There’s a recent shift in the TV industry from paid cable to live streaming services. Unlike in the past, when you’ll have to forgo some channels to reduce cable costs, with live TV streaming services, you can cancel anytime. One subscription brings you many channel options, and subscriptions can cost $25. With the surge in demand for live TV streaming services, a big question surfaces, what are the best options out there?
Here Is a comprehensive list of the best live TV streaming services available right now:
- Fubo TV
- YouTube TV
- DirecTV Stream
- Hulu+ Live TV
- Sling TV
- Philo
Fubo TV
Fubo TV is arguably the best live TV streaming service for sports fans. Why is it the best TV service for soccer fans? Fubo TV is sports-centric; it has many channels, including soccer, NBA, NHL and MLB.
Apart from sports channels, the package includes lots of news and entertainment channels like Discovery Network. Fubo TV channel list includes local networks like ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC.
As impressive as the channel list is, there are several popular networks you can’t find on Fubo TV, including CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and TruTV. Fubo TV prices range from $69.99 for the Pro package to $79.99 for the Elite package. The Pro package contains 118 channels, while the Elite package has 174 channels.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers an excellent overall channel and streaming channel. It is one of the services that are on the expensive side, but you’ll get great value for your penny. It offers a wide range of over 85 channels.
You get broadcast networks such as popular news channels, top sports networks, and mainstream channels. There’s also an option for subscription add-ons that makes available services such as HBO Max, NBA League Pass, Showtime, and Starz.
The subscription price is $64.99. YouTube TV also features unlimited DVR and 4k streaming.
DirecTV Stream
Formerly known as AT&T TV, DirecTV Stream offers a robust channel lineup, including over 120 local PBS channels. Another takeaway is that it provides unlimited DVR and unlimited concurrent streaming.
However, the pricing is on the more expensive side. It has four plan offers with different prices and a total number of channels. The least expensive plan is the Entertainment plan at $69.99, the Choice plan at $89.99, the Ultimate plan at $104.99 and the Premier plan at $149.99.
With the Entertainment plan, you get 65+ channels, the Choice plan has 90+ channels, the Ultimate plan has 130+ channels, and the Premier has 140+ channels.
Hulu + Live TV
The most notable thing about this live TV streaming service is its large amount of on-demand content. Amongst our selection of the best live TV streaming services, Hulu + Live TV offers the most on-demand access to original contents.
With $69.99, you get access to Hulu Originals like The Handmaid’s Tale, Only Murders in the Building and Nomadland; you also get access to Disney+, ESPN Plus and live TV. Hulu + Live TV features over 75 news, sports and entertainment channels. It also features unlimited DVR for nine months and unlimited concurrent streams for an additional $9.99 per month.
Sling TV
Sling TV pioneered live TV streaming and, till now, maintains one of the cheapest service packages on the market. It has a free trial option.
There are two plans, the Sling Orange and Sling Blue. The pricing for each starts at $35. Sling Orange has over 30 channels in its catalogue, while Sling Blue has over 45. Some channels are available on both plans; there’s also an option to combine both plans for $50 per month.
Sling TV has a limited number of local channels, so you won’t get channels like ABC, CBS and PBS. It comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space.
Philo
Philo is the least expensive choice on our list. Pricing begins at $25 and includes a wide range of entertainment channels, including a few sports channels, local stations, and famous news networks.
Philo provides 60 channels and a DVR that operates differently than other providers. Instead of simply a single episode, the DVR allows customers to preserve the whole available archive of a show for on-demand but not offline watching, and it also provides limitless storage. Philo allows for up to three concurrent streams.
Final Thoughts
Like every other product out there, there are Pros and cons with live TV streaming services. Some of the Pros are that using a live TV streaming service, you can watch live sports, local news, and events on any device with an internet connection, anywhere. Everything about live TV streaming is flexible, including subscriptions, and there are also many affordable options out there, depending on your package.
Some of the notable cons include the fact that you won’t get every channel with anyone streaming service. No matter how robust a service’s channel list is, there’re still one or two channels it might be missing.
