Share

Hulu ups price for live-TV service, cuts basic package price

Share

NEW YORK (AP) — Hulu’s live-TV streaming service will cost $5 more per month, while its traditional video-on-demand service will be $2 cheaper.

Hulu with Live TV, a cable-like package with CNN, ESPN and a few dozen other channels over the internet, will cost $45 a month starting Feb. 26, as Hulu seeks to make that service more profitable. The new price is comparable to a basic plan from Sony’s rival PlayStation Vue, but more expensive than Google’s YouTube TV and AT&T’s DirecTV Now.

The Hulu service includes its traditional video-on-demand service, which typically carries episodes of network TV shows the day after it airs.

That video-on-demand service itself will now cost $6 a month, down from $8, when bought without Live TV. An ad-free version stays at $12. The price cut for the ad-supported version comes just a week after Netflix said it is raising the price of its most popular plan to $13 from $11. Streaming providers are testing how much consumers are willing to pay for their services as more people seek online options and cut back on expensive cable packages.

Hulu debuted its live-TV streaming service in 2017 and says the price increase represents the value of channels it has added, such as the CW and Discovery Channel, as well as technology upgrades.

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated

Separately, YouTube said Wednesday that it will roll out YouTube TV to more markets so that 98 percent of U.S. households would be able to subscribe. Before, it was 85 percent. Even with the expansion, some markets won’t get all of the broadcast networks because YouTube doesn’t have deals with all of the local stations carrying network programs. That’s a similar constraint with rival services as well.

The streaming landscape is changing as more media companies are launching their own services. Disney is launching its own streaming service in 2019 in a challenge to Netflix’s dominance. WarnerMedia, a unit of AT&T, will also have its own service to showcase its blockbuster movies and HBO series. NBCUniversal also plans its own service in 2020.

These services will run in concert with the cable-like bundles from Hulu, YouTube and others. They are aimed at people who have cut the cord on cable services — or have never subscribed — and typically don’t offer as wide a range of channels as cable.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation