In the game of streaming, you win or we unsubscribe. Streaming is just so competitive (and expensive!) these days that most of us simply can't afford to maintain a membership to all the best streaming services.
With that in mind, sometimes, you just want to know which one's on top. And for as long as I've been with Tom's Guide, that service has been Max (read our Max review for an in-depth answer as to why). Casting a glance back over the year that's just gone by, though, I think this year's big winner should be Hulu.
The obvious mark against Hulu is that the service jumped up in price in October, and even the streamer’s entry-level, ad-supported plan isn’t the cheapest on the market. However, there are ways to mitigate against this cost — the most obvious being the Disney Bundle options — and the prices aren't uncompetitive; after a January 2025 price hike January, YouTube TV will cost just as much ($83/month) as the Hulu + Live TV plan, but you'll still get the benefit of access to Hulu's on-demand library with that fee.
The other big win on the subscriptions front was the new Disney Bundle option that threw together Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max. Three of the best streaming services for as little as $16.99 for the ad-supported tier? It’s a very tempting proposition indeed.
Price changes and new plans are, sadly, going to keep rearing their ugly head going forward. I'm not trying to downplay the ever-rising cost of streaming, I just mean that the costs didn't have a huge impact on my decision. Instead, I was more concerned with what Hulu's got to watch, and when you stop to think about it, it's had a really strong year.
Hulu wins because it has so many great shows
Looking back at the shows I've streamed, it’s hard to deny that many of 2024’s best offerings came from Hulu. I’m sure you’ve got exceptions popping into your head — this is, after all, the same year of “Fallout”, “Baby Reindeer” and “The Penguin”, among others — but it does feel like Hulu’s been home to the lion’s share of the year's best TV.
Case in point: if you’re looking for laughs, you’ve got stuff like “Only Murders in the Building," “Abbott Elementary" and “Extraordinary.” Drama? Look to “The Bear” or “Say Nothing.” Couple that with major surprises like the “bonkbusting” British comedy-drama, “Rivals,” “Interior Chinatown," “La Máquina” and FX’s prestige TV awards darling “Shōgun” — arguably the must-watch from this year — it really has been a bumper year at Hulu.
I don’t want to labor the point too much further by rattling off even more releases, or movies, but I just want to highlight this is why I've made this claim. While wrapping up for the year, I just kept thinking that so much of what I loved watching throughout 2024 all came from the same place — and that’s exactly why I’m arguing that Hulu is the streaming service that “won” 2024.
If you're curious to see why I've made this claim, be sure to check out my picks of the best Hulu shows of 2024. If you're already on top of the streamer's newest stuff and want to make the most of your Hulu subscription with our full breakdown of all the best shows on Hulu you can stream right now.
More from Tom's Guide
- 3 new to Hulu movies with 89% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes
- YouTube TV vs. Hulu + Live TV: Which cable alternative wins?
- 5 new movies to stream this week (Dec. 24-30) including "Gladiator 2"
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