Hulu + Live TV subscribers are set to get more popular cable channels that they have been waiting for thanks to a new deal that will bring 14 Viacom networks to the streaming service, according to Variety.
What’s Happening:
- ViacomCBS has announced a new multi-year deal that will see 14 popular cable networks come to Hulu that will be available for Hulu + Live TV subscribers.
- The networks included in the deal are:
- BET
- Comedy Central
- MTV
- Nickelodeon
- Paramount Network
- VH1
- CMT
- Nick Jr.
- TV Land
- BET Her
- MTV2
- NickToons
- TeenNick
- MTV Classic
- The popular networks, some dating back decades to cable television’s early days, have been missing from live streaming services, including Hulu’s live TV package that debuted in 2017.
- ViacomCBS inked a similar deal last year with Google’s YouTube TV, one of several since their first year as a combined company that also included renewals with Comcast, Dish Network, and Verizon.
- Late last year, Hulu + Live TV increased their rates by 18% with packages starting at 64.99 per month. The addition of the 14 Viacom networks will be included in this new rate, as well as other CBS stations that were previously included, including CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and The CW.
- Interestingly, the Disney-owned Hulu is in direct competition to CBS’s own streaming service, though CBS All Access is currently being rebranded into “Paramount Plus.”
What They’re Saying:
- Ray Hopkins, ViacomCBS president of U.S. networks distribution: “Hulu continues to be a great partner, and this agreement ensures that Hulu + Live TV subscribers are now able to enjoy the full breadth of our leading content across news, sports and entertainment for the first time.”