Every year more people decide to ditch their cable or satellite TV providers, choosing to get all their TV entertainment and news from live TV streaming services. The growing number of choices, though, has made picking the right services more complex. This guide boils down the options.
Live streaming services are very different from on-demand streaming services such as Apple TV+, Max, and Netflix, which let you watch individual TV series and movies whenever you want. Instead, they try to replicate what you’d get through cable or satellite providers by offering access to live channels—including local broadcast networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC—but at a lower price and with no contractual commitments.
In this article
- DirecTV Stream FuboTV Hulu + Live TV Philo Sling TV YouTube TV What to Look for When Choosing a Service Streaming Devices to Consider
More on Streaming and Cutting the Cord
CR's Guide to Streaming Video Services
Best Free Streaming Video Services
How to Cut Cable for Just $25 a Month
Best and Worst Home Internet Providers
Get Free TV With an Indoor Antenna
The services that stream regular cable channels include DirecTV Stream, the sports-focused FuboTV service, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and Google’s YouTube TV.
All of these except Philo combine at least a few live local channels with a smattering of cable networks, at prices that typically range from about $45 to $95 or more per month. (At just $25 a month, Philo is a good choice if you can get all the local broadcasts you want through an antenna.)
Most of these cable replacement services also let you add genre- or theme-based channel packs, plus premium networks such as Max or Showtime, for an additional monthly fee.
Here are the details.
DirecTV Stream
Monthly bill: $80 to $165
What you get: The cheapest plans provide a mix of live TV stations and cable channels. The top-tier package adds premium channels such as Max, Showtime, and Starz.
AT&T has done some rejiggering, including spinning off its DirecTV satellite TV business into a separate entity, also called DirecTV. DirecTV Stream is essentially the DirecTV satellite service without the dish. (It replaced the earlier AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now streaming services.)
The company raised prices on all plans twice last year. The entry-level Entertainment plan got a $5 price hike to $80 a month. The Choice plan—the cheapest one that provides regional sports networks—jumped from $100 to $109 a month. The Ultimate plan (with Starz) now costs $120 a month, up from $110. Although not well advertised, you can still get the Premier plan (with Max, Cinemax, and Showtime) for $165 a month, a $10 increase.
There’s also a Spanish-language plan, called Optimo Mas, for $80 a month.
Max, which remains a separate entity within the Warner Bros. Discovery company, can be added separately to any plan. It includes Discovery+ content, but you can still subscribe to Discovery+ separately.
All of the services come with on-demand shows and movies, and unlimited cloud DVR storage.
You can get DirecTV Stream service using an app on streaming players and some smart TVs, but DirecTV also sells its own Android-based player, which costs $120 up front or $5 per month for 24 months. That’s much pricier than most stand-alone streaming media players, but it does support 4K videos and has a voice remote and Google Assistant built in.
What you don’t get: Some local channels and regional sports networks aren’t available in all markets or in the most basic plan. And some channels, such as BBC World News, FXM (the FX movie channel), Logo, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Oxygen, and the Smithsonian Channel, are available only in the pricier plans.
Sign up for DirecTV Stream.
FuboTV
Monthly bill: $80 to $100 per month
What you get: This sports-centric service provides live and on-demand channels from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC in most markets. It recently raised prices by $5 a month. You also get cable channels (AMC, Bravo, Discovery, FX, HGTV, Syfy, and TLC) and sports networks (BeIn Sports, FS1, Golf Channel, MSG, SNY, and NBA TV). Thanks to a deal with Disney, the service now has ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3), plus the SEC and ACC networks in certain markets.
The $80-a-month Pro plan has over 160 channels with local stations in most markets, plus lots of sports networks and many cable channels, though currently not Turner channels (CNN, TBS, TNT).
Stepping up to the $90-a-month Elite plan gets you Fubo Extra, with dozens more lifestyle and sports channels, plus over 130 events in 4K. The Premier plan, $100 per month, has even more channels, as well as Showtime. A Latino plan is $33 a month; it offers 45 channels and more than 100 sporting events.
Fubo recently started charging a fee for regional sports networks—up to $15 a month, depending on your area—which used to be free on Pro and higher plans.
You can add several premium channels, though not Max (formerly HBO Max). One plan combines MGM+, Showtime, and Starz for $20 per month. Separately, Showtime costs $11 a month; Starz is $9 a month. Sports fans can get Sports Plus with NFL RedZone, with NCAA games and RedZone from the NFL Network, for an extra $11 per month. An $8-per-month Fubo Extra plan adds more TV shows, movies, news, sports, music, and kids’ entertainment. There are also several Spanish-language plans and add-ons.
All of the plans come with a cloud DVR with 1,000 hours of storage and allow up to 10 simultaneous users at home, plus two on the go.
Fubo also has aMLB.TVdirect-to-consumer add-on package for an additional $25 per month (or $150 per season) that lets baseball fans stream out-of-market games, both live and on demand.
What you don’t get: Compared with many other services, Fubo’s on-demand library is limited. Also, Fubo is missing Turner channels (Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, TBS, TNT) from its lineup, though there are reports that a new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery will have them appearing soon. Also missing are A&E networks, including A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, and Vice TV. You also don’t get Fox regional sports networks or the Yes Network, home to Yankees games.
Sign up for FuboTV.
Hulu + Live TV
Monthly bill: $77 to $90
What you get: Hulu + Live TV offers about 75 channels, including the major broadcast channels—ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC—in a growing number of markets. You also get cable channels such as A&E, BET, CN, CNN, Disney, Fox News, FX, HGTV, TBS, and TNT. The lineup includes CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports, plus some regional sports networks. Hulu has recently added 14 channels, including Hallmark and The Weather Channel.
And of course you get Hulu’s streaming library, plus Hulu originals such as “Only Murders in the Building” and “The Bear.”
Hulu + Live TV now includes both Disney+ and ESPN+. The pricing tiers are confusing, varying mainly by which parts of your service show ads. Get the content with ads and you’ll pay $77 a month. Skip the ads only on Disney+ while tolerating ads on Hulu + Live TV and ESPN+ and you’ll pay $82 a month. If you’re willing to put up with ads only on ESPN+, the price is $90.
You can also get Live TV Only, which provides subscribers with access to live content, but not the Hulu streaming library or access to Disney+ or ESPN+, for $76 a month. Given its price, it doesn’t make much sense.
The basic service lets you create six separate profiles—though only two people can use the service at a time—and includes an unlimited cloud DVR. You can add premium networks, pay more to get additional sports and entertainment content, and upgrade to unlimited screens.
What you don’t get: Now that it has a deal to get missing Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) channels, the service is mainly missing AMC, BBC America, Hallmark, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, and PBS. Also, it lost some NBC programs that were available on Hulu to NBCUniversal’s own Peaco*ck service. Hulu has a deal with Discovery for several channels, including the Food Network, HGTV, and TLC, but some popular shows, such as “90 Day Fiancé” and “Fixer Upper,” will be only on the company’s newer Discovery+ and Max services.
Sign up for Hulu + Live TV.
Philo
Monthly bill: $25
What you get: Access to more than 70 channels from partners.
Philo is a service backed by several cable networks, including A&E, AMC, Discovery, Scripps, and Paramount (formerly CBSViacom). The company recently added the Smithsonian Channel and Pop, which airs older network shows such as “House” and “NCIS: New Orleans.” Philo also has a few original series, including “Boss Moves,” with “Love and Hip-Hop” star Rasheeda Frost, now in its second season. The service has a deal with Kin Community for access to that company’s women-focused lifestyle content.
Philo recently announced that it had reached a deal to provide the ad-supported AMC+ service, normally $5 a month, for free to its subscribers. You can add premium channels, such as MGM+ ($6 a month) and Starz ($10 a month).
Philo now also offers 37 free ad-supported channels you can get without a subscription.
Last year Philo’s price for new subscribers went from $20 to $25 per month, but those who signed up before the price hike were able to keep the lower price. As part of that $25 package, Philo is extending the time it keeps recordings in its unlimited DVR from 30 days to a year. You can create up to 10 profiles, and up to three people can stream at the same time.
What you don’t get: Philo has no local channels and doesn’t offer live news (CNN, Fox News) or sports networks such as ESPN or NFL Network.
Sign up for Philo.
Sling TV
Monthly bill: $40 to $60
What you get: Sling has two major offerings. The Orange package, for $40, features about 30 cable channels, including Disney and ESPN, plus A&E, the Food Network, and TBS, but no broadcast TV. It supports one user at a time. Sling Blue, $45 per month, supports three users and has a different mix of about 40 channels, including local broadcasts and regional sports. (Among other differences, Sling Blue doesn’t include ESPN.) A combined plan costs $55.
Sling TV is carrying ABC-owned stations in eight cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, in the Sling Blue and combined Sling Blue and Orange plans. But NBC and Fox locals aren’t available in all markets and CBS locals aren’t available at all.
You can add premium channels, including Showtime ($10) and Starz ($9). Sling TV offers a large number of add-on packs, which provide extra genre-based programming (sports, news, lifestyle, Hollywood, etc.). They cost an additional $6 to $21 (for a bundle with several packs) each month.
Sling beefed up its cloud DVR, so everyone now gets 50 hours of free DVR storage, up from 10 hours. You can also get 200 hours of storage, up from 50 hours, for $5 per month with the DVR Plus add-on.
In addition, Sling has an exclusive deal with Barstool Sports, a channel dedicated to sports and pop culture that features live content, including video podcasts, blogs, and video series.
There’s a free ad-supported service called Sling Freestream, with more than 300 live channels and over 40,000 on-demand titles, including news, sports, game shows, crime dramas, sitcoms, home improvement shows, and cooking shows.
What you don’t get: You can get ABC, Fox, and NBC in some markets, so you need to check before signing on. CBS is still missing from any plan. In addition, Sling doesn’t offer Max as an add-on package, and subscribers outside of several major markets can no longer get NBC on-demand channels. (Sling had provided on-demand NBC channels in markets where the live NBC channel wasn’t available.)
Sign up for Sling TV.
YouTube TV
Monthly bill: $73
What you get: YouTube TV offers access to more than 100 channels, including all the major broadcast networks, cable channels (AMC, Bravo, Disney, ESPN, FX, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, National Geographic, Turner, USA), and major sports networks such as CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports, along with the MLB, NBA, and NFL league networks. It recently added a bunch of Paramount channels, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Network. The service has also expanded its Spanish-language content with three Univision channels as well as two new add-on packages. A cloud DVR with unlimited storage for up to nine months is included.
YouTube is now also the home to NFL Sunday Ticket, which lets you watch out-of-market Sunday games, which have now left DirecTV.NFL Sunday Ticket supports YouTube TV’s multiviewfeature, enabling subscribers to watch multiple games simultaneously.
Recently, YouTube upgraded its multiview feature for all YouTube TV subscribers by letting you pick the games you want to watch. It also upgraded the video quality of 1080p content on 4K devices that support the VP9 video codec. Google says it’s working with the NFL to show all league games in 1080p, including those shot in 720p, which will then be upconverted to the higher resolution.
You can add Max, MGM+, Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, and a few other channels for an extra fee. YouTube TV subscribers have been able to do this, but now anyone can access the Primetime Channel hub on YouTube. There’s also a 4K Plus add-on plan, which gives you additional channels in 4K, for an additional $10 a month. There’s a Spanish-language plan that costs $35 a month, and you can add more with a $15-a-month add-on pack.
What you don’t get: YouTube TV’s biggest content holes are some cable channels, including A&E, CW, DIY Network, History Channel, and Lifetime.
Sign up for YouTube TV.
What to Look for When Choosing a Live TV Streaming Service
Before signing up, browse each service’s channel listing carefully to ensure you’ll be able to watch the channels you want. Some services are more limited than others, and the content can vary by region, especially when it comes to local channels. To find out what you can receive, go to each company’s website, plug in your ZIP code, and see what’s available in your area. (Philo doesn’t have this option because it doesn’t offer local stations.)
In general, video streaming services have been adding more local broadcast channels, such as ABC and CBS, but these channels aren’t available in all areas. If you’re missing some local channels, consider adding an antenna to get free over-the-air broadcasts. In our indoor TV antenna ratings, some testers received dozens of channels and subchannels at home, and the picture often looked even better than what they were getting from cable TV.
In addition, consider the features each service offers. If you can’t watch a lot of your favorites live, you’ll want a generous DVR feature. Some services offer anywhere from 200 to 500 hours worth of recording with your base plan, and they may offer more allowance through add-on packages. You’ll also want to consider the availability of add-on packages and special live broadcasts, such as NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV and pay-per-view sporting events on FuboTV.
Many of the cable replacement services offer a free trial period. Because most require a credit card number, you’ll have to keep track of when the trial period ends and cancel if you don’t want to continue the service.
Prices for many packages continue to rise. These hikes typically range between $1 and $5 at a time, but they can add up over the years. Consumer Reports will keep this article updated with all the latest pricing information when those changes occur. Be sure to check back for the latest pricing before deciding whether to subscribe.
Streaming Devices to Consider
All of these services are available on top streaming devices from companies like Amazon, Apple, and Roku. Here are three highly rated streaming boxes and sticks that’ll pair perfectly with a 4K TV.
James K. Willcox
James K. Willcox leads Consumer Reports’ coverage of TVs, streaming media services and devices, broadband internet service, and the digital divide. He's also a homeowner covering several home improvement categories, including power washers and decking. A veteran journalist, Willcox has written for Business Week, Cargo, Maxim, Men’s Journal, Popular Science, Rolling Stone, Sound & Vision, and others. At home, he’s often bent over his workbench building guitars or cranking out music on his 7.2-channel home theater sound system.
