Are you looking for the best TV streaming service online? This is might be having some difficulties right now. There are way more live streaming services than a few years ago. The number of options can be overwhelming right now and as an informed consumer, you want to get the best deal or value when it comes to live streaming.
Big companies have realized that the way to go forward is to make their own live streaming service and competing with other companies rather than joining forces by putting their content on another company’s live streaming service. The result is, consumers are scattered all over the place. One platform might have what you like but it’s too expensive or vice versa. There are platforms specifically made for certain content such as cartoons, Disney movies, sports, and many more.
You might have to consider the DVR capabilities too, every platform offers different DVR capabilities. And not to mention, add-ons. Each platform, handles add-ons differently. But the $50 per month fee might turn away some people.
Every consumer should do enough research to see which service is better in terms of price and content. Fortunately, we have a list of best live TV streaming services that will help you decide which service (or more than one service) is the best.
10 Best TV Streaming Services Compare Free & Paid
1. Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a veteran in live streaming service. Hulu has about 60 channels that show news, sports, and entertainment programs. Hulu supports a wide range of gadgets, but PlayStation 3 and 4 do not support live streaming. The news channels have ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Fox Business, and MSNBC. If your main concern is news, Hulu should be more than enough.
Entertainment channels are present, such as: Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, Food Network, FX, HGTV, National Geographic, and SYFY. You might find these channels missing: Viacom, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central. For sports they have BTN, CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf Channel, and the Olympic Channel. As well as local channels such as: CBS, Fox, and NBC affiliates. HBO or Showtime are available as add-ons for $14.99 and $8.99 per month.
Hulu also offer DVR allotment of 50 hours, you can get Enhanced Cloud DVR that increases the limit 200 hours and streaming ability to two devices simultaneously, if you want to remove this limitation, you have to get the Unlimited Screens package. Either add-ons cost $14.99 per month and you can get both for cheaper at $19.99 per month. Hulu as a veteran is clearly one of the best live TV streaming services. The fee is not too expensive for the number of channels that you’ll get.
2. Philo
Best Live TV Streaming Services
Philo is one of the best streaming tv services because only $20 per month you can enjoy 58 channels including AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BET, Cooking Channel, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, and the Travel Channel. There are a few new channels too but there is no sports coverage unfortunately. If you’re looking for news and sports, Philo might be a poor choice despite being cheap.
The DVR capabilities work a bit differently here, Philo allows users to save the entire catalog of a shows for on-demand viewing instead of just one episode. You can save any shows for up to 30 days before it gets deleted, there is no storage limit so you can save as many shows as you can. Philo also supports three simultaneously streams across all platforms.
3. AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now
If you are based in the USA and need the best TV streaming service you should try this service. AT&T TV Now was previously called DirecTV Now. It offers several tiers of channels, from the 40-channel Plus plan for $50 per month to the staggering 125 channels Ultra plan, which costs $135 per month. Both these plans cover a wide range of genres: sports, news, and entertainment.
You can add HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz into your plan. AT&T TV Now also offers international consumers to enjoy contents with Brazilian, Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese channels.
The DVR capabilities are decent enough. It supports up to 20 hours of content and 30 days of storage. at default, AT&T TV Now limits streams up to two simultaneously streams only, you can pay additional $4.99 per month to increase it to three devices. There are other features such as: Lookback and Rewind. These features allow you to watch previous content up to 72 hours ago and watch it again from the beginning to end. But these features are only work for some specific channels and programs. The value itself should make AT&T TV now one of the best live TV streaming services.
4. YouTube TV
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is relatively new in the business of live streaming. It’s a decent enough platform for cable replacement service with a wide range of genres from sports, news, to entertainment. It has popular networks such as: ABC, AMC, CBS, CNN, ESPN, FX, and NBC. Also, other channels, like Animal Planet, Food Networks, HGTV, and Travel Channel. NBA League Pass, Showtime, and Starz are available as add-ons.
The best thing is, YouTube TV supports an unlimited number of DVR recordings and can be stored for up to 9 months and by default you can stream from three devices at the same time. The app works flawlessly, and the performance is solid too.
many people talk about YouTube as the best live TV streaming service, simply because of the wide range of channels and other features such as unlimited number of DVR recordings.
5. FuboTV
FuboTV
FuboTV is closely associated with sports channels. It has 90 channels of news and entertainment. Sports channels are: NBC, CBS, FOX, NFL Networks, beIN networks, Univision and NBA TV. But it’s missing ESPN. For entertainment channels, it has: AMC, CNBC, The Food Networks, Viacom, Discovery, FX, National Geographic, SYFY, and USA. Furthermore, FuboTV offers a lot of on-demand shows and movies.
The base Fubo Standard plan is priced at $54.99 per month and you can add Sports Plus for $8.99 per month and Adventure Plus for $4.99 per month. Fubo Extra comes with 35 additional channels for additional $4.99 per month. If you love sports then FuboTV could be the best live TV streaming service for you.
6. Sling TV
Sling TV
Sling TV stands out as the most customizable live TV streaming service, giving you excellent control over your channel lineup without making you pay for a bunch of channels you don’t watch.
