Hulu is a Television network that lets users stream live sports, events, news, shows or even Hulu original shows. It’s an American subscription streaming service owned by Walt Disney company, it boasts of up to 75+ channels with about 45 million users.
With a million users and it’s popularity, there’s bound to be network error when you are trying to watch anything with Hulu. Usually Hulu network errors are caused by poor internet connection, streaming device having issues, hardware issues or even an issue with the app.
Usually when there is an error, they are represented by error codes and messages. They are different Hulu error codes and messages. And they are quite different solutions to apply when you encounter such error messages pop ups.
- Restart or Reset streaming device which can be your phone, your PC, Roku TV, Xbox or any other kind of streaming device you are using.A quick restart can fix Hulu network error
- Check network connection, you can test internet speed to ensure that you have a stable and fast network. Hulu requires 3 Mbps internet bandwidth to access, to stream live videos you need 8Mbps and 25Mbps for 4k uHD content. You can use Fast.com to test network speed
- Unplug streaming device and home network device, leave them unplugged for some minutes and then plug back in. Try again to see if it works.
- Switch network connection from wireless connection to a wired network connection
- Reinstall/Update Hulu app because the network error might come from an outdated app. Simply updating the app or reinstalling can fix the issue
- Restart your modem or router
- Check Hulu server status, the problem might be from Hulu. If it’s from them then you have to wait for them to fix it
If Hulu network error comes in form of an error code, here are a few error codes and messages, what they mean and how to fix them.
Hulu Error Code 3 and 5
Hulu Error Code 3 and 5 are similar and are usually internet issues. These codes are triggered when Hulu app is unable to load your show. Error message of Error Code 3 usually looks like this:
Error code 5 messages looks like this:
Error playing this video
Error Code:3(-996)
We're having trouble loading this right now, Please check your internet connection and try again.
We're having trouble loading this right now - please check your internet connection and try again.
Error Code 5: malformed data.
How to fix Hulu Error Code 3 and 5:
- Turn your streaming device off, turn back on again. Don’t put your streaming device into sleep/standby mode, simply shut it down and restart.
- Unplug modem and router for some minutes, then plug it back in and try again.
- If problem is not solved, then reinstall Hulu app and update your streaming device. Usually if there is a new Hulu update, this error pops up. So ensure you update your app and streaming device. Look for Apps menu, select Hulu to check for recent update.
- Also connect device to modem or router with a physical Ethernet cable. Improve your Wi-Fi because it helps to eliminate Hulu network errors.
Hulu Error Code 500
Hulu error code 500 is a server error, the message looks this way:
There was an error on this page (500 error)
Sorry, we've encountered an unexpected error. We've been notified about this issue, and we'll take a look at it shortly.
When you see Hulu 500 error, refresh the page to see if it loads. Also try streaming on a different streaming device or web browser. Check your internet speed and see if it’s fast and stable.
Hulu Error Code 400
Hulu error code 400 usually indicates a problem with your account information that prevents Hulu app from working correctly on your streaming device.
The error code 400 message looks like this:
Error Code: 400
We're having trouble loading this right now, check your internet connection and try again
Hulu recommends you check internet connection when you encounter such error codes. If the problem is from the streaming device, move the device close to your router and try again. If it persists then follow these steps to fix Hulu error code 400;
- Delete Hulu app from your streaming device
- Reinstall Hulu app
- Log in to Hulu
- Attempt to stream something, hopefully it will work
If it doesn’t, remove the device from your account and add it back on. This can be done through Hulu official website or contact Hulu customer support. Follow these steps to do it:
- Log in to Hulu on a web browser
- Check your name on the upper right corner
- Click Account
- Enter your password when prompted
- Click Manage devices
- Locate the device showing error code 400 and click on remove
- Once you have removed the device from your account, delete the Hulu app and reinstall it
- After that log in and try again
Hulu Error Code 16
If this error code appears on your streaming device, it means Hulu is not available in your current location. Hulu is only available in the United States of America, any user outside will most likely encounter this error.
