# HULU question



## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

i think I asked before but what is better adding movies channels to my Hulu Account or buying from their website? like HBO MAX, STARZ , SHOWTIME, thanks


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## makaiguy (Sep 24, 2007)

I always subscribe to my premium streaming services directly with the service via its website. This way I can view it on any platform supported by that service (web browser, channel app for mobile device, channel app on streaming device, etc.).


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## wmb (Dec 18, 2008)

Personally, I’d go with the lower price option. I have HBO Max through You Tube TV for $11.99 per month, $3 less per month than getting it direct. Is still gives access to the app, etc., and that’s an extra bottle of wine a year.

Beyond that, it’s personal preference. Would you rather have one bill or multiple bills. Consolidating things into one account can be more convenient. Different bills let’s you pay on different days of the month, which can help with budgeting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Hulu was perhaps a poor choice of aggregators. Roku TV or Amazon Prime would probably better represent attempts at keeping everything under one roof.

The biggest attraction to using an aggregator is the single bill. If it takes three minutes to pay your bill, you're just breaking even from a time-value perspective.


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

lacubs said:


> i think I asked before but what is better adding movies channels to my Hulu Account or buying from their website? like HBO MAX, STARZ , SHOWTIME, thanks


There's no downside, and really only upsides, to buying through Hulu if you already have Hulu and plan to keep it. Not only will those services' content get integrated into the Hulu app, but you still get the separate premium apps too (HBO Max, Showtime Anytime or Starz) in case you want to watch there. If you subscribe direct from their websites, then you'll only get the premium service's own app. Note that while the Showtime app does include the east and west live feeds of the original Showtime linear channel, the HBO Max and Starz apps do not contain any live channels. So if you value those live channels from HBO and Starz (HBO, HBO 2, HBO Family, Starz, Starz Comedy, Starz Cinema, etc.), then you'll want to sign up via Hulu, because they will then show up inside the Hulu app.


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

One tiny addendum to my post above: if you subscribe to HBO Max via Hulu, only the core HBO content appears inside the Hulu app/UI. (Same holds true if you subscribe to HBO Max as an add-on to any other streaming app or cable TV service, including Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast Xfinity TV, Charter Spectrum TV, AT&T TV, etc.) Over half of the content in HBO Max is non-HBO stuff (additional movies, new Max Originals, licensed past seasons of TV shows from various networks) and that stuff is always exclusive to the HBO Max app. Can't access it anywhere else.


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## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

harsh said:


> Hulu was perhaps a poor choice of aggregators. Roku TV or Amazon Prime would probably better represent attempts at keeping everything under one roof.
> 
> The biggest attraction to using an aggregator is the single bill. If it takes three minutes to pay your bill, you're just breaking even from a time-value perspective.


All my bills for streaming services, actually anything that can, goes right to either my Visa card (2% cash back on everything) or my Amex card (6% cash back on most streaming services). I never carry balances on anything, everything gets paid in full every month. Only 2 bills to pay (Amex and Visa) and my cash back amounts to hundreds every year.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

mjwagner said:


> I never carry balances on anything, everything gets paid in full every month. Only 2 bills to pay (Amex and Visa) and my cash back amounts to hundreds every year.


I think that comes down to how one feels about putting TV providers on auto-pay. I won't do it.

I pay all of my bills with my Costco Visa but I do it manually. A lesson learned from being a Comcast customer.


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

thanks guys


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## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

harsh said:


> I think that comes down to how one feels about putting TV providers on auto-pay. I won't do it.
> 
> I pay all of my bills with my Costco Visa but I do it manually. A lesson learned from being a Comcast customer.


No worries, different strokes and all that. I never subscribe to other services thru other services (I don't bundle) for a similar reason.


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## 1948GG (Aug 4, 2007)

NashGuy said:


> Note that while the Showtime app does include the east and west live feeds of the original Showtime linear channel, the HBO Max and Starz apps do not contain any live channels. So if you value those live channels from HBO and Starz (HBO, HBO 2, HBO Family, Starz, Starz Comedy, Starz Cinema, etc.), then you'll want to sign up via Hulu, because they will then show up inside the Hulu app.


