is only available in the US due to licensing restriction agreements, so you won’t be able to stream when you’re overseas. You could get around this by using a virtual private network, however, but some services do try to block these.

Account features

• Download select content - Hulu has started to offer the option to download its most popular content to a mobile device of your choice. Not everything is compatible yet though so you might not get everything you’d like
• Record up to 50 hours of live content - If you have a DVR (digital video recorder) you can record and store up to 50 hours of live TV
• Quick turnaround on live TV - Once a TV show has aired live, it usually becomes available to stream within 24 hours, which is much faster than other streaming services

Prices

Hulu offers several different packages and add-ons so it can be a little confusing deciding what you’d like at first glance! We’ve broken down the packages and what’s included below:

Hulu also offers a range of optional extras and bolt-on packages:

• HBO - $14.99 per month
• Cinemax - $9.99 per month
• Showtime - $10.99 per month
• Starz - $8.99 per month

The following add-ons are only available if you subscribe to one of the live TV packages:

• Unlimited Screens - $9.99 per month
• Enhanced Cloud DVR add-on - $9.99 per month
• Spanish add-on - $4.99 per month
• Entertainment add-on - $7.99 per month

You can mix and match your packages and add-ons to create the perfect viewing experience.

Customer Support

You need to have a Hulu account and be logged in to contact Hulu customer support. Once logged in you can contact the team by email, phone or via live web chat. Also, Hulu has a limited number of troubleshooting articles available directly via its website.

Account cancelation & money back

You can cancel your subscription at any time and there are no long-term contracts. You have until 11:59 PM right up until the day before your next payment date to cancel before you’ll be charged again.

Summary

Hulu has one of the cheapest starting prices out of all the TV streaming services. If you don’t mind missing out on live TV, the low $6.99 starting price is definitely a winner. Hulu is also one of the most flexible streaming services, since it comes with a variety of add-ons and perks that allow you to tailor the service to your exact needs. It’s especially good for sports lovers and odds are it’ll be cheaper than your current cable service.