When I think about live TV, I can't help remembering the scene in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs when they pop in the VHS cassette of the movie at exactly the present moment. "You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now... is happening now." Indeed, the whole concept of "live TV" is quite different, er, now, than it was in the old days. Let's think of it as real-time broadcasting, like what you remember from cable TV (and, before that, antenna TV). And if that's something you're seeking, you need one of the best live TV streaming services.
These effectively recreate the cable experience, delivering popular channels like Comedy Central, CNBC, FX, Food Network and TNT. In most cases you get at least some local stations as well (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC), along with extras like DVR and on-demand movies and TV shows.
But, wow, there are a lot of different choices, with different channels, features and pricing models. Lucky for you, I watch a lot of TV, and I've put all the top services to the test: DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Frndly, Fubo, Philo, Sling and YouTube TV. (Note: A growing number of "traditional" streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Max and Netflix, are dipping toes into the live-TV waters — usually with sports or special events — but given their fairly limited offerings at this writing, we're not yet considering them as candidates.)
How did we rank these things? Find out below in "How we tested." What are some important factors to consider when shopping for a live-TV streaming service? They're below as well, along with answers to frequently asked questions.
(Pro tip: This year, at least, you don't actually need a subscription-based service to watch the Super Bowl. Instead, it's streaming free of charge — in 4K, no less! — on Tubi.)
Table of contents:
The best live TV streaming service
Rick Broida/chof360
Free trial: 3 days | Channels in base tier: 95+ | Streaming resolution: 1080p (select devices) | DVR: Unlimited | Regional sports networks: Limited
Let's do some basic math: Hulu + Live TV costs $83 monthly, same as YouTube TV (and within spitting distance of most others). But the former includes not only "Hulu proper" (with all its original content and on-demand movies and shows), but also Disney+ and ESPN+.
That means you're effectively getting four streaming services for the price of one, and if you value those additional three, there's a very compelling case to be made for choosing Hulu.
Thankfully, the quantity doesn't come at the cost of quality. Hulu's live-TV lineup includes a generous selection of channels (close to 100), among them the five major locals (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS) and a solid helping of sports — though no regional sports networks like on DirecTV Stream and Fubo. (Channel selection varies depending on your location; you can enter your ZIP code on Hulu's site to see exactly what's available.)
Alas, at this writing there's no 4K live TV content available, though some of Hulu's on-demand stuff is indeed 4K. And although Hulu + Live TV can stream in 1080p, for the moment it does so only with a handful of TVs and devices (including Apple TV 4th-gen and later, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and select Samsung TVs). Android TV, Google TV, Roku and other devices top out at 720p.
I appreciate Hulu's polished, easy-to-navigate interface, though it does reveal a few quirks once you venture into the live-TV area. Among them: an alphabetical channel guide with no way to change the order and inconsistent category menus. (Some show a channel-guide subset, others just rows of "what's on now".) It's also unnecessarily chunky; only five channels fit onscreen at a time.
Much more annoying: If you pause live TV and rewind prior to a commercial break, even one you've already watched, you can't fast-forward past it; you have to watch that same break again. (Fortunately, this didn't seem to be an issue with recorded shows.)
One important note for parents: Although the Hulu app doesn't incorporate any Disney+ content, the Disney+ app (which you sign into using your Hulu credentials) now mixes in Hulu's on-demand library (but not live TV). This is not only confusing, but also off-putting: You may see the likes of The Handmaid's Tale alongside Bluey and Toy Story. Fortunately, you can create child profiles to keep kids away from decidedly adult Hulu content.
Hulu's free trial is the shortest in the group — just three days — so you'll need to decide quickly if you like the value proposition. Given that it's really the only live-TV bundle you can get, by default it's also the best.
Other live TV streaming services we like
Rick Broida/chof360
Free trial: 5 days | Channels in base tier: 90+ | Streaming resolution: 720p | DVR: Unlimited | Regional sports networks: 30+
Every other streaming service here has its own take on replicating cable, and not always for the better. AT&T-owned DirecTV Stream is replicating itself — or, rather, its eponymous satellite service — and that's a good thing. The interface reflects the simplicity and polish of one built on years of development, which is why I think it's the best option for anyone seeking the familiarity of cable (or even of DirecTV itself).
For example, on your first visit to the channel guide, you're given the option to sort it alphabetically or by channel number, the latter a welcome nod to cable days (and especially helpful for finding your local stations). I like that the guide includes full-color channel logos as well; they're easier to recognize at a glance.
Another small but welcome amenity: Whatever item you navigate to on the channel guide, a lovely summary — including title, time, description and a thumbnail image — appears at the top of screen. And it's a snap to add channels to your "favorites" list for even faster "what's on" browsing.
The sports selection here is rivaled only by Fubo's, and there's a nifty auto-forwarding option that will attempt to work around a game blackout if one is detected: DirecTV will attempt to find the game on another channel. (For information on DirecTV's recently launched MySports service, see below.)
The service also offers robust parental controls: You can create individual profiles for different family members and limit viewing based on separate TV, movie and "unrated" content ratings.
I did encounter one usability quirk: With other services, time-shifting live content (i.e. rewinding or fast-forwarding) is a simple matter of tapping left or right on your remote's direction-pad. Do that here and you'll actually change the channel. It took me a while to figure out that you must first tap the center button to bring up the status menu, then tap left or right to skip back or forward.
That's not a huge deal (and you don't need this extra step for recorded content), but I couldn't find a way to actually scan back or forward; it's all just 15- or 30-second hops (respectively). Also known as "scrubbing," this is something I use often and definitely miss here.
The search feature has room for improvement as well; entering "Tom Cruise movies" produced nothing, but searching "Tom Cruise" yielded the expected results.
It's certainly not perfect, but I think DirecTV offers one the better overall user experiences, especially for those accustomed to a cable or satellite box.
Rick Broida/chof360
Free trial: 7 days | Channels in base tier: 130+ | Streaming resolution: 720p | DVR: Unlimited | Regional sports networks: 30+
If sports is your thing, Fubo is almost certainly your best bet. The service carries not only most local and league channels, but also around three dozen regional sports networks. On top of that, it has the highest total number of channels in its base tier than any other streamer, giving it a slight edge over the similarly sports-rich DirecTV Stream.
Take note, though, that while a smattering of that content (think: World Series baseball and Premier League soccer) streams in 4K, most live TV tops out at 720p. And you don't even get access to 4K unless you upgrade from the Pro plan ($85 per month) to Elite ($95). Those tiers also buy you even more channels, but if you want the likes of CNN, TBS and TNT (which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery), you'll have to subscribe elsewhere; they're not available in any Fubo plan.
(Worth noting as well: The Essential Plan is also $85, same as Pro, but doesn't include the regional sports networks. So why would anyone choose Essential? Because then Fubo doesn't have to charge you the added fees for those RSNs.)
The Fubo fast, attractive interface revolves around eight main categories easily accessible from a fly-out side menu. The channel guide makes it a breeze to filter the listings based on a particular genre — local, sports, movies, family, trending, etc. — but there are so many choices to scroll through (over two dozen, by my count), it