Same with yttv, the linear live channels are in the 'live guide' and are DVR'able up to the max storage of the yttv system (unlimited and up to 9 months). That's the plus for subscribing through any if the live streamers rather than directly; unbelievably, the customer service reps on most if these 'live' streamers don't realise this (!).


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

1948GG said:


> Same with yttv, the linear live channels are in the 'live guide' and are DVR'able up to the max storage of the yttv system (unlimited and up to 9 months). That's the plus for subscribing through any if the live streamers rather than directly; unbelievably, the customer service reps on most if these 'live' streamers don't realise this (!).


I really don't understand why the HBO Max app doesn't include live streams of the HBO linear channels, or why the Starz app doesn't have the live Starz channels. Sure, some folks would ignore them but others would check them out and find new things to watch. Including the live channels could only increase engagement with the app. That's why the Showtime and Epix apps have always included those services' live channels. I know that original plan for the HBO Max app, when it debuted nearly a year ago, was for it to eventually support live channels too, in the form of an optional live cable TV add-on (similar to Hulu, although who knows if such a plan is still under consideration). So maybe we'll see live HBO channels there before long.


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

wmb said:


> Personally, I'd go with the lower price option. I have HBO Max through You Tube TV for $11.99 per month, $3 less per month than getting it direct. Is still gives access to the app, etc., and that's an extra bottle of wine a year.


Is there a promotion or special offer you utilized to get the $11.99 price? I have mine directly billed, but I'd run it through YTTV, if I could score it at that price.



NashGuy said:


> I really don't understand why the HBO Max app doesn't include live streams of the HBO linear channels, or why the Starz app doesn't have the live Starz channels. Sure, some folks would ignore them but others would check them out and find new things to watch.


To the flip side of what I just mentioned, I'm not sure I'd utilize the live channels often, even within my YTTV live guide. With HBO out of live boxing, I personally have not felt a need for a live feed of HBO since I departed DIRECTV. (Then again, unless it's live sports or news, I rarely watch a live feed of any linear channel, now.)

But mileage varies, and I can understand some enjoying just flipping through to see what's on at that moment.


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

B. Shoe said:


> But mileage varies, and I can understand some enjoying just flipping through to see what's on at that moment.


Yes, this is the attraction of the live channels for me. (They're also good for actual live content, such as Real Time with Bill Maher, which can take awhile to show up on demand.)

I remember reading an interview of Showtime's CEO a few years ago and he said one of the things they were surprised by was the amount of time that their streaming subscribers spent watching the east and west feeds of their main linear channel inside the Showtime app. I think a lot of folks get "scroll fatigue" looking through all the on-demand choices in apps and sometimes just want to drop into a show or movie that's already playing.


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

NashGuy said:


> I remember reading an interview of Showtime's CEO a few years ago and he said one of the things they were surprised by was the amount of time that their streaming subscribers spent watching the east and west feeds of their main linear channel inside the Showtime app. I think a lot of folks get "scroll fatigue" looking through all the on-demand choices in apps and sometimes just want to drop into a show or movie that's already playing.


And that makes sense. I've faded out of that routine on YTTV, in part because I don't carry those premiums within my subscription, and because of commercials and the shift by channel providers of spreading a 2-hour to 2.5-hour movie out over 3-3.5 hours _(cough, FXM, TNT, cough)_ to get the whole film in with commercial breaks. But for some users, I can appreciate that approach as a means for wanting to include the live feeds in apps.


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## rnbmusicfan (Jul 19, 2005)

Check cordcuttersnews.com as sometimes Hulu has promotions on its premiums. But lately, I haven't seen any. One nice thing about Hulu is that it allows one to take the movie premiums without Hulu Live, but just a basic Hulu or Hulu Plus subscription. You also can search basic HBO content along with the Hulu content, and if you try to access ABC News Live from Hulu Plus which doesn't need Hulu Live, you can then view the linear channels of the premiums. Sometimes, I discover content by changing through the linear channels.

For Showtime or Starz, it might be better to purchase directly but there are limited selection of linear channels. American Express sometimes has credits ($5 for 3 months) but you have to purchase direct from Showtime or Starz. Starz offers a 6 month for $25 price on sale every once in awhile, especially during the holidays. Showtime also gives you a free month after an attempt to cancel with them. The Roku Channel also offers promotions for Starz or Showtime like first 2 months for $.99 or 4 months for $4.99.

