This is a device generation issue, and one that I ran into recently in a rental townhouse with an older Apple TV. If you have a Hulu live TV streaming account and can’t access your favorite channels from the Hulu app on your Apple TV, it’s because your Apple TV is too old.
Hulu live TV can only be accessed via Apple TV from Apple TV 4th generation devices and newer, as well as Apple TV 4K.
The TV my landlord installed in our living room is an older Panasonic model, and she uses an Apple TV for access to Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. When I logged into the Hulu app recently, I didn’t see live TV, only the on-demand library. Further, the on-demand titles I did d=find wouldn’t play and kept sending error messages.
The latest versions of the Hulu app, and the ones you need to watch Hulu live TV, aren’t supported by old Apple TV models, but there is a workaround.
How to watch Hulu live TV with an older Apple TV using Apple AirPlay
If you’re not crazy about the thought of going out and buying a new Apple TV, or a new smart TV for that matter, just to stream Hulu live TV, there is a workaround that allows you to stream Hulu live TV to an older Apple TV model.
You will need an iPhone and the newest Hulu app installed via iOS.
Go to the Hulu app and select the show you’d like to watch.
When you touch the screen of the show you’ve chosen, the following menu items will appear.
Select the Apple Air Play icon (highlighted with a red arrow in the screenshot below).
You will then see the option of streaming the Hulu content to your Apple TV via AirPlay.
If you have a good internet connection, you can use your iPhone to watch Hulu live TV, even on an older Apple TV model that doesn’t support the latest Hulu app.
For more, see this Hulu customer service page on supported Apple TV models.