NBCUniversal joins Hulu's upcoming buffet of live-TV streaming options

Hulu is busy making deals for its anticipated live-TV streaming service and its announced partnership with NBCUniversal will bring all of NBCUniversal’s channels to the new live-TV service when it launches in the coming weeks.

In total, 15 NBCUniversal channels will be available both live and on-demand on Hulu’s upcoming TV streaming service, which Hulu claims brings the current channel count to over 50 total. These channels will include NBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA, SyFy, Bravo, E!, CNBC, and NBC Sports Network, among others.

Those who subscribe to Hulu’s new TV service will be able to stay current with late-night NBC favorites like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; will be able to catch breaking news on MSNBC; and will have access to regional sports content through NBC Sports Network in Chicago, Philadelphia, New England, Mid-Atlantic, California’s Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest. As a result of the deal, Hulu’s service will also now carry live local NBC and Telemundo affiliate programming in larger markets like Los Angeles.

Other content coming to Hulu’s live TV service includes programming from the other three major networks, ABC, Fox, and CBS, as well as programming from A&E Networks, which owns channels like A&E, History, and Viceland. The service will also carry all content currently available in the highest premium Hulu subscription, making it an enticing deal to current Hulu subscribers.

In terms of the competition, this latest deal is a big get for Hulu, though seeing that the Comcast-owned NBCUniversal conglomerate is a 30 percent stake holder in the company, it’s hardly surprising. As the live-TV streaming market continues to grow and saturate — with services like SlingTV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue all available, and more sure to come — it is important for Hulu to match, if not outmatch, the competition in any way it can.

Hulu’s promise to bring NBCUniversal’s programming to all markets, rather than select markets as with SlingTV or DirecTV, is a good start for the forthcoming service. Depending on which markets it launches in, and how much programming is immediately available at its $40 price point, it isn’t hard to imagine Hulu’s package giving its soon-to-be rival streaming services a run for their money.

Hulu’s live-TV streaming service is set to launch sometime this spring, with prices starting at about $40 per month.