I've wondered why Hulu doesn't have Epix though. It seems to be the only carrier without it.


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

every work great with ordering then channels though Hulu, I wish they had Epix had to order that on it's own, but searching HBO MAX, STARZ , SHOWTIME and Cinemax is awesome, as I sadly leave DTV next Friday , thanks guys again


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

lacubs said:


> every work great with ordering then channels though Hulu, I wish they had Epix had to order that on it's own, but searching HBO MAX, STARZ , SHOWTIME and Cinemax is awesome, as I sadly leave DTV next Friday , thanks guys again


Welcome to the streaming world! It's all just jumping from learning one system to another. Give it time and you'll never give it a second thought.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

rnbmusicfan said:


> The Roku Channel also offers promotions for Starz or Showtime like first 2 months for $.99 or 4 months for $4.99.


The current promotion on the Roku channel is a seven day free trial with no discounts. Amazon Prime offers the same deal.

Going direct to Showtime gets you a 30 day free trial and the same monthly rates ($10.99). Going direct to Starz is the same price ($8.99) with a seven day trial.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

harsh said:


> The current promotion on the Roku channel is a seven day free trial with no discounts. Amazon Prime offers the same deal.
> 
> Going direct to Showtime gets you a 30 day free trial and the same monthly rates ($10.99). Going direct to Starz is the same price ($8.99) with a seven day trial.


Which just shows that it is good to check a few places for these deals. I'm currently on a 6 month w/Showtime for $4.99/month after a free month to start it off. And a 'keep me' deal for $4.75 for AMC+ via Amazon Channels. And a 20% off HBO Max prepay deal which expires in July I think.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

lparsons21 said:


> Which just shows that it is good to check a few places for these deals.


By the same token, if you're going to play the game, you can't assume that the offers last very long.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

harsh said:


> By the same token, if you're going to play the game, you can't assume that the offers last very long.


Well they do tend to come and go, that's for sure. But in general these days they cycle back around quite often. I even got an offer from Starz for around $3.50/month if I prepaid a year. Didn't take it as Starz is really a weak offering overall.


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## 1948GG (Aug 4, 2007)

Outlander is probably Starz biggest draw, but as I've sucked up all the episodes on bluray as they've been released, no biggie. The Girlfriend Experience was, when it was running, a big draw (but only 3 seasons). Outlander however, has started to appear on other streaming services, perhaps Starz is trying to recoup the series cost by selling it off to other takers.


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

i did i try AMC+ free trial but don't care much how it just though the Roku channel and a official app, and don't must anyways , *1948GG *Starz still had The Girlfriend Experience the new season this Sunday


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## B. Shoe (Apr 3, 2008)

lparsons21 said:


> I even got an offer from Starz for around $3.50/month if I prepaid a year. Didn't take it as Starz is really a weak offering overall.


At a point in time, I would have disagreed with this. I used to tell friends, "Subscribe to HBO if you want original programming, subscribe to STARZ if you want movies," as it seemed HBO only rotated in a few movies in/out during a month. It feels the gap has narrowed in that regard, and STARZ is trying to compete and focus more on original programs. And all of these streamers have expanded the movie offerings available, so you've got plenty of choice, regardless what you're using.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

B. Shoe said:


> At a point in time, I would have disagreed with this. I used to tell friends, "Subscribe to HBO if you want original programming, subscribe to STARZ if you want movies," as it seemed HBO only rotated in a few movies in/out during a month. It feels the gap has narrowed in that regard, and STARZ is trying to compete and focus more on original programs. And all of these streamers have expanded the movie offerings available, so you've got plenty of choice, regardless what you're using.


And probably at around that same point in time, I wouldn't have made that statement. Starz used to be a valuable addition for me, good selection of movies and cheaper than the others. But that's not the case these days.

HBO Max has done it right! Good selection of movies, really good originals and a huge catalog of older stuff with an app that is fairly easy to deal with. Their most recent addition of 1st run movies has just sweetened a very sweet pot!

