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You don't need a clunky satellite dish or cable box to watch live TV anymore. These days, the best live TV streaming services can give you access to all your favorite channels without the hassles or lofty fees that come with cable TV. All you need is an internet connection and a smart TV, computer, or smartphone to start watching.
But with so many options on the market, it can be tricky to figure out which service is right for your needs. To help you choose, we spent hours testing the best live TV streaming services to narrow it down to our top five picks. Hulu + Live TV earns our highest recommendation since it boasts 95+ channels and includes on-demand access to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. But if you're on a budget, an entry-level service like Philo could be all you need. It's missing local channels and sports networks, but it's only $28 a month. If you're looking for a true cable replacement, then DirecTV Stream is the way to go.
Below, you'll find our full list of live TV streaming recommendations for different needs. Though channel selection and price vary, these cord-cutting services all offer plenty of popular networks to watch. If you're stuck deciding between two options, our Sling vs. Fubo guide might be able to help you out.
Our top picks for the best live TV streaming services
Best overall: Hulu + Live TV
Best budget plan: Philo
Best for the essentials: Sling TV
Best for sports fans: Fubo
Best cable alternative: DirecTV Stream
Best overall
Hulu + Live TV includes over 90 channels, along with Hulu's on-demand library and access to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. Adding live TV drives up the price significantly, but it's a rolling one-month contract that you're free to cancel at any time. As live TV services go, this is one of the best.
- Combines live TV channels with the Disney Plus bundle
- One of the few live TV services compatible with Nintendo Switch
- Offers add-ons like Max and Showtime
- Falls short if you're not a Disney or ESPN fan
- Missing a few channels like AMC and NBA TV
- Hulu (ads) + Live TV: $83/month for 95+ channels with up to two simultaneous streams, along with ad-supported Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus
- Hulu (ad-free) + Live TV: $96/month for 95+ channels with up to two simultaneous streams, along with ad-free Hulu and Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus
Hulu + Live TV is an excellent live TV platform that offers superb channel quantity and quality, along with the added bonus of on-demand access to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus — which are three of the best streaming services you can get. It's difficult to find a viewer who wouldn't be satisfied by all of these libraries combined, whether you're a Marvel devotee, picky kid, or avid sports fan.
When it comes to live TV streaming, Hulu's service features unlimited DVR and simultaneous viewing on up to two screens (you can get unlimited screens with a $10 add-on). The app is available on virtually any connected device and is one of the few streaming services you can get on the Nintendo Switch.
Though it may not offer the most channels, Hulu + Live TV has a ton of popular networks that you'll actually want to watch. The lineup includes local stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox; kids shows from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel; reality TV from TLC, HGTV, and TruTV; and other cable favorites like TNT, TBS, Paramount Network, and more. Sports fans can also tune into ESPN, ESPN2, and NFL Network.
On the downside, Hulu + Live TV is missing a few sports channels like NBA TV and NHL Network that you can get on some rival services, and there's no way to upgrade to a Hulu add-on that carries these channels. It's also missing AMC, so fans of shows like "Interview with the Vampire" and "Mayfair Witches" will have to look elsewhere.
Still, it's hard to deny how much value this package delivers. It's the only cord-cutting service that covers your live TV and on-demand entertainment needs in one convenient subscription plan. And it does all that for around the same price as its direct competitors.
Check out our Hulu + Live TV guide and our Hulu + Live TV channel roundup.
Best budget plan
If you want your streaming service to cost less per month than a single trip for the family to Starbucks, Philo is made with you in mind. It features over 70 channels for just $28 a month, but it is missing popular sports and local networks.
- Hands-down the cheapest of any service
- Free seven-day trial
- Over 70 channels including popular reality and lifestyle networks
- No local channels or sports coverage
- Very few news networks
- Limited add-ons
- Philo Free: 100+ channels you can stream for free
- Philo Core: $28/month for 70+ channels with up to three streams at a time
If price is your main concern, live TV streaming doesn't get any better than Philo. For only $28 a month, you get over 70 channels and unlimited one-year DVR. In exchange for such a low cost, Philo falls short in a few areas, but it's still an incredible value.
The Philo channel catalog is limited but does include quality content for the right viewer. You can find great lifestyle channels like Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, and TLC, and you get Nickelodeon for your little ones. General entertainment options are also solid with stations like AMC, Paramount Network, and Comedy Central. However, if you're looking for robust news, local stations, or sports coverage, you'll have to look elsewhere since Philo doesn't include networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, or ESPN.
The Philo app is available on select smart TVs, most streaming devices, and smartphones. But, unlike other live TV services, it's not available on gaming consoles.
Philo cuts some corners, but it does so to keep costs low for viewers, making it the best live TV streaming service for shoppers on a tight budget. We suggest browsing the Philo channel lineup if you're looking for a cheap cable alternative. You might be surprised by how many popular networks you can get for only $28 a month.
Check out our Philo guide.
Best for the essentials
For just the essentials without any extra fluff, Sling TV is the streaming service you're looking for. It's more customizable than other plans, with three options you can choose from, so you pay for only what you need. New members often get a chunky discount on their first month.
