Hulu Announces Live TV Service with New Teaser Page

Hulu is planning on launching a live TV service later this year and competing with the likes of YouTube TV and AT&T’s DirecTV Now, and of course, cable TV. Hulu has billed it as a portal for live sports, news, and events, with the option to pause and resume programs and receive real-time alerts. The streams will be delivered over the internet to your smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc., and will be supported on platforms like iOS, Xbox, Android, and Apple TV.

While an exact date hasn’t been released, what we do have is a new webpage, experiencehulu.com, teasing the forthcoming services features, the most noteworthy of which is cloud DVR support, which will allow you to save live programs for later viewing. So far, DVR functions are only available on PlayStation Vue, though YouTube TV and Sling have plans to integrate them soon.

Another welcome feature is the fact that subscription to live TV will come with access to Hulu’s on-demand library, which ought to make it easier on consumers’ pocketbooks. And, Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins has confirmed that the package will cost less than $40, Business Insider reports.

And to make the deal worth your while, Hulu has been busy forging deals with the likes of Fox, Disney, and CBS.

“To build a successful live TV service, you have to have viewers’ favorite sports and shows — and CBS’ programming is absolutely vital to that mix,” Hopkins said in a statement. “With 21st Century Fox, Disney, Turner and now CBS on board, our new live service will offer one of the most valuable sports, news and entertainment lineups anywhere – from ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports and TNT to ABC, CBS, FOX and The Disney Channel.”

Hulu’s live TV service will also support multiple user profiles to offer a personalized viewing experience, and multiple live-streams allowing the family to watch at once.

To preview the service and become a public beta tester, you can sign up with your e-mail address on the teaser page.