New Hulu Live TV Deal Gives Customers More Options

Like others before it, Hulu has gotten into the live-streaming TV business with its new service, Hulu Live TV.

Starting at $39.99 a month, customers can get live content from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and around 50 other channels. Included in the price is Hulu's current on-demand service, which offers viewers limited commercials. In the package is also a cloud DVR of up to 50 hours of storage, two simultaneous streams and the ability to watch on multiple devices, including Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, Google Chromecast and several others.

Hulu said support for additional devices, including Roku, Samsung smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV, would be "coming soon."

There are higher-priced offerings which include no commercials, the ability to have greater DVR capacity and more than two streams going at once.

(Click here for a full list of channels on the package.)

YOUTUBE TV LAUNCHES FOR $35 A MONTH, BUT WHAT ARE YOU GETTING FOR IT?

The combination of a subscription service, akin to Netflix, as well as an over-the-top skinny bundle which includes channels like CNN, Fox News, TBS, HGTV and more separates itself from Netflix as well as other skinny bundles, such as DirecTV Now or Sling TV.

“By bringing together thousands of live, on-demand and library shows and movies -- and serving them up in a uniquely personalized way – Hulu can now be a viewer’s primary source of television," said Hulu's CEO Mike Hopkins in a statement. "It’s a natural extension of our business, and an exciting new chapter for Hulu.”

As part of the offering, Hulu, along with NBC (which owns a silent stake in the company, along with Disney, Time Warner and Fox) will be the exclusive streaming service for the popular drama "This Is Us," along with several other shows, including "Handmaid's Tale," and a new show from Hollywood heavyweight J.J. Abrams, "Castle Rock," based off a Stephen King novel.

In addition to the 50+ channels, consumers can add Showtime for an additional $8.99 a month, but not HBO.

The service is still in beta, but is available for consumers to sign up for a free trial starting today.

FOX properties are owned by Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc.(NASDAQ:FOXA).