Showtime is really failing IMO, even though I sub to it, it is because I'm getting it for $5/month for awhile and it has some really good boxing and a couple of originals of interest. But movie wise, it is lacking for me.

Cinemax has become a dud! Even though there is plenty there of interest at $10/month or so it is overpriced. And since they did away with their streaming app I suspect the subscription numbers have fallen off quite a bit. Much of it is because HBO always seemed to consider it a stepchild.


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

I got everything setup last week got more streaming services that I counting on but i think it's worth it


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

lparsons21 said:


> And probably at around that same point in time, I wouldn't have made that statement. Starz used to be a valuable addition for me, good selection of movies and cheaper than the others. But that's not the case these days.
> 
> HBO Max has done it right! Good selection of movies, really good originals and a huge catalog of older stuff with an app that is fairly easy to deal with. Their most recent addition of 1st run movies has just sweetened a very sweet pot!
> 
> ...


Agree that HBO Max has gone from strength to strength in the past year. Great value at $15/mo, IMO. Even better for the six-month prepaid deal, which I also snagged, coming out to less than $12/mo.

Starz considers Black women their leading target demo, although clearly they do find a broader range of consumers. Anyhow, it's probably not a coincidence that you, me and other guys on this thread don't find a ton of stuff on that service to be very compelling. (I would try out their recent miniseries The Luminaries, though.) As far as movies, Starz's first-run selection has really shrunk in recent years. These days, Sony is their only supplier of new movies. But after this year's slate of theatrical films, Sony will be switching to Netflix, while Lionsgate will shift their new movies from Hulu over to Starz. (Lionsgate owns Starz, BTW, so that makes sense.) Aside from Sony, Starz also has the pay 2 and 3 windows for Disney movies (i.e. Disney+'s hand-me-downs).

Showtime used to be my favorite service. Lots of great long-running series like Homeland, Ray Donovan, Nurse Jackie, Dexter, The Affair, Masters of Sex, Shameless and Episodes. But those are all finished now. The past couple of years I've only picked Showtime back up for the odd miniseries here or there. (Escape at Dannemora is definitely worth watching.) As far as movies, Showtime has made a definite decision to shift more toward small-to-mid-budget indie/adult drama stuff, given that they have studio output deals in place with A24, STX, and Amblin/DreamWorks. No big comic book superhero movies there. I still think that a merger of Showtime and Starz would make sense as they're direct competitors and both a bit too small for the current media scene.

I've remarked multiple times before about Cinemax. There's very little point in paying $10/mo for it now that they've abandoned original content, especially if you already have HBO Max, which rotates the same movies in and out and now has a fair bit of the old Cinemax Originals library too (e.g. Banshee, Warrior, CB Strike, The Knick). They should cut the price to $5/mo and concentrate it on older movies from 1980 to two years ago, with a focus on movies that don't happen to be streaming that month on HBO Max.

I had Epix for the first few months of this year but only because I got it free a couple months and at 99 cents for two more months. I did enjoy the British miniseries Belgravia as well as season one of spy thriller Condor (which was acquired from AT&T which had originally aired it on their now-defunct Audience network). I tried out season one of their in-house-developed dramedy Bridge & Tunnel, which was easily one of the worst new series I've seen in a long while. For some reason I watched all eight eps.


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

i got a question Can you stream NHL Network? thanks


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

lacubs said:


> i got a question Can you stream NHL Network? thanks


Not on Hulu.

NHL Network live streaming


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

lacubs said:


> i got a question Can you stream NHL Network? thanks


While Hulu's Live TV add-on doesn't include NHL Network, even the $7/mo base version of Hulu will offer live streams of 75 regular season games this season. Those games also stream live on sister service ESPN+.

ESPN Plus, Hulu To Stream 75 Live NHL Regular-Season Games


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## lacubs (Sep 12, 2010)

i know hulu doesn't have the network but like last night had a game on and i couldn't watch it


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## NashGuy (Jan 30, 2014)

lacubs said:


> i know hulu doesn't have the network but like last night had a game on and i couldn't watch it


This website shows which channel or app carry each of this season's NHL games. Many of them are on Hulu:

NHL TV Schedule


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