Hayu Review
Pros and Cons
Pros
Watch snippets before an episode. Get a teaser of what a new title will be like by watching a highlight compilation or a particularly funny or sad clip beforehand.
Save shows for later. The My Hayu section enables fans to watch episodes they haven't finished yet, and the Watch Later list lets viewers bookmark titles.
Back catalogues available. Particularly for shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which have over a decade of episodes, this is a useful feature.
Cons
4K not available. Viewers who like watching shows in 4K are out of luck with Hayu, as content is only available in SD and HD.
Limited shows on offer. As Hayu is a niche service, only those who live and breathe reality TV will really get their money's worth with a subscription.
Difficult to cancel subscription. Some have complained online that it has proven hard to cancel their subscription before the end of their 30 day trial.
Genres and channels
The main genre seen with Hayu is reality TV. However, within this genre there are many shows and types of content to view. For example, Hayu has a category of content fresh from the US. The latest episodes of top shows such as Watch What Happens Live and The Mark of a Killer are highlighted.
Other categories can be organised according to a particularly popular show, or sub genres. There may be True Crime shows, Kardashian shows, programs focusing on love and dating, home and design shows or lifestyle.
Other sub genres include cooking and food, fashion and beauty, body modification, music, workplace, famous faces and competition. A nice touch is that each category preview indicates how many shows are included, so viewers know how much they can expect to be available to binge on.
By scrolling down the Hayu homepage, viewers can view drama based shows such as Southern Charm and The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Alternatively, shows classed as ‘Totally addictive’ include Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Don’t Be Tardy and Very Cavallari.
Current seasons of top shows such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Below Deck Sailing Yacht are included with a Hayu subscription. Shows like Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club and Camp Getaway feature workplace or business reality with the drama which often comes part and parcel.
To get a taste of some lavish lifestyles, shows like Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and WAGS: Miami will be right up your street. Family shows like Texicanas, The Radkes and Family Karma look at the dynamics between relatives. And if you want to look at some of the biggest divas around, check out series like Mariah’s World or Life of Kylie.
Top Hayu shows and movies
Keeping Up With The Kardashians – Follows the Kardashian-Jenner family as they navigate a drama-filled life.
The Real Housewives of New York City – Follows five women from Manhattan as they navigate a social calendar, motherhood and careers.
Southern Charm – Follows singles in Charleston as they navigate life while trying to preserve their family name.
Project Runway – Follows fashion designers competing to create a collection for New York Fashion Week.
Love and Hip Hop: New York – Follows women looking to get time in the spotlight in a male-dominated industry.
I Am Cait – Follows Caitlyn Jenner as she begins to find her new normal as a transgender woman.
Summer House – Follows a group of friends who go to a beach house to escape their daily lives in New York City.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht – Follows Captain Green Shephard and his crew as they sail around the Ionian Sea in a luxury yacht.
Life of Kylie – Follows Kylie Jenner as she discovers what brings her joy. Lets fans see an unfiltered look at her life.
Vanderpump Rules – Follows Lisa Vanderpump from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as she manages restaurant SUR in West Hollywood.
Streaming library
People who sign into Hayu will be greeted with a menu that has four options along the top on desktop – Discover, Trending, Snippets and Top Stories. The account icon, which opens up to further settings, is accessible from the top right hand corner.
A highlighted show is featured on the top, with the title, date, and a short description. If it’s a collection of titles, subscribers can click on the pink icon to view the rest of the titles which have been grouped together.
To resume watching, there is a section called Where You Left Off, which details how much time is remaining on episodes – and how far into an episode you are. For new episodes, the Just Landed row shows episodes which have just come out on the platform.
To get snippets of shows, there is a section where smaller clips can be viewed for those who are short on time or want an introduction to a show. Box sets are also visible in the main navigation bar.
When the search bar is used to find a specific show, an autocomplete feature makes it easier to discover titles. The options which show up can be filtered according to Shows, Episodes, Snippets, Extras and Coming Soon. It’s easy to know which season and episode a title is, plus what it’s called and the duration, thanks to the sleek labelling.
Clicking on an individual title pulls up a preview of it, plus a longer description of the episode. Other options include Watch Later, Age Ratings, Share This and viewing comments. The collaborative aspect of Hayu is a feature which makes it stand out compared to competitors in the industry.
Those on tablets will be able to view the preview and description in landscape mode, with options such as Snippets, Extra, Gossip, Cast and Related underneath. By seeing the cast members and being able to access their social profiles via Facebook or Twitter, users can feel connected to their favourite reality stars and follow their latest updates.
Indeed, the tablet version provides an intuitive box-based navigation experience where 5 or 6 shows appear on the screen, with one in particular highlighted. A bar along the left of the screen provides further options such as the Search function and account settings. Viewers on tablets can look at what content is trending today and feel part of the social buzz.
Those on mobile get a similar experience to tablet users, but the app adapts for the smaller screens. Viewing the menu horizontally, people can scroll through available episodes. The Discover feature on mobile lets subscribers filter according to an A-Z of shows, snippets, full episodes, new titles today, this week or this month. The social aspect is truly the stand out feature, as users are able to comment on episodes, share clips and search using emojis.
Streaming quality
Hayu does not support 4K streaming at the time of writing. However, those who have an internet connection which is fast enough will be able to view content in High Definition, or HD. Generally speaking, HD refers to content which streams in either 720p or 1080p. To stream in this resolution an internet connection of 5Mbps or above tends to be required. Alternatively, episodes can be downloaded to your device to stream offline if you experience any playback or buffering issues.
