As you might already know, Hulu had started off as a free streaming service, mainly focusing on TV series. The company achieved immense success shortly after it’s launch. Soon, Hulu produced its own shows and ended up receiving a lot of praises for giving the audience high-quality content with series like “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Earlier this year, Hulu came out with a “Live TV” plan for $39/month, featuring over 50 TV channels that cover entertainment, news, sports, music, and movies. Although this feature is still in it’s BETA phase, many of them have already upgraded to it. Since you’re on this page, we’re assuming that you too are interested in knowing more about the service, in terms of the channel line-up. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the most prominent ones on the platform.
List Of Hulu Live TV Channels
ABC
Part of the Walt Disney Company, ABC, short for the American Broadcasting Company, one of the most successful networks, and also the youngest of the “Big Three TV Networks” in the US. ABC boasts of roughly 89 hours of programming per week featuring syndicated series, talk shows, reality shows, and kids’ programs. Some of the most series include “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Modern Family”, “Dancing with the Stars”, and “Shark Tank”.
CBS
Very few people, especially the young millennials, know that CBS (a.k.a the “Eye Network”), stands for the Columbia Broadcasting System and is the forerunner of the CBS Corporation. Similar to ABC, CBS is also one of the “Big Three TV Networks” in America. It mainly showcases newscasts, syndicated shows, talk shows, and game shows. The most well-received series include “The Big Bang Theory”, “How I Met Your Mother”, “Dallas”, “The Talk”, and “Let’s Make a Deal”.
FOX
Though FOX isn’t part of the “Big Three American TV Networks”, it surely stands as a strong challenger to the channels listed above by virtue of “edgier” content which appealed to the younger lot. A subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, FOX is considered to be one of the most illustrious TV networks in the west featuring newscasts, children’s shows, drama, adult animation, and reality shows. The most-watched series include “So You Think You Can Dance”, “Masterchef”, “Family Guy”, The Simpsons”, “Bones”, “The X-Files”, and “Prison Break”.
NBC
The final piece to the “Big Three TV Networks” in the U.S., NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which in turn is part of Comcast. It is said to be the oldest TV channel in America and is often referred to as the “Peacock Network”, owing to its colorful, peacock-feather shaped logo. The network features a broad range of content including news productions, game shows, soap operas, dramas, kids’ series, and award shows. Some of the big-names on the channel include the Emmy Awards, Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, and Looney Tunes.
A&E
Erstwhile Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E is the flagship property of A&E Networks which is primarily owned by the Disney-ABC Group and party by the Hearst Corporation. The channel mainly showcases biographies, drama shows (crime/mystery), reality series, and documentaries. A & E is best known for shows like Duck Dynasty, The First 48, Freud, Intervention, Spooks, and Born This Way. The network has also produced & co-produced movies as well as mini-series such as Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, and Napoleon.
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a subsidiary of the Turner Broadcasting System, which is owned by Time Warner. As the name suggests, this channel broadcasts animated content across genres, targeting children. Some of the most loved shows of all time on the channel include Dexter’s Laboratory, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, and the Powerpuff Girls. As of today, the most popular cartoons on Cartoon Network include Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Samurai Jack, and Mighty Magiswords.
CNN
Another subsidiary of the Turner Broadcasting System, CNN or the Cable News Network is the first “all-news” network in the States that was created with an aim to provide 24-hours news coverage to the audience. Currently, the channel focuses on in-depth news stories, factual shows, and news highlights. The most popular shows on CNN include Morning Express, Legal View, New Day, CNN Newsroon, and Eris Burnett Outfront.
National Geographic
National Geographic is the subsidiary of 21st Century Fox with part ownership by the National Geographic Society. The network falls under the category of educative/informative TV channel, mainly featuring non-fiction shows including documentaries, reality series, “pseudo-scientific” entertainment shows, across a slew of topics such as nature, science, history, and culture. The most notable shows on the channel are Ultimate Factories, Brain Games, Mayday, Megastructures, and Science of Stupid.
ESPN
A globally known channel, ESPN was initially known as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network and is a business amalgamation between the Walt Disney and the Hearst Corporation. Despite undergoing a bunch of controversies in the past, ESPN has emerged as one of the most prominent sports channels in the U.S. as well as around the world. The most-watched shows on the channel to-date are Pardon the Interruption, SportsCenter, First Take, 30 for 30, Mike & Mike, and Outside the Lines.
Hulu Originals
Owned by Hulu LLC, Hulu Originals is an initiative that was launched by the company as recently as in 2016. It features high-quality content including documentaries, dramas, comedy specials, etc. Some of the must-watch series on the channel include Harlots, The Handmaid’s Tale, Difficult People, The Wrong Mans, Casual, and The Mindy Project. Although this TV production does not showcase “live” content, it is included in the “live TV” plan. Aside from the ones listed above, there are many other notable channels such as Disney, CNBC, HGTV, Bravo, Syfy, MCNBC, Sprout, History channel, Viceland, Lifetime, LMN, Food Network, Travel Channel, Boomerang, etc., available with Hulu with Live TV. Users can also add channels like HBO to their package at an additional cost. However, a few major networks such as AMC and Viacom are missing.
Full Hulu Live TV Channels List:
Entertainment & Lifestyle Channels Movies Channels Sports Channels News Channels Family & Kids Channels Conclusion: Rivals like Sling TV and DirecTV offer additional channels such as AMC and all the Viacom networks (some at an extra cost). However, the fact that Hulu has combined on-demand streaming with live TV, offers more value for money, thereby alluring the vast majority. Very few online streaming services enable subscribers to enjoy both types of content at the same time so we would definitely suggest that you sign up for their trial period.
