Hulu is finally getting competitive with YouTube TV on the DVR front: The Disney-controlled streamer next month will unlock a new Unlimited DVR feature for all Hulu + Live TV subscribers for no additional fee.
On April 13, Hulu will introduce Unlimited DVR for live TV customers available across the entire lineup of 80-plus channels, including broadcast networks ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox.
Hulu’s upcoming Unlimited DVR — which will let customers store an unlimited number of live TV recordings for up to nine months — lets it match Google’s YouTube TV, which has offered unlimited cloud-based DVR storage for no extra cost since it debuted in 2017.
The move follows Hulu’s bundling of Disney Plus and ESPN Plus with Hulu + Live TV subscriptions as of December (alongside an $5 monthly price hike). Hulu’s live TV service is $69.99/month (with ads in the subscription VOD content) or $75.99/month (no SVOD ads).
Since Hulu + Live TV first launched nearly five years ago, it has included up to 50 hours of DVR storage as part of the base price. It also sold the Enhanced Cloud DVR add-on option, providing up to 200 hours for an additional $9.99 per month. Now all new subscribers and existing subscribers will automatically receive Unlimited DVR as part of Hulu + Live TV.
Hulu will become “one of the only pay TV providers — traditional or streaming — to offer [unlimited DVR storage] as part of the base plan at no additional cost,” Hulu president Joe Earley, who recently took the helm at the streamer, said in a statement.
Many traditional cable and satellite TV packages still charge an additional fee for DVR access. Dish Network’s Sling TV, for one, includes 50 hours of DVR storage in its base packages and charges $5/month extra for up to 200 hours.
Hulu had 45.3 million total subscribers at the end of 2021, including 4.3 million on the live TV package, making it one of the biggest U.S. internet subscription TV services alongside YouTube TV. Hulu is the only service to provide both standalone subscription VOD packages and live TV with SVOD.
