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Why Does Hulu Have Ads Even Though I Pay?

Last updated July 8, 2021
Written by:
Aparna Jayan
Aparna Jayan
Streaming Writer

Having to sit through ads in between watching your favorite shows and movies can be quite irritating. Hulu is a streaming platform that has received a lot of criticism from its subscribers because of its high ad frequency. Let's find out why Hulu has so many ads even in their No Ads plan and how to get rid of them.

Why Does Hulu Have so Many Ads?

Hulu offers four different plans. The 'Hulu' plan ($5.99/month) and the 'Hulu + Live TV' plan ($64.99/month) have ads in them. The 'Hulu No Ads' plan ($11.99/month) and the 'Hulu No Ads + Live TV' ($70.99/month) plan are ad-free.

For the 'Hulu No Ads' plan, ads are visible only in certain shows on the excluded list, which currently has just one show, namely Grey’s Anatomy. Every other show available on the Hulu No Ads plan is completely ad-free.

There are ads visible in the 'No Ads + Live TV' plan because the plan has some additional on-demand movies and shows available, which are offered by Hulu’s network partners. Such contents are not part of Hulu’s on-demand library.

The premium and partner add-ons available on Hulu like Showtime, HBO, Starz, and Cinemax are completely ad-free except for the promotional commercials they show before some shows and movies. This is to promote the exclusive content that is available with these add-ons.

How to Get Rid of Ads on Hulu?

There is no single way to completely get rid of ads when it comes to Hulu. However, you can choose the 'No Ads' plan ($11.99/month) or their 'No Ads + Live TV' plan ($70.99/month) to decrease the frequency of the ads.

Keep in mind that there will be ads only for "excluded" shows in the case of the 'Hulu No Ads' plan. However, when it comes to the 'No Ads + Live TV' plan, there will still be ads between the shows available on live TV and the on-demand shows from network partners.

And lastly, know that you can record the contents of live TV and fast-forward through the ads if you upgrade to the 'Enhanced Cloud DVR' feature.

Hulu does have some exciting content and has a pretty large on-demand library. So if the ads do not bother you much, check out Hulu & Hulu Live TV Packages and Prices.



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