This week on TechHive: How reliable are streaming TV bundles, anyway?

The New England Patriots weren’t the only ones in agony during the Super Bowl’s thrilling conclusion this week.

As the clock struck 10 p.m. on Sunday, some Hulu viewers received an error message, saying there was nothing left to watch. Hulu hadn’t accounted for the game running long, which led to a scheduling glitch that caused viewers to miss Tom Brady’s final attempts at a comeback.

While the problem in this case was atypical, reliability issues are all too common in live streaming TV, which has many more potential points of failure compared to a traditional cable telecast. And unfortunately for consumers, the only way to learn this is the hard way. Services like Hulu and Sling TV will tell you all about the features, channels, and low prices they offer, but they won't make any claims about how dependable they are.

It's time for that to change. In addition to competing on features and pricing, streaming TV providers should open up on reliability. Similar to how wireless carriers jockey for "most reliable network" bragging rights, streaming providers should compete on their basic ability to carry a live TV feed. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly rewind

A name and a price for ESPN's streaming service: In March, ESPN will launch the standalone streaming service it's been talking about for nearly two years. "ESPN Plus" will cost $5 per month and include a grab bag of live sporting events that do not already appear on ESPN's cable channels. It'll likely be a mix of college sports; random MLB, MLS, and NHL games; and less popular sports such as boxing and rugby.

This isn't a surprise, since ESPN has said since 2016 that its streaming service won't overlap with its cable channels. I suspect this will change in the long run as ESPN renegotiates with pay TV providers and sports rights olders, but for now, ESPN Plus isn't a major strategic shift for ESPN. It's just a way for the company to create another source of revenue as its cable subscriber base shrinks.

Hulu's new features: Super Bowl snafus aside, Hulu's live TV service has been getting a lot better. The $40 per month service now offers more granular DVR controls, including the abiltiy to record a single episode and to avoid recording reruns. Hulu is also now testing smoother 60 frames per second video on several channels including those from NBC--just in time for the Winter Olympics.

Speaking of, Hulu has some neat features in place for the games, including your favorite sports on the home page--hello, Curling--a section for highlights, and curated events and higlights from Hulu's editorial team. Further changes to Hulu's interface--including a live TV guide--are coming this spring.

More Catch-Up

Viacom is planning a standalone streaming service for September.
The Apple TV's TV app will now show you live news.
Plex DVR adds live TV support on the Xbox One, and more time-shifting features on Roku, desktop computers, and the web.
Channels' live TV app for HDHomeRun tuners is now on Android TV and Fire TV, but no DVR support yet.
Tablo's over-the-air DVR supports Samsung smart TVs now.

Save more money

If you've never signed up for DirecTV Now before, you can grab an Apple TV 4K with three months of prepaid service. That comes to $105 for a device that normally costs $180, and is the most polished 4K HDR streaming player on the market today. You might even decide to stick with DirecTV Now if its major overhaul and DVR features arrive before your three months expire.

Thanks for reading!

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Until next week,
Jared

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Cord Cutter Weekly is a labor of love by technology journalist Jared Newman. Say hi on Twitter, and let your friends know there's a better kind of TV out there. Or, unsubscribe here.