- Two affordable base plans to choose from
- Options with sports or local networks
- Up to three simultaneous streams
- Certain channels are exclusive to Orange or Blue
- Gets pricey once you start adding extra channel packages
- Local channels limited to select cities and no option to get CBS
- Sling Freestream: 400+ live internet channels you can stream for free
- Sling Orange: Starts at $46/month with around 35 channels and one stream at a time
- Sling Blue: Starts at $46/month with around 42 channels and up to three streams at a time
- Sling Orange + Blue: Starts at $61/month with around 46-49 channels
Sling is the best live TV streaming service for viewers who just want the essentials without any extra bells and whistles. Though not quite as cheap as Philo, Sling TV allows you to choose between two primary channel lineups to keep your monthly costs as low as possible, and it includes some key networks that Philo is missing.
Sling Orange targets the sporty family, while Sling Blue targets news and entertainment viewers. Though pricing varies slightly depending on where you live, each plan starts at $46 a month, making Sling one of the most affordable options on the market.
Both plans feature the same base lineup of 26 channels, including popular networks like AMC, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, and Cartoon Network. In addition to that core selection, Orange and Blue each offer exclusive channels geared toward a specific kind of viewer. Orange includes exclusives like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Disney Channel, Freeform, and Motortrend. Meanwhile, Blue comes with channels like NFL Network, FX, Discovery, and TLC, along with local networks like ABC, NBC, and Fox in select cities.
If you're interested in getting both lineups, you can combine the two plans with the Sling Orange + Blue package for a starting price of $61 a month. At that price, however, we think you're better off paying a bit more to get the extra perks and additional channels that come with a Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV membership.
Check out our Sling TV review, round-up of Sling TV channels, and guide to Sling Orange vs. Blue.
Best for sports fans
Fubo is the streaming service for sports fans. Its huge library of channels includes regional and international sports leagues, setting it apart from the competition. You can also tack on additional programming to your plan, but it'll cost you extra.
- Huge library of channels
- Tons of sports options
- Different tier subscriptions available for different budgets
- Some sports channels cost extra
- Gets costly with each add-on
- Missing key networks like AMC, TNT, TBS, and CNN
- Fubo Essential: $85/month ($60 first month) for around 150+ channels and 10 screens at a time
- Fubo Pro: $85/month ($65 first month) for around 150+ channels and 10 screens at a time
- Fubo Elite: $95/month ($75 first month) for around 260 channels in up to 4K with 10 screens at a time
- Fubo Latino: $33/month ($20 first month) for around 65 channels on up to two screens at a time
Fubo's strongest selling point is its huge library of available channels: At least 150 with its entry-level Essential and Pro plans alone, and more included with each tier up. (The exact number of channels varies slightly depending on your location, but base plans can get around 200 channels in select areas.) Fubo now also comes with unlimited DVR recording storage, and it stands out for letting subscribers watch up to 10 simultaneous screens at once on one account, albeit for a more expensive starting price than most competitors.
Fubo is mostly geared toward sports fans, especially those who want to watch regional channels and international leagues, but be ready to pay for extras. With Fubo Pro, the cheapest plan, you get sports stations like ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, beIN Sports, PFL, Speedvision, Bleav Sports, FS1, FS2, Sportsnews, SEC Network, Motortrend, and more. Other services also offer some of these networks, but Fubo stands out further with specific add-on bundles for MLB, NBA, and international sports. These start at an additional $7 a month.
But once you start tacking on add-ons, Fubo can become expensive. If you go with the base plan at $85 a month, then opt for Sports Plus ($11 a month) and MLB.TV ($30 a month), you're already at a hefty $121 monthly cost. That makes FuboTV one of the most expensive live TV streaming services.
And while Fubo has tons of specialized sports networks, regional stations, and international options, it's important to note that it is missing TNT and TBS, which broadcast some NBA and MLB games. AMC and Warner Bros. networks (like CNN and HGTV) are also missing.
Check out our Fubo TV guide.
Best cable alternative
Previously known as AT&T TV, DirecTV Stream offers streaming access to a large selection of live channels, including most key networks typically found in traditional cable packages.
- Massive on-demand catalog
- Allows add-ons like Max, STARZ, and Paramount+ with Showtime
- Offerings similar to cable
- One of the pricier live TV packages on the market
- Must upgrade for select sports channels beyond essentials like ESPN
- MyFree DirecTV: 90+ live channels you can stream for free
- DirecTV Stream Entertainment: $87/month for 90+ channels with unlimited streams
- DirecTV Stream Choice: $115/month for 125+ channels with unlimited streams
- DirecTV Stream Ultimate: $130/month for 160+ channels with unlimited streams
DirecTV Stream, the streaming counterpart to the cable provider DirecTV, is as close as it gets to cable in the world of streaming. The app has month-to-month options like the other live TV streaming packages in this guide (as well as an optional long-term plan if you're looking to save some money). Subscribers can watch unlimited streams on their home network and up to three streams while away from home.
