Hulu: Is the US-based streaming service available in the UK? Here’s what you need to know

Some shows, such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Pam & Tommy, are available on other platforms

The company has been around for 15 years and is responsible for producing and streaming a range of great shows (iStock/The Independent)

We’ve been writing a lot about TV streaming services recently here at IndyBest, from Netflix and Disney+ to Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Now it’s time for one more, but with Hulu, things are a little different.

You see, Hulu is one of those rare things on today’s open internet. It can only be accessed in the US.

We’re used to seeing the content catalogues of Netflix change depending on the country it’s viewed in, but there is, unfortunately, a hard and fast rule with Hulu: it is only available in the US, as well as US territories and on US military bases.

This is a bit of a shame, because the company has been around for 15 years and is responsible for producing and streaming a range of great shows, including The Handmaid’s Tale. While some of these shows can be viewed on other services – The Handmaid’s Tale airs on Channel 4 in the UK and Little Fires Everywhere on Prime Video – British viewers often have to wait months to view Hulu’s original content. The Hulu service as a whole is not offered internationally.

Here’s what you need to know about Hulu and what your options are if you live outside the US.

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What is Hulu?

Hulu is an American TV and movie streaming service that is partly owned by Disney and Comcast’s NBCUniversal division, with the former holding a majority stake. It launched back in 2007 and includes content from ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and a range of original content produced by Hulu itself.

Although it’s not available in the UK, so it might not be familiar to many readers here, Hulu is something of a trendsetter among streaming services. It was the first, back in 2010, to add a “Plus” to its name and offer a paid subscription service with unique content. A linear TV service with a range of channels, called Hulu with Live TV, was also added in 2017.

Hulu serves up a range of TV shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Kardashians, Life & Beth, Pam & Tommy and How I Met Your Father. But, as readers will no doubt be starting to realise, some of these are available elsewhere. The Handmaid’s Tale is on All 4, for example, and Pam & Tommy is streaming on Disney+.

In August 2022, Hulu revealed it had accumulated 46.2 million subscribers, an increase of 600,000 on the second quarter.

Can you watch Hulu in the UK?

No, Hulu is not available in the UK. Despite other US streaming services, including Disney+ and Apple TV+, being offered internationally, Hulu does not do this in an official capacity.

Does Hulu work through a VPN?

Hulu’s website states that its service “doesn’t work with anonymisers or proxy services”, but this landscape changes regularly, and you may find that the service can be viewed through a VPN.

How much does Hulu cost?

Although Hulu isn’t available to watch in the UK, here’s a quick look at how it is priced in the US. Like other streaming services, Hulu announced in August that its prices would be going up.

From 10 October, the basic package will cost $7.99 per month instead of $6.99 per month (or $79.99 annually). This includes adverts. To remove those, you have to pay almost twice as much. The ad-free price will cost $14.99 per month instead of $12.99 per month when prices change on 10 October.

You can also pay for Hulu’s live TV service, which works like Sling TV and YouTube TV, also limited to the US, and includes 75 live streaming channels. This costs $69.99 a month, having increased from $64.99 at the end of 2021. You can also pay more to remove adverts from Hulu TV and for a service that lets you record TV, like Sky+ here in the UK. This price won’t be changing with Hulu’s price hike.

Read more: How to sign up for Now, the free trials and what to watch

Unlike Netflix, where the price increases if you want to watch content in HD or 4K, all of Hulu’s packages offer content in 4K where available, even at the $7.99 tier.

Is Hulu available on Disney+?

Yes, it is. Disney owns a part of Hulu, and the two services are available (along with sports broadcaster ESPN+) as part of a bundle. But sadly, once again, this is only available in the US.

The bundle is priced at $13.99 a month and includes Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ in one package, bringing Hulu originals, Disney’s massive catalogue (plus Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic), and sport into one place. The only downside here is that the version of Hulu bundled in the package is the same as the basic $6.99 tier mentioned earlier, so it includes adverts. Again, this price hasn’t changed with the October price hike.

Is there Hulu content available elsewhere?

The good news for readers outside the US is that some Hulu content is available on other platforms. For example, The Handmaid’s Tale is available on Channel 4 and through the broadcaster’s All 4 streaming service.

Read more: How to sign up for Disney+, how to watch for free, and what shows are on it

Similarly, Pam & Tommy, the biographical drama miniseries chronicling the marriage between actress Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan), is available through Disney+, and so too is Love, Victor and The Kardashians.

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