People want to save money. At the same time, though, 60% of viewers are paying for both cable TV and one or more streaming channels. That’s because they want both their regular channels and fresh, new offerings from video-on-demand (VoD) streaming services.
With no further ado, let’s first take a look at the best live TV streaming services.
Sling TV has an à la carte approach to channels that separates it from its competitors and makes it our top overall pick. While the others tend to offer only one or two packages, Sling TV offers three basic packages – Blue, Orange, Orange & Blue – plus a wide variety of packages bundling up to a dozen related channels. This is a mixed blessing, as it can be a tad confusing. But I like it because it lets me get only the channels I want.
It starts with two $40 per month for the Blue or Orange channel packages. Some channels (TBS and TNT) are available on both Sling Orange, over 31 channels, and Sling Blue, over 41 channels. Orange is basically an ESPN/Disney package, while Blue offers a Fox/NBC package. Your best deal, if you want a broad selection of channels, is to combine them in the Orange & Blue package for $55.
What you won’t get are local ABC, CBS, and PBS channels. For those, Sling TV urges you to use an over-the-air (OTA) antenna. Indeed, Sling TV has its own streaming devices, AirTV 2 and AirTV Mini, to watch both Sling TV and your local channels. I’ve used and liked them both.
Sling TV’s packages, besides such common offerings as Showtime channels, cost from $6 to $10 monthly. For example, the $11 Sports Extra comes with 15 channels, including NBA TV, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, NHL Network, and several college sports networks. It also offers a personal favorite, Willow Cricket, for $10 per month. The $6 Hollywood Extra offers seven channels including – for my way of thinking – the essential Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and ReelZ.
On its cloud DVR, Sling TV offers 50 hours. If you want more, you can up to 200 hours of storage for an additional $5 per month. You can also fast-forward through commercials with this service.
Your streaming options are… interesting. Sling Orange only lets you stream one channel at a time, while Sling Blue allows for three. If you get the package with both, you can stream four shows at once.
Finally, if you want non-English channels, Sling TV is better than all the other services combined. It includes numerous Asian and European language offerings. It also offers Arabic and Brazilian Portuguese.
Personally, I’ve liked Sling TV since it pioneered live TV streaming back in 2016. I like the interface, I like its speed, and I like that I can pick and choose my channels. Its combined Blue and Orange price is still below that of its main competitors, making Sling TV today’s best streaming service for the price.
I used to love Google’s YouTube TV, and I still like it a lot. But there’s this one not-so-little problem: the price tag. At $65 per month plus taxes, YouTube TV isn’t cheap.
That said, there’s a lot to love here. With over 85 channels, it offers more of the most popular ones than its competitors. It also enables you to watch not only your local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in most areas, but your local PBS stations as well.
The service also recently released its first add-on $11 per month Sports Plus package. This includes NFL RedZone, Fox College Sports, GolTV, and Fox Soccer Plus.
This video streaming service also has a $20 monthly add-on which, while it doesn’t add any channels, lets you watch 4K livestreams and a limited amount of on-demand content. It also adds an unlimited number of simultaneous streams (up from three).
YouTube TV unquestionably has the best cloud DVR. It comes with unlimited storage and a generous nine months to watch recordings. And, yes, you can zoom by commercials on your recorded shows as well.
The other streaming services prices are catching up with YouTube TV. I still prefer Sling TV by a nose, but YouTube TV is great as well, and you can’t beat its cloud DVR service.
Hulu with Live TV’s big selling point is it’s the one service that combines both live TV and VoD. Besides great original content, such as exclusive titles like Only Murders in the Building, it also has a large catalog of on-demand shows and movies. On top of that, you get over 75 live and on-demand channels.
Its channel selection has some blanks in it. Some favorites, such as the AMC, the CW, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and VH1, are only available in extra-price add-ons. On the other hand, basic sports are well-covered with the ESPN and Fox sports networks. Like most of the other services, it gives you access to local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in most areas. You don’t, however, get your local PBS station.
That said, Hulu with Live TV now comes in a bundle with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for $70 per month. If you like Marvel, Disney, Pixar, or Star Wars – everyone on the planet must like at least one of those – this is a very attractive deal. Except for when it’s Big 12 Basketball season, I don’t find ESPN Plus that interesting. NHL and MLS fans, however, will find a lot to like.
Hulu with Live TV’s interface and performance has been consistently improving over the years. Today, I find it the easiest live TV service to use. And as of April 13, 2022, all Hulu with Live TV customers will have an unlimited DVR which includes fast forward for no extra charge.
For another $10 per month, you can play as many streams as you want at once (without the add-on, you can stream two). But, unlike the other services, you can’t easily stream outside your home. As Hulu puts it, “Our Live TV plans are intended for single-home use.” You can stream away from home on your smartphone, but if you try to stream on your dad’s Roku, you’ll find it won’t work.