The live TV streaming service carries pretty much everything you'd find in a basic cable package, with no random blackouts (like the lack of Warner Bros. networks on Fubo or local channels on Sling). Plus, you can add on pretty much any cable channel (or bundle in a popular streaming service like Max and Paramount+ with Showtime) — for a price.
That being said, the streaming service can get a bit expensive. The base Entertainment tier starts at $87/month, which isn't that much more than alternatives like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo anymore. Users can add on the Sports Pack for an extra $15/month, which grants viewers access to NFL RedZone, NFL Network, college sports networks, and other programs.
Things get pricey with the other options, like the Choice tier (which gives you everything in Entertainment plus specialty sports and regional sports networks) and the Ultimate tier (which carries everything we've mentioned so far, plus more sports and movie channels). Fortunately, the cost is what it is up front, and you won't be slapped with extra regional sports fees. The service also recently started offering a cheaper sports-centric package, which includes 25+ key sports channels for $70/month. This package is only available in select regions, but it could become more widespread at a later date.
Check out our DirecTV Stream MySports guide.
How we test live TV streaming services
To find the best live TV streaming services, we tested several contenders and narrowed our picks down to the top five. We evaluated multiple key factors when testing each service, including overall value, number of channels, quality of channels, and extra features.
Overall value: Live TV streaming services are much more expensive than your average on-demand streaming service, meaning it's even more important to ensure you're getting what you want from your choice. We didn't let a high price tag eliminate a competitor from the running, but if a service was unnecessarily expensive or pricier than comparable services, we noted that.
Number of channels: If you're searching for a cable replacement, you definitely don't want to make huge cuts to your viewing library when making the switch. To measure this, we compared the number of channels each plan for each service offered. Total channels are only part of the equation, however, as having hundreds of networks is meaningless if they're not worth watching.
Quality of channels: It doesn't matter if you have thousands of channels if you don't want to watch them, so we ensured that our top picks for the best live TV streaming service had content you'd actually tune in to. That means looking for popular channels from household names across various genres, including news, sports, family, drama, and lifestyle programs.
Extra features: With so many live TV options to choose from, providers often set themselves apart by offering additional perks with their services. We considered this when testing since the right features can add a ton of value to your subscription plan. Key features we focused on include user profile support, DVR capabilities, 4K streaming, simultaneous streams, and on-demand service bundles.
What to look for in a live TV streaming service
There are a few key pros that all of the best live TV streaming services share, but in the end, the best platform for you will depend on your particular needs. Even before starting to shop, we recommend identifying what content you actually care about watching. Do you really need to pay for hundreds of channels if you only really care about a few of them? Here are some questions we recommend asking yourself before committing to a subscription.
- Does the service include a handful of channels for each genre you plan to watch?
- Does it cater to the kids in your household?
- Does it offer enough simultaneous screens for the amount of viewers you have?
- Do you need on-demand streaming included?
- Can you watch this service on your existing household devices (smart TVs, consoles, etc.)?
We helped make the hunt easier by narrowing it down to five of the best live TV streaming services above. Now, it's up to you to figure out which is right for your needs. Luckily, some offer free trials to give you the chance to sample the goods before committing to a subscription.
Live TV streaming service FAQs
What is live TV streaming?
Designed to replace pricey cable and satellite TV, the best live TV streaming services eliminate the need for finicky, company-owned hardware and allow you to watch your favorite live channels with just an internet connection and a smart TV, phone, or streaming device. It's a must-have for cord-cutters who want to catch their favorite programs as they come out, as well as breaking news and sports games.
How do you stream live TV?
With a live TV streaming service, all you need is an internet connection to watch TV from your computer, smart TV, smartphone, or gaming console. Just download the service's app or open the service's website, log in, and start watching.
If you're looking for a new streaming stick, box, or display, check out our guides to the best TVs and best streaming devices.
Is live TV streaming cheaper than cable?
Live TV streaming services are often more affordable than cable services. Traditional pay-TV providers like Dish, Verizon, and Xfinity offer starting prices that cost more than most of our streaming picks. For cable plans that offer more than the bare minimum, you'll often find costs climb past the $100 mark.
Not only are they more expensive, but cable plans often tack on extra fees to use their required boxes and DVR equipment, and some can lock you into lengthy contracts to claim certain promos. Cable also offers far fewer features, like smaller DVR storage, no personal accounts, and fewer compatible devices to watch on.
In general, it's safe to say that live TV streaming services give you more bang for your buck. However, it is important to keep in mind that the best live TV streaming services can still get pricey once you start adding on extra channel packages and some upgraded features.
Do live TV streaming services include local channels?
Most, but not all, of our picks for the best live TV streaming services include access to local networks like ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS. Local networks are included with all Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo TV plans. Meanwhile, only select Sling TV plans include access to Fox, NBC, and ABC in certain areas. Sling doesn't offer CBS in any markets. Finally, Philo does not include any local networks with its service.
If your streaming service doesn't offer local stations, we recommend considering a digital antenna as a cheap solution. As long as your area has good reception, a digital antenna can provide free access to local channels without the need for any kind of paid subscription. Check out our guide to the best indoor TV antennas to see our top recommendations.
