8 Quick Tips for New Cord Cutters using Hulu
The Hulu catalog runs deep. It always runs deep.
This guide will give you 8 Hulu hacks to find great movies and shows that you may not notice through casual browsing.
You’ll also learn how to stay up to date on national news, and maximize your viewing time by ferreting out more premium content faster.
At $5.99 per month, a Hulu subscription is one of the best deals in streaming. That’s because you are getting prime time shows from networks such as FOX, ABC and NBC the day after they debut on live TV. And you’re getting brand new shows from FX on Hulu and Hulu Originals such as The Handmaid’s Tale.
These Hulu hacks are geared for anyone – no matter if you are using a Roku, a PC and even smart phones.
So let’s jump right in.
- Browse by Networks: More Binge Watching Opportunities
- Get Starz Originals on Hulu
- Watch ABC Nightly News
- Minimize While You Search (Web browser)
- Watch Star Trek…lots of Star Trek
- Deal with Hulu’s Commericals
- Create a Kids Profile
- Stop Suggestion on Mobile
Hulu Hacks #1) Browse by Networks: More Binge Watching Opportunities
There are a lot of categories under Hulu’s menu, but the best one for me is “Networks” because you can find shows and movies that may not have appeared front and center in your menu. Here what you do to deep dive into Hulu’s library:
Go to “Browse”, then “Networks” and choose “A-Z” after that.
You now have a backstage peek at everything. But once you select a network – whether it’s A&E or Discovery — make sure you choose “A-Z” again instead of “For You” or “Popular”. That gives you a complete listing of what’s available.
The beauty of cord cutting is discovering new shows and movies. So you don’t want to miss out because something wasn’t recommended to you.
You might have missed “Who Killed Tupac?” when it aired on A&E, or maybe you want to comb through Seasons 1 through 7 of “American Horror Story” on FX.
You might be surprised what you’ll find.
People often mistake TV Everywhere apps on a Roku or Firestick as a gateway to loads of content. Sure, an app for A&E or Discovery Channel can be a great way to catch up on a missed episode. But if you really want to binge multiple seasons, you have a better shot at finding it on a streaming platform like Hulu.
Hulu Hacks #2) Get Starz Originals on Hulu
If you follow my first Hulu hack above, then you’ll come across the Starz Network. You won’t find the complete Starz library. But you will find a couple of gems. My favorite? I’ve been streaming the crime drama Power, which is Starz’s most popular original show.
Hulu has the first four seasons of Power. (Season 6 of Power is now available on by subscribing to Starz.) You’ll also find four seasons of Black Sails, another Starz popular original. So with a Hulu account, you can check out this premium content before deciding whether to go for a free trial of the standalone Starz service, which costs $8.99 per month.
Hulu Hacks #3) Watch ABC Nightly News
Getting a nightly news broadcast is generally a core concern for people who want to cut the cord. You can use Hulu on Monday through Friday to watch ABC World News Tonight with David Muir. It’s the one show that’s probably updated the most on Hulu. There are other ABC news staples such as Nightline, 20/20 and This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
I prefer to use a TV antenna for my news broadcasts, but not everyone can get decent reception.
So even if you aren’t using an antenna for local channels, you can easily fill that void with a combination of news apps. Use the NewsOn app for local news broadcasts. Start using ABC News on Hulu and CBSN for breaking news, national and international events.
Hulu Hacks #4) Minimize While You Search – web browser
You can do a bit of multi-tasking whenever you’re using a PC to browse for new things to watch. Catch up on the news of the day with ABC World News Tonight and minimize it to the bottom right hand corner of your screen. That leaves you free to comb through Hulu’s menu while catching up on the news of the day, or whatever else doesn’t require your full attention.
Hulu Hacks #5) Watch Star Trek …lots of Star Trek on Hulu
Star Trek is the comfort food of science fiction. Late at night, I sometimes like to have Spock and Kirk in the background covering some well worn territory, boldly going where no man has gone before.
With a Hulu subscription, there’s a Trekkie feast up for grabs. You can watch every season of the original Star Trek. Every season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager is available, too.
The latest Star Trek show, Star Trek: Discovery, is exclusively on CBS All Access. But you basically have every other part of the Star Trek library on Hulu.
Hulu Hacks #6) Deal with Hulu’s Commercials
A common complaint people have is putting up with commercials while using cheap or free streaming services. Sure, you can fork over a few more bucks to Hulu every month and go commercial free. But not everyone does that. I use commercials to get things done.
A bathroom break, reading a quick blurb in a magazine or newspaper, and refreshing a drink are good ways to get away from the tube for a few minutes. Heck, you can even go knock out a less desirable task like writing out a check for your rent or mortgage. Exercise the mute button on your remote while doing your tasks, and keep an eye on that clock in the upper left hand corner of the screen before you leap out of your seat. Let me know in the comments below what you end up getting done.
Hulu Hacks #7) Create a Hulu Kids Profile
If you have any children ages 12 or under in your household, setting up a Hulu Kids profile can be super useful. It may also make them feel like they have a little more freedom to cruise around the Hulu menu.
When you create a new profile, you have the option to designate it as a Kids profile, which only has family-friendly shows and movies. The kids-only menu even breaks up programming by age group. You can also set up a parental lock on a Hulu account.
Hulu Hacks #8) Stop Suggesting feature on Mobile
Sometimes you might feel like Hulu doesn’t know you as well as it should, especially when it’s suggesting shows or movies that you have no interest in watching. The Hulu mobile app has the “stop suggesting” option under every part of the Hulu menu.
Knock out a few of those undesirables and let Hulu know what you’re really not into. You’ll soon be getting suggestions closer to what you really want to see.
Bonus Hulu Hack: Sign in to TV Everywhere apps (if you get Hulu’s Live TV)
The 8 other Hulu Hacks above are for the on-demand service, but I didn’t want to leave Hulu with Live TV subscribers out. If you subscribe to Hulu with Live TV, there are 35 apps that you can activate using your Hulu with Live TV subscription.
You can add a lot of programming to your Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV that won’t especially be in your Hulu subscription. Some of these apps like FXNOW even carry multiple live streams. So check out the list of TV Everywhere apps. They include major networks like A&E, ESPN and Travel Channel.
So now that I’ve shared my favorite Hulu hacks, it’s time for you to kick in one or two. Tell fellow readers in the comments below your favorite Hulu tip.
