dslreports logo
 story category
Hulu's New Live Streaming TV Service to Cost $40 Per Month

Anonymous sources tell Techcrunch that Hulu's upcoming live TV streaming video service will be priced around $40 per month -- with ads -- when it launches sometime in the next few months. The looming service joins a growing field of streaming video alternatives. It will include Hulu's existing $8 subscription VOD offering (which includes ads, suggesting the ad-free version could cost more), and will incorporate cloud DVR functionality out of the gate. Like most streaming services, it sounds like users will be restricted to three simultaneous streams with this default package.

Click for full size
While the base price will be $40, the report suggests Hulu is also considering an add-on package to the live TV service that includes an unlimited DVR and unlimited streams.

Earlier this week we noted how broadcasters added restrictions to YouTube TV's new live streaming service that prevents ad-skipping. Under these restrictions, if show is available on-demand, viewers won’t be able to skip ads, even if they recorded the episode on DVR. This report suggests that Hulu's service (Hulu is owned by Comcast NBCUniversal and other broadcasters) won't have this restriction.

The $40 price point is in line with what Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins promised at a media event earlier this year.

"We’re going to try to keep our pricing pretty simple," Hopkins said in a Q&A session with the media. "Under $40, that’s going to be the price."

Hulu's attempt to more seriously give consumers what they want is a welcome shift for a company that, for years, was quite intentionally designed by its major broadcast owners to avoid disrupting the traditional cable TV cash cow. Of course it's worth noting that conditions affixed to Comcast's 2011 acquisition of NBC -- prohibiting the cable giant from using its influence over Hulu to anti-competitive advantage -- are about to expire.

We'll have more details on the new service as soon as it's announced.

Most recommended from 55 comments



Anon8104f
@comcast.net

17 recommendations

Anon8104f

Anon

Broadcasters et al are stupid.

Commercials became part of TV shows because broadcasters and content producers etc. had to recover costs from somewhere for their "free" shows. Now, viewers can purchase access to content directly. So, what are those commercials for anyway...? (Oh, yeah... greed [and screwing over anyone and everyone they can--probably just for the fun of it].)

Pick one: "fee" (no commercials) or "free" (with commercials). Going for both just won't fly.
turnerbrewer
join:2011-11-22

13 recommendations

turnerbrewer

Member

No Thank You!

This offering is DOA. It is to expensive and very limited.
a la cart or nothing....

SimbaSeven
I Void Warranties
join:2003-03-24
Billings, MT
·StarLink

9 recommendations

SimbaSeven

Member

Nope

mist668
join:2011-02-15
Middleburg, PA

8 recommendations

mist668

Member

Ads?

Loaded with ads? How about nope... Or better yet hell no

KoRnGtL15
Premium Member
join:2007-01-04
Grants Pass, OR

4 recommendations

KoRnGtL15

Premium Member

To late....

Sling and Playstation Vue are well established and have the market right now. Directv Now is questionable since it just came out. But those are really the big 3 players. Hulu is just noise and a spec on the radar for live tv service. I am personally very happy with Vue.

kdwycha
join:2003-01-30
Ruskin, FL

2 recommendations

kdwycha

Member

Looks Hopeful

Got my invite yesterday. Still waiting on them to send me my TestFlight code so I can download the beta app. Hopefully this will wow me more than Playstation Vue.