Hulu today announced that it’ll add unlimited recording for all Hulu With Live TV subscriptions starting on April 13. The cloud-based DVR, as it’s commonly called, will be added for no additional cost.
The move makes Hulu With Live TV and YouTube TV the only live streaming services in the U.S. that include unlimited recording for free. Hulu With Live TV is still $5 a month more expensive, at $70, but it also includes free subscriptions to ESPN+ and Disney+ as part of the Disney Bundle.
“Hulu + Live TV is becoming even more valuable and attractive to consumers,” Joe Earley, president of Hulu, said in a press release. “Through one single subscription, users get access to 80-plus live channels – including all the major broadcast networks – as well as Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and soon, Unlimited DVR. Guided by our relentless focus on delivering the consumer a high-quality user experience, we will be one of the only pay-TV providers – traditional or streaming – to offer this feature as part of the base plan at no additional cost.”
Hulu’s unlimited recording will allow for on-demand playback and fast-forwarding on recording for up to nine months. So while you can record as much as you want, you can’t keep it forever. Previously, Hulu With Live TV subscribers got 50 hours of DVR storage for free, with the ability to upgrade to 200 hours for $10 a month. In the billing cycles after April 13, those subscribers will see those charges dropped from their bills.
Hulu With Live TV is the biggest live service in the U.S., with some 4.3 million subscribers as of January 1, 2022. YouTube TV is believed to the second-largest service, but it hasn’t given any updated numbers since October 2020, when it said it had more than 3 million paid subscribers.