At its core, Sling offers two base packages – Sling Blue and Sling Orange – each priced at a reasonable $40 per month. Sling Blue carries more overall channels, while Sling Orange is focused on sports, including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. So if you’re mainly interested in sports programming, Sling Orange is your most affordable option at just $40 monthly.
Beyond the base packages, Sling really shines with its extensive add-ons. You can choose from add-on bundles covering topics like sports, comedy, kids, news and more, with prices ranging from $6-$11 per month. There are also add-ons for individual premium channels like Showtime and Starz. Altogether there are over 50 add-on options to build your perfect customized package.
The streaming quality is excellent, aided by Sling’s intuitive interface that surfaces content you actually care about. Recommendations are on point too. I do wish the DVR allowance was more than 50 hours, but at least those recordings never expire.
On the downside, Sling’s local channel coverage is limited to major metro areas, with ABC, Fox and NBC live feeds in around 20 markets. And earlier this year Sling had to increase the Blue package price by $5 to $45 in those supported metro areas. If locals aren’t available in your city, Sling offers new users a free HD antenna.
A few small hiccups I noticed: the app froze up on me several times during testing, which was frustrating. And while channel customization is Sling’s strength, flipping through all the add-on options trying to build your lineup can feel overwhelming.
But overall, Sling TV remains a cost-effective way to get a customized live TV streaming package without paying for more content than you need. The flexibility and affordability make it appealing if you value choice in constructing your lineup.
7. Netflix
NETFLIX
Netflix is one of the world’s leading providers of cable TV and digital streaming services. Netflix is headquartered in Los Gatos and was founded in 1997 by Reed Hasting sand Marc Randolph.
Netflix is very popular in the movies industry and according to wikipedia reports Since July 2018, Netflix has more than 130 million total customers internationally, including 57.38 million in the United States. This of course makes Netflix one of the best cable TV providers and Movies streaming services in the world. You can subscribe for free for a trial period, the next month you will be asked to pay a subscription.
Before you rent services, please compare streaming services first. We hope that you can find the best live TV streaming service and enjoy your everyday life with the shows that you love.
8. DirecTV Stream
For cord-cutters seeking a robust cable TV replacement, DirecTV Stream has emerged as a leading live streaming provider offering premium channel bundles, unlimited DVR, and core features without restrictive contracts.
Starting at $80 per month for over 75+ channels, DirecTV Stream grants access to top networks like ESPN, TNT, CNN, FX, and popular local broadcast stations. From live sports to breaking news coverage, the channel lineup mirrors traditional cable offerings while still allowing flexibility to cancel anytime.
DirecTV Stream also enables account holders to integrate premium add-ons ranging from Starz and Showtime to specialty services like Acorn TV and AMC+ all under one unified platform. This means you can conveniently access over 140 channels encompassing both live viewing and on-demand libraries without having to toggle between apps endlessly.
Cloud DVR functionalities represent another advantage as recordings carry no storage constraints, enabling you to house up to 30 episodes per series and retain each for 9 months automatically. Playback features also include an intuitive channel guide as well rewind and restart options for live content airing mid-program.
For those seeking a contract-free cable replacement preserving indispensable networks, familiar channel surfing features, no hidden fees, and full DVR/VOD blending, DirecTV Stream prevails as a formidable streaming provider in the evolving digital landscape.
9. Tubi
For those looking for the best alternative to cable tv subscriptions, Tubi has emerged as a compelling free alternative for accessing live TV thanks to their rapidly expanding offering of over 200+ channels.
Tubi grants free live streaming access to major broadcast networks ABC and Fox in addition to popular cable outlets like NBC News, Fox Sports, and Fox Soul. Local and regional Fox affiliates are also included, making Tubi a key source for free local news.
Beyond live TV, Tubi features an extensive on-demand library with thousands of movies and shows to choose from across genres. This means you can supplement live sports and news viewing with endless entertainment options, all completely free.
As a service optimized for instant streaming with no barriers to entry or hidden subscription costs, Tubi provides ad-supported access to live cable channels and on-demand programming rivaling paid competitors. For cord cutters seeking free live TV viewing and familiar networks, Tubi is an essential app to enable.
10. Amazon Freevee
Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) offers viewers free access to 350+ channels encompassing news, sports, movies, shows, and more with no subscriptions needed.
As an entirely free service, Amazon Freevee provides 24/7 streaming across top networks like ABC News Live and Fox Live Now for breaking news and events. An array of live sports are covered as well including dedicated MLB and NFL channels. And with stations devoted singularly to programs like Unsolved Mysteries or classic sitcom reruns, options span the mainstream to niche.
The Freevee interface allows immediate streaming with no barriers to entry. You can dive right into live content or browse the extensive on-demand catalog of movies and shows supplementing what’s airing in real-time. For those already Prime Video subscribers, Freevee offers a budget-friendly live TV addition requiring no added fees or upgrades.
Overall, Amazon Freevee succeeds in delivering ad-supported live TV for access to 350+ channels without any logins, fees or subscriptions. For cord-cutters seeking free alternatives to paid cable and streaming, Freevee prevails as an essential app offering around-the-clock streaming instantly.
