Hulu adds A+E nets to live stream

US streaming service Hulu has agreed a deal with A+E Networks to make the latter’s cable channels available on its forthcoming live-streaming internet TV service.

Mike Hopkins

It means cablenets A&E, History, Lifetime, LMN, FYI and Viceland will be among the 40-plus channels available as part of the core package on Hulu’s service, which will launch this spring.

Hulu’s live-streaming offering, which will cost less than US$40 per month, will feature channels from Hulu’s parent firms The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox and Turner Networks, including ABC, Fox, ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior.

The service will also feature channels from CBS Corporation, after a deal agreed earlier this year, and will include access to Hulu’s library of acquired and original content.

Notable omissions at this point include channels from Viacom, which has not agreed a deal with Hulu.

“As we begin to finalise our new live TV service, we’re pulling together the most valuable, well-rounded package of channels available for under US$40,” said Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins.

Nancy Dubuc, president and CEO at A+E Networks, added: “Having our top six networks available on [Hulu’s] core package speaks to the power of our entertainment portfolio in reaching men, women, adults and millennials.”