Customer support
Hayu has a help and support center, which comprises a searchable database full of the most commonly asked questions. The top questions for each category are shown underneath the search bar, and sub menus are titled Billing, Account, Video, Devices & Partners, Content and General. The top 3 questions are highlighted, or the arrow can be clicked on to view all of the questions in a specific category.
Billing questions could include queries for customers who still got charged after unsubscribing, updating card details and asking how Hayu charges accounts. Under accounts, questions regarding subscribing through the app, using Hayu with Amazon Fire TV and how to unlock an account after entering a password incorrectly could feature.
Video questions include customers experiencing playback issues on Mac with the Safari browser, Google Chrome browser and also those getting a Silverlight error when they commence or resume playback of episodes.
As for devices and partners, Hayu can list the platforms that customers can stream content on, detail the available devices and answer questions on how to pair a Hayu account with the Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. Under content, questions about downloading shows, watching abroad and data usage for streamed shows are answered.
Finally, under the General section, questions about using Hayu on mobile and WiFi, contacting Hayu on social media and explaining where Hayu is available are addressed.
Alternatively, those who want to contact Hayu in another way can reach out on social media. The Facebook page has a messenger function where they are listed as replying within an hour on average (at the time of writing). There is also a Hayu Help account on Twitter, where people can get in touch. Finally, there is an email available for people to get a response from the customer support team.
Free trial
Hayu offers a one month free trial to those who want to try out the service before committing to a subscription. There is no contract, as is the case with other on-demand streaming services, which gives customers the freedom to cancel at any time. With many shows available on the same day they air in the US on TV networks, it’s likely reality TV fans will want to keep their subscription, but those who don’t will be able to cancel their account with no charge being taken if they do so before the free trial period expires.
Plans and pricing
Hayu costs £4.99 a month in the UK and $6.99 a month in Australia. In Australia, an annual plan can be purchased for $69.99 a year. However, this option does not appear as available on the UK site when going to sign up (at the time of writing). This price is competitive considering that many other services are a similar price or more expensive. However, subscribers must bear in mind that the only genre of programming they will be able to access is reality TV.
Competitors
Hayu is a service which provides access to shows which could not easily be watched on other services. For example, those who sign up for Amazon Prime Video will typically need a subscription to Hayu to access reality shows such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Services such as Hulu and Netflix will have some reality titles available, but as they cover most genres, a full selection will not be available. Fans outside of the US will appreciate that shows which are not available on TV networks in their location will become available on the same day on Hayu. Some who don’t want to watch networks such as TLC, which are home to reality shows, may prefer the on-demand option of a Hayu subscription.
Is Hayu worth it?
It goes without saying that Hayu is a niche service which will be perfect for those who particularly enjoy the genre of reality TV. People who live and breathe stars such as the Kardashians will be equipped with hours of entertainment on Hayu. It’s a good selling point that this platform can either be purchased as a standalone option or as a channel with another service, such as Amazon Prime Video.
The pricing is competitive, as those who only sign up for Hayu each month will barely notice the subscription cost leaving their bank account each month. Furthermore, the user interface is highly intuitive and features a lot of social features. Indeed, functions such as searching using emojis are not seen with any other streaming service to our knowledge. Overall, reality TV junkies should definitely check out Hayu.
See our full list of the best streaming services to find the right streaming service for you.
FAQ
Cancelling your hayu subscription will involve a slightly different set of steps depending on the platform you used to sign up.
For example, unsubscribing on Amazon Fire TV requires completing the following steps:
- Navigate to the App Store Subscriptions menu.
- Click on Actions and then the management options.
- Edit your payment information.
- View your billing history.
- Click on the option to cancel your subscription.
For further assistance, answers are available on the hayu support site.
- Navigate to the Hayu website or app.
- Click on Sign In.
- Enter your email address.
- Enter your password.
- Start streaming!
- Go to the last episode of the last series of the show.
- Scroll to the end, with only a few seconds left.
- Once the season is finished, the system will assume you have watched it all.
- The show will be removed from your watch list.
Users can sign back into their accounts after they have cancelled their subscriptions by using the same email address and password. Then they can select a plan to start again. They should bear in mind that user information such as watch history may be deleted or only partially available depending on the time elapsed in between the cancellation and restarting the subscription.
Hayu will not offer refunds for subscriptions which have been signed up for, as the subscription is non refundable. Instead, users can cancel their existing subscription and have it cancel after the next billing cycle would be due.
The main reason Hayu stands out is because there is not any other service, to our knowledge, which provides such a vast library of on-demand reality TV content. Watching reality TV focused channels such as TLC or their catch up content through a TV provider can help, but Hayu is a unique and niche service.
People who signed up to Hayu in an EU country – which includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg – will be able to access the content on their account in the same way if they are in one of these other countries. Those who signed up in Australia, Canada or Norway will be able to access the local service if they are in a country where Hayu is available. Customers should be aware that certain shows may not be available while travelling due to rights restrictions.
- Navigate to the Hayu website or app.
- Click on Start Your Free Trial.
- Enter your first name and last name.
- Enter your email address.
- Enter your password.
- Tick the boxes to confirm your age and communication preferences.
- Click on Start Your Free Trial.
- Enter your payment information.
- Start streaming!
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