Hulu with Live TV is coming to Android TV.
This is not a false alarm and likely to be highly welcomed news by users of the Android TV platform as the absence of the live TV streaming service has been sorely missed.
It still remains unclear why this has taken so long considering the rise of Hulu’s live TV streaming service although the company had previously made it perfectly clear it was not enamored with Android TV due to what Hulu saw as a lack of users.
Presumably something has now changed with Hulu’s thoughts on this.
What is technically happening is Hulu is making available its other app to Android TV. This has always been the main difference between platforms that have access to Hulu with Live TV and those that do not. For example, Hulu has two apps available, one is the newer “Hulu: Stream TV, Movies & more” app, which among other things, features live TV while the other is actively referred to by the company as the “Classic” app. This is the Hulu app of yesteryear and any platforms that only have access to this up only have access to the standard Hulu experience and with limited features.
Generally speaking, the Classic app was most commonly reserved for dated versions of operating systems and platforms and up until now, that included the Android TV platform.
Once the change has taken effect, Android TV users who want to get in on the Hulu with Live TV experience will simply need to download the newer Hulu: Stream TV, Movies & more app.
At present, the app has yet to be updated with the support and the announcement from Hulu points to this happening “in early August” and so it will still likely be a few days before the support goes live.
It is worth noting that it is not just live TV that differentiates the new app from the Classic one but also a completely new and updated UI. Therefore, the new app support will also result in an improved Android TV Hulu experience overall.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that it remains clear if all Android TV devices will be supported equally. In the announcement and background documentation Hulu does confirm the likes of the NVIDIA SHIELD and Xiaomi Mi Box will be supported, as will TV sets powered by Android TV under the Sony Bravia (2015 and newer models) and Hisense brands. For any other Android TV device, users will have to wait until the newer app is updated with the Android TV support to check if their device is compatible.
A good rule of thumb is probably if your device supports the Classic app it is likely it will also support the newer one.
In the meantime, interested Android TV users might want to consider setting up a subscription with the service. Hulu with Live TV pricing starts at $44.99 per month and that price does include access to the normal Hulu on-demand subscription. You can sign up for Hulu with live TV here or find our more on what Hulu has to offer in general by clicking here.