Hulu will reportedly price the basic package for its upcoming live TV service at $40 per month, making it cost more than competitors DirecTV Now, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
DirecTV Now’s basic package is priced at $35, Sling TV starts at $20 and YouTube TV starts at $35. However, it’s worth noting that Hulu’s live TV service intends to offer cloud DVR and access to its on-demand library as part of the subscription price. And its deals with Disney, Fox, CBS and A+E Networks means it will offer many channels not available in Sling TV’s basic package.
According to TechCrunch, the $40 price for Hulu’s live TV service is not officially set just yet and could still come down before the service launches in the coming months.
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The reportedly $40 per month rate would more or less be in line with what Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins said about the pricing for the service.
Speaking earlier this year at the Citi Internet, Media and Telecommunications Conference, Hopkins said the price needed to be competitive with services like DirecTV Now and Sling TV.
He said that Hulu is still working on a deal with NBCUniversal for including its channels in its service and that Hulu is also pursuing deals with network affiliates.
“Local TV is extremely important and we’ll have a lot of affiliates at launch, but not all of them,” Hopkins said.
Though Hulu has yet to announce a launch date and official pricing, the company has offered up some details on how its live TV service will work. Users will have to answer a series of questions about their entertainment preferences before they can access the launch screen. The lineup will vary depending on the user, but it will feature a combination of live, on-demand and recorded content.
The new Hulu live service will also feature notifications that will alert viewers when something particularly interesting is about to happen during a sporting event. According to Mashable, the alerts are reserved for sports right now, but in the future Hulu intends to apply the technology for breaking news as well as providing a heads-up when a show or series is about to be taken off the service.