On Tuesday, Hulu announced its live TV streaming plan is available on PlayStation 4 consoles. Hulu + Live TV joins YouTube TV in filling the gap left by the now-shuttered PlayStation Vue. PS4 users who already have the plan will be able to use it immediately and those with a cheaper, on-demand Hulu plan can upgrade on Hulu.com, according to Variety.
The live TV streaming wars —
Hulu has maintained its dominance in the live division of the streaming wars thanks to bundles with Disney services. Live TV subscribers surpassed 3.2 million last year, doubling year-over-year, but YouTube TV matched this growth pace and doubled its base to 2 million.
Sling TV is the only of the top three players not currently available on PlayStation 4 and it’s starting to lose subscribers. It’s still the most affordable at $45 for a combo package and $30 for just one channel package. Price increases last year brought Hulu + Live TV to $55 while YouTube TV hit $50.
Disney holds a majority stake in Hulu and effectively controls it with Comcast (NBCUniversal) leaving in 2024 to fully focus on Peacock. Putting Hulu + Live TV on PlayStation consoles prevents YouTube TV from sneaking up on Disney and gives the company another advantage over Sling TV.