The message shows like this:
We're sorry, currently our video library can only be streamed within the United States of America. For more information in Hulu's international availability, click here.
If you see this error code message from USA, it’s because Hulu thinks that you are using a Virtual private network (VPN) or anonymous proxy. Even if you have an IP address from inside the United States, Hulu will block it if they believe it’s used by a proxy server.
Fix this issue by turning off VPN or anonymous proxy, simply Go to Settings > Network and Internet > VPN > click on the Gear icon > if VPN is off, toggle it off.
On your iPhone, Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > click the blue circle icon next to your Wi-Fi connection > look for HTTP proxy option and turn off.
If your https proxy option was already off but you still get error code, Hulu recommends deleting your configuration profile. Do this by going to Settings > General > Scroll to bottom and click on profiles > tap Delete profiles and try to use Hulu to stream something.
Or you can connect to a different WiFi network, shut off your WiFi and stream with you cellular data connection.
Hulu Network Error Code 5003
This error code indicates a playback error including a problem with your streaming device or Hulu app.
The message shows like this:
Playback failure
We're sorry, but there was an issue while playing this video.
Please check your connection and try again (5003)
Fix this error by updating the Hulu app and your streaming device should be up to date. If error still persists, then report to Hulu and the device manufacturer. You can use a different device to watch Hulu until error is fixed.
Hulu Protected Content Errors
These error codes pop up if you’re trying to watch protected content on a device that does not support it. Their codes are 3322, 3343, 3336, 3307, 2203, 3321, 0326.
The message shows like this:
(Error code:3336)
It cab be caused by quite a number of factors, which are:
- Multiple monitors Connected: Hulu works freely if your hooked up multiple monitors but sometimes disconnecting one if the monitors will fix a protected content error. Use a different cable and ensure monitors are connected with HDMI.
- Browser issues : if your browser is outdated, or not supported by Hulu, you will get this error message. Simply switch to a different browser or update the existing one.
- Computer has gone into sleep mode, try refreshing the page on Hulu and play again.
- The wrong type of monitor connection can cause this error. If your monitor is connected with a VGA cable, you can’t watch a protected content. Connect using HDMI cable or use a different monitor and try again.
Hulu HDCP Error
Hulu HDCP( High-bandwidth digital content protection) are device specific error and the messages looks like this:
This content requires HDCP for playback.
HDCP is not supported by HDMI connection.
HDCP is an anti-piracy technology. It requires communication between a video source like a Blu-ray player, streaming device, television or monitor in order to work. Fix HDCP error by following these steps;
- Unplug the HDMI cable and streaming device
- Turn off streaming device by unplugging from power source
- Reconnect the HDMI cable to the TV and streaming device. Ensure each end of the cable fits in firmly
- Plug in your TV and streaming device and turn it on
Alternatively:
- Plug TV end of HDMI cable into streaming device and streaming device cable end into TV. Ensure cable fits firmly into the HDMI port
- Try a different HDMI cable, one that works with Hulu
- Try plugging in HDMI cable into a different port on the TV
- If streaming device is plugged into an HDMI switcher it AVR, try plugging directly into the TV
Hulu Error Code BYA-403-007
This error code when it pops up on your screen usually means a problem with Hulu’s servers.
The message looks like this:
Sorry, we've encountered an error playing this video. Please try restarting the video it select something else to watch.
If you see this, first check if other videos has the same error. If they don’t,then Hulu is experiencing partial outage that affects some content.
But if other videos are not playing, then the problem is from Hulu’s servers so wait for them to fix it.
You can use Use Down detectors to see if other people are experiencing same thing.
Go to Down detector > Go to the search box and type Hulu > Press Enter to search > Then look at Hulu’s problem timeline to see if there are any reports > Scroll down and click Live Outages Map button > Look for Outages hotspots on your area > If there are lots if them, wait for Hulu to fix it.
Hulu network errors are not pleasing to the user when they pop up, but thankfully there are simple solutions. If any of the solutions does not work after trying them, then contact Hulu customer support to fix it for you.
This article was published on August 2, 2022 9:13 a.m. WAT
