Click To View Slideshow» Do you have a device that streams TV shows on Hulu? Here's how to make the most of it.
If you're a cord cutter or want to be, but can't abandon network TV, you need Hulu. The service is best known for streaming shows the day after they air, specifically shows from a few of the five major networks (ABC, NBC, and Fox.) CBS has its own streaming service and Hulu's next-day CW shows deal evaporated in 2016.
When it first emerged, we dinged Hulu for a lack of news, sports, and original programming, as well as ads that interrupted the paid version, all points that were probably big factors in Hulu's relatively slow growth. Those fortunes have changed. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hulu spent $800 million in 2015 on programming—it even got an Emmy nod for one original show, Casual. We're used to awards and exclusives from Netflix, but it's new territory for Hulu.
Best of all, after years of paying for a service and still seeing ads, Hulu finally has a commercial-free option. The basic subscription is still $7.99 (it's no longer called Hulu Plus, even though that logo still pops up on some apps) and means you get video at 720p; for an extra $4 subscribers get zero commercials (with specific exceptions: Grey's Anatomy, Once Upon A Time, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scandal, New Girl, Grimm, and How To Get Away With Murder all show an ad at the beginning and end of each streamed episode).
Hulu "pioneered" the add-on option by offering Showtime content and its entire back catalog for an extra $8.99. That means access to new shows the day after, plus years' worth of shows like Dexter, Penny Dreadful and Californication for $2 cheaper per month than standalone Showtime. A commercial-free Hulu with Showtime subscription costs $20.98 a month. (Amazon Prime Video has the same thing with even more partners, including Showtime and Starz and Seeso.)
Hulu also includes movies—it's currently got Mr. Holmes, Terminator: Genisys, Interstellar, Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, Selma, several Bond films, every Star Trek TV show (but not the films), and lots of stuff Netflix has recently lost. (Hulu's movie catalog has a 1,000 times more schlocky crap than even Netflix or even Crackle). There's also a good anime selection.
Hulu also offers content from some networks, like Syfy and USA, some of which you can only watch in a Web browser, other content you can only view if you confirm you have an account with a "participating provider" of cable or satellite TV like Dish, Verizon FiOS, Optimum, or Cox.
Hulu is on the upswing. It only had 4.5 million subscribers in 2013 and jumped to 12 million in 2016. Not bad for a service that, unlike Netflix and others, is only available in two countries: the United States and Japan, where it's operated by a third party. Netflix, by comparison, has over 86.7 million subscribers worldwide, with 47 million in just the US.
And there are major changes coming for Hulu. It's got a new investor, Time Warner, which bought a 10 percent stake. With that comes access to shows from its vaults at CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, TNT, and more. What's more, in its biggest change ever, Hulu plans to transform into a live TV service, taking on Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and DirecTV Now probably for around $40 per month
Hulu is not a hard service to navigate, no matter what device you're on—PC, smart TV, apps, or media hubs. Read through to master Hulu in all its forms.
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