Finally, if all you want is Hulu VoD streaming, it’s still available. The cheapest version of the ad-supported streaming library is only $7 per month. The no-ads version is also available for $13.
I wish Hulu with Live TV had more channels. But, on the other hand, I like that it only has one simple package, and that combination includes Disney. So, all-in-all, I can highly recommend Hulu with Live TV for most people.
Are you a serious sports fan? And when I say “serious,” I mean besides watching the US favorite trilogy of football, basketball, and baseball, do you want to watch the English Premier League, F1 Racing, and cricket?
Yes? Then, you should check out FuboTV.
While great for sports lovers, FuboTV has some odd holes in its lineup. For example, it no longer carries TNT and TBS, both of which show a lot of sports. It also doesn’t include the Fox regional sports networks. Still, if your sporting tastes run to European sports, you’ll find a lot to like here.
Besides sports, FuboTV is a full-fledged streaming service with all the usual stations. It comes with three basic English-language plans and one Spanish-language plan. The first, Pro, has over 125 channels and 1,000 hours of video DVR storage, and you can stream to up to three screens at once for $70 per month. This comes with a free trial.
Then there’s, Elite, offering 178 channels, 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage, and up to 10 screens streamed at once for $80 per month.
Lastly, there’s the Ultimate Plan. It comes with 214 channels including the Sports Plus with the NFL Redzone channel, Showtime, and the News Plus package for $100 per month.
All plans offer your local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in many regions. Another nice feature is you can fast-forward or skip commercials on your recorded shows.
For those who like Spanish-language sports and TV, there’s the Latino Quarterly offering. This costs $33 per month for 43 channels, three simultaneous streams, and 250 hours of DVR space.
Put it all together, and you have the best streaming service for European sports fans and other non-mainstream US sports. Personally, I’d like to see them add Willow TV, the cricket-specific streaming service, but that’s a small matter unless you’re a serious cricket fan. FuboTV is also a good, general-purpose streaming service in its own right.
Short on cash? Not all that interested in sports? If that’s you, then Philo is the service you want. For only $25 per month, you get 65 channels.
But you won’t get any local or sports channels. Still, if you like popular entertainment and lifestyle shows with just enough news – BBC World News and Cheddar News – to keep you informed, Philo is well worth checking out.
Philo has also started offering movie channels: Epix for $6 per month and Starz for $9 per month. The network is also starting to add original content of its own. Stay tuned for more on that.
Philo boasts exceptional DVR capabilities; most of Philo’s channel TV shows and movies are available on-demand for 72-hours after their first live airing. It also gives you unlimited DVR storage. Once stored, you’ll have one year to watch recordings. You can also fast-forward your way through your saved shows.
The service enables you to watch three different streams at the same time. If you go over that, the oldest stream stops working.
You can’t beat the price, and Philo’s cloud DVR functionality is second to none. If you live in an area with a lot of over-the-air stations you can pull in with an antenna, it may be all you need. For what it offers, I quite like Philo.
I follow streaming services for a living, and even I have trouble keeping up with AT&T/DirecTV streaming service names. Today, it’s DirecTV Stream. By whatever name, it’s become better over the years, but its offerings and price have gotten poorer.
In the early days, it came with a great price: 100 channels for $35 per month. We wish it were anything like that today.
DirectTV Stream is an expensive service. The entry-level Entertainment package comes with 65+ channels and 40,000 VoD titles for $70 per month; the Choice package includes 90+ channels and 45,000 VoD selections for $85 per month; the Ultimate with 130+ channels and 55,000 VoD selections is now $105 per month; and the Premier with 140+ channels and 65,000 VoD shows costs $150 per month.
Every package offers access to local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC channels in most – but not all – areas. And except for the bottom-tier Entertainment offering, all packages come with a large selection of regional sports networks (RSN).
Once upon a time, DirecTV Stream included a generous 500 hours of cloud DVR storage. Now, it offers a mere 20 hours of video storage. However, the provider does offer unlimited DVR storage if you place your order online.
Furthermore, you can stream up to 20 devices simultaneously on your home network. When you’re away from home, you can stream to up to three devices.
If you have a large family or live with a lot of friends and you can actually use up to 20 streams at once, I can see why subscribing to this service would be enticing. Otherwise, the new DirecTV Stream reminds me too much of the old cable services both in its looks and cost.
Since then, I’ve been streaming since before most of you knew what streaming was… With that in my background, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that I watch and subscribe to pretty much every major streaming service out there. Although those I don’t subscribe to, I at least sample every now and again. So, when I tell you about the services I recommend, it’s because I know them well and I really like them.
Sure, the delivery technology is different. Instead of a set-top box, you use a streaming device, such as my own favorite, the Roku Express 4K Plus. Or you can just buy high-end TVs with full-featured streaming built-in. But the bills are increasingly getting higher. That said, you can still save money.
ZDNET has compared the top streaming devices here:
The best streaming devices
