At $76.99 a month, Hulu Live TV does offer good value overall but it is not the cheapest live TV streaming service around. For those looking to maximize the savings on offer, Hulu isn’t the best when it comes to live TV deals and promotions either. Still, there are some options available that can help to reduce the cost of a subscription.
Does Hulu Offer A Free Trial?
One of the downsides of Hulu Live TV is the lack of a free trial, making it impossible to test out the service before signing up. While the cheaper basic Hulu subscription does come with a 30-day free trial, all new Live TV customers will need to pay for the first month when signing up. This makes finding a deal or promotion to take advantage of all the more important.
Hulu’s Bundles Can Help Make Live TV Cheaper
One of the major benefits of choosing Hulu Live TV over other live TV streaming services is the bundling of basic Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. While not a promotion in the traditional sense, this bundling still makes it possible to save on the cost of multiple subscriptions.
For example, any subscribers that are already paying for basic Hulu, Disney+ and/or ESPN+, and especially if paying for all three at the same time, should find they can save on the cost of live TV by taking advantage of Hulu’s bundle.
| Service | Price | Hulu Live TV |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Hulu | $7.99 | ✔ |
| Disney+ | $7.99 | ✔ |
| ESPN+ | $10.99 | ✔ |
| Duo Basic | $9.99 | ✔ |
| Trio Basic | $14.99 | ✔ |
Even if only signed up to one of these subscriptions, the saving on offer will still be a minimum of $7.99 a month, unless you are receiving a discounted price. However, if already signed up to all three through Disney’s Trio Basic Bundle, then the cost of Live TV works out to be around $15 cheaper than advertised.
It is worth noting that Hulu’s bundle only includes access to the ad-supported versions of basic Hulu and Disney+. If you want ad-free access to basic Hulu and Disney+, the price of Hulu Live TV jumps to $89.99 a month.
In spite of the higher price, those already paying for ad-free access to these additional subscriptions should also find that the bundle helps to reduce the cost of live TV.
| Service | Price | Hulu Live TV |
|---|---|---|
| Hulu (No Ads) | $17.99 | ✔ |
| Disney+ Premium | $13.99 | ✔ |
| ESPN+ | $10.99 | ✔ |
| Duo Premium | $19.99 | ✔ |
| Trio Premium | $24.99 | ✔ |
Once again, the savings on offer here range between $13.99 and $24.99 a month, depending on whether you are already signed up to one or all three (Trio Premium) additional subscriptions.
Existing basic Hulu, Disney+ and/or ESPN+ subscribers may find the option to ‘Add Live TV’ is available when heading over to the Hulu website after signing in and attempting to sign up to the live TV package. This is the easiest way to bundle the services and take advantage of the savings on offer.
If the option to upgrade is not available, or you want to sign up to Hulu Live TV with a completely different email address, existing basic Hulu, Disney+ and/or ESPN+ subscribers may need to cancel their standalone subscription to avoid paying twice for the same service.
Saving With Hulu’s Live TV Only Plan
For those that don’t want access to basic Hulu, Disney+ or ESPN+, there is also an option to just pay for live TV. While this will technically lower the cost each month, the saving is so minimal that it probably won’t be worth it for most homes.
To explain, while the standard Hulu Live TV package (with basic Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+) costs $76.99 a month, the Live TV Only plan costs $75.99 a month. Basically, opting to remove all three of the additional subscriptions will lower lower the monthly cost, but only by $1 a month.
| Hulu + Live TV ($76.99) | Live TV Only ($75.99) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Hulu | ✔ | ❌ |
| Disney+ | ✔ | ❌ |
| ESPN+ | ✔ | ❌ |
While not the greatest saving in the world, some homes may decide there’s not much point paying even $1 more a month for services they never plan on using.
Keep An Eye Out For Limited-Time Hulu Deals
Hulu Live TV does offer various limited-time promotions throughout the year. These deals can also help to lower the cost for a limited time and are usually visible at the top of the Hulu website.
Last September, for example, Hulu was offering its main live TV plan for just $50 a month for the first three months. As this was prior to the most recent price increase, the discount resulted in a saving of $20, or $60 in total over all three discounted months.
In reality, it is never clear exactly when these deals and promotions will go live, so simply waiting for one to happen won’t be an option if you are in need of live TV right now. If no deal is available, the best options to save mainly come down to taking advantage of the bundle, or opting to save $1 a month by subscribing to the Live TV Only package.
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