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An alternative to cable, live TV streaming offers competitive pricing and channel lineups with access to sports network TV shows. And if you’re someone who prefers the freedom of contract-free live streaming apps, you may find the services appealing. These platforms not only offer a wider range of channels compared to an antenna, but also provide the convenience of watching on desktops and mobile devices.
Right now, there are six main streaming services to choose from: YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Philo. However, what really counts is the variety of channels they offer, right? That’s why we’ve carefully reviewed these services and put together a list of the ones that give you the most bang for your buck.
Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2024
The main difference between the services is their channel selection. All of them offer different lineups of channels for various prices.
Below you’ll find a chart that shows the top 100 channels across all six services, but note that not each service has a worthy 100. There are actually seven listed because Sling TV has two different “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And if you’re wondering, I chose which “top” channels made the cut. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Universal HD.
Plenty of live TV streaming choices are available to anyone who wants to cut the cable cord. Sling TV’s basic packages are $40 in most cities. But costs continue to go up. Fubo’s price is set to increase in February 2024, and DirecTV Stream is now $80 per month for its base plan. YouTube TV costs $73 per month, while Hulu’s live TV service now costs $77 a month with ads and $90 without ads, making it the most expensive option for a basic plan. Those changes are reflected in the chart below where applicable.
Some more stuff to know about the chart:
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | Fubo ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total channels: | 42 | 24 | 35 | 78 | 56 | 75 | 62 |
| ABC | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CBS | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NBC | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PBS | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CW | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (limited) |
| MyNetworkTV | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | Fubo ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
| A&E | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| ACC Network | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Accuweather | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| AMC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Adult Swim | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animal Planet | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BBC America | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| BBC World News | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | No | $ |
| BET | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Big Ten Network | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Bloomberg TV | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Boomerang | No | $ | $ | No | No | $ | Yes |
| Bravo | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | Fubo ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
| Cartoon Network | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CBS Sports Network | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Cheddar | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Cinemax | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| CMT | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNBC | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNN | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Comedy Central | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooking Channel | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Destination America | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Discovery Channel | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Channel | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Junior | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney XD | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E! | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN 2 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPNEWS | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| ESPNU | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | Fubo ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
| Food Network | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Business | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox News | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FS1 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FS2 | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Freeform | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FX | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FX Movies | No | No | $ | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| FXX | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FYI | Yes | $ | $ | No | No | Yes | $ |
| Golf Channel | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Hallmark | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HBO/Max | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| HGTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| History | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| HLN | No | $ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| IFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Investigation Discovery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime Movie Network | Yes | $ | $ | No | No | Yes | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | FuboTV ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
| Magnolia Network | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| MGM+ (formerly EPIX) | $ | $ | $ | $ | No | No | $ |
| MLB Network | No | $ | $ | No | $ | No | $ |
| Motor Trend | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MSNBC | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MTV | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MTV2 | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| National Geographic | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nat Geo Wild | No | No | $ | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| NBA TV | No | $ | $ | Yes | $ | No | $ |
| NFL Network | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| NFL Red Zone | No | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | No |
| NHL Network | No | $ | $ | No | $ | No | $ |
| Nickelodeon | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nick Jr. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Nicktoons | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | $ | $ |
| OWN | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Oxygen | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Paramount Network | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Science | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | FuboTV ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
| SEC Network | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| Showtime | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Smithsonian | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Starz | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Sundance TV | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Syfy | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tastemade | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | No | $ |
| TBS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TCM | No | $ | $ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TeenNick | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| Telemundo | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| Tennis Channel | No | $ | $ | No | $ | No | $ |
| TLC | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TNT | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Travel Channel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ |
| TruTV | No | $ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TV Land | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USA Network | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VH1 | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vice | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| WE tv | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($25) | Sling Orange ($40) | Sling Blue ($40) | YouTube TV ($73) | FuboTV ($75) | Hulu with Live TV ($77) | DirecTV Stream ($80) |
A series of price hikes has brought a number of additional channels to Hulu, including PBS and access to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, at a $77 price tag. Its channel selection isn’t as robust as YouTube TV and Fubo, yet it’s Hulu’s significant catalog of on-demand content which sets it apart. Exclusive titles such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Orville and Only Murders in the Building give it a content advantage no other service can match.
Live TV subscribers also receive unlimited DVR that includes fast-forwarding and on-demand playback — at no additional cost. It’s a move that has aligned Hulu with its competitors in terms of features, but the channel lineup may still be a deciding factor. For example, the platform recently lost Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate channels. It’s $4 more than YouTube TV which has more channels, but the access to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus may make it a more appealing choice for you. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
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With an excellent channel selection, easy-to-use interface and best-in-class cloud DVR, the $73 per month YouTube TV is one of the best cable TV replacements. It offers a $20 4K upgrade, but the downside is there isn’t much to watch at present unless you watch select channels. If you don’t mind paying a bit more than the Sling TVs of the world, or want to watch live NBA games, YouTube TV offers a high standard of live TV streaming. Read our YouTube TV review.
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If you want to save a little money, and don’t mind missing out on local channels, Sling TV is the best of the budget services. Its Orange and Blue packages start at $40 per month, and you can combine them for a monthly rate of $55. The Orange option nets you one stream, while Blue gives you three. It’s not as comprehensive or as easy to navigate as YouTube but with a bit of work, including adding an antenna or an AirTV 2 DVR, it’s an unbeatable value. Read our Sling TV review.
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DirecTV Stream is back to being the most expensive, and its stiffest competition is still Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV. The service does have its pluses, though — for example, it includes the flipper-friendly ability to swipe left and right to change channels. Additionally, it includes some channels some other services can’t, including nearly 250 PBS stations nationwide. The $80 Entertainment package may suit your needs with its 75-plus channels. But for cord-cutters who want to follow their local NBA or MLB team, DirecTV Stream’s $109 Choice package is our live TV streaming pick because it has access to more regional sports networks than the competition. Nonetheless, you’ll want to make sure your channel is included here, and not available on one of our preferred picks, before you pony up. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
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There’s a lot to like about Fubo — it offers a wide selection of channels and its sports focus makes it especially attractive to soccer fans or NBA, NHL and MLB fans who live in an area served by one of Fubo’s RSNs. It’s also a great choice for NFL fans since it’s one of three services, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, with NFL Network and optional RedZone. Beginning in February 2024, Fubo will charge more for its service and access to Bally Sports RSNs. The biggest hole in Fubo’s lineup is the lack of Turner networks, including CNN, TNT and TBS — especially since the latter two carry a lot of sports content, in particular NBA, NHL and MLB. Those missing channels, and the same $75 price tag, makes it less attractive than YouTube TV for most viewers. Read our Fubo review.
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At $25 Philo is still a cheap live TV streaming service with a variety of channels, but it lacks sports channels, local stations and big-name news networks — although Cheddar and BBC news are available. Philo offers bread-and-butter cable staples like AMC, Comedy Channel, Nickelodeon and Magnolia Network, and specializes in lifestyle and reality programming. It’s also one of the cheapest live services that streams Paramount, home of Yellowstone, and it includes a cloud DVR and optional add-ons from Epix and Starz. We think most people are better off paying another $15 for Sling TV’s superior service, but if Philo has every channel you want, it’s a decent deal. Read our Philo review.
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