Top shows and movies

One of the main reasons people choose a particular streaming service is because of what it has to offer. While extra features are nice and can certainly make life easier, if you’re not getting the content you want from a particular service, you’re not going to be happy.

There are some stand-out offerings from both Hulu and YouTube TV, so let’s take a closer look.

Hulu

Though Hulu started out with a library of other networks’ shows and movies, it is now one of the major players in the original content game. Its most popular and widely-talked about offering is an adaptation of the classic Margaret Atwood novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. The show has the honor of receiving the first-ever Emmy for a streaming service, which was awarded at the 2018 Emmys. The show also sparked a jump in viewership and subscribers. From 2016-2018, Hulu saw a 40% increase in subscribers, and because of the viral popularity of The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s likely it had at least some influence on people’s choices to check it out.

Hulu is also known for grabbing television shows that other networks may have canceled in an effort to give them new life. Fan favorites like Veronica Mars and The Mindy Project are two examples of shows that had been pulled from their networks, only to be revived by the streaming service. These shows tend to have a sort of cult following, and hardcore fans never wanted them to go off the air in the first place. Hulu’s strategy here was certainly smart. By bringing back shows that had previously been canceled, the service has opened itself up to a new target audience. People who may not have subscribed before will do so in order to see their favorite revived show. In the process, they might fall in love with Hulu’s other options.

This is another page from the Netflix book, since the other streaming giant has brought back shows like Full House and Gilmore Girls. But, Hulu has done it in such a way that may resonate even more with diehard fans of these otherwise-rejected shows.

With that being said, once upon a time Hulu was known for being the best platform for finding shows from other television networks shortly after they aired. That’s still true, but it has added so much more into the mix of what they’re actually offering. Taking a page out of Netflix’s book, Hulu also allows for the streaming of some classic TV shows, including Seinfeld, the UK version of The Office, and 30 Rock.

But, it has also seriously stepped up its original content game, likely due to the overwhelming success of The Handmaid’s Tale. Some of the best original series on Hulu right now include:

• Castle Rock
• Casual
• The Act
• Ramy
• Letterkenny
• The Looming Tower
• Shrill

When it comes to sports, you’ll have to make the upgrade to Hulu + Live TV to receive a suite of ESPN channels, Fox Sports, the Golf Channel, and two college sports networks. With their basic subscription plan, you can still receive a variety of sports channels, but won’t be able to watch any live games.

So, if you’re a big sports fan and you never want to miss your favorite team’s games, Hulu’s basic plan may not be the best match for you. But, if you’re looking for a mixture of award-winning original content and a variety of your favorite shows and movies, it’s hard to top Hulu for the monthly price you pay.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV started off facing some unique challenges, as over 2 billion users log in to Youtube’s original platform each day. There, they can enjoy programs for free, including popular shows like Good Mythical Morning.

YouTube TV breaks away from traditional user-uploaded content in favor of performing more like Hulu and other streaming services. One of the biggest perks of the service is that it allows subscribers to watch live TV from over 70 channels, including both local offerings and nationwide broadcasts.

One of the more unique things about YouTube TV is that it also features YouTube’s original shows made by content creators. There are some user-created shows that were only previously offered by the YouTube Premium service. As a YouTube TV subscriber, you will have access to that content, as well.

Sports lovers don’t have to miss out on live events with YouTube TV, either. You can stream live local and national sports events. The platform works with the following sports networks to provide live broadcasts:

• CBS
• FOX
• NBC
• ESPN

For the time being, YouTube TV doesn’t offer a way to subscribe to the NFL Network, or the NFL Redzone. Even so, the platform offers more sports programming than most of its competitors, including Hulu.

Recently, YouTube TV made a deal with ViacomCBS. This deal will bring 14 more networks to the streaming service’s already extensive lineup, including Comedy Central, BET, MTV, and Nickelodeon. These networks are expected to be added to the service sometime in summer 2020, with even more ViacomCBS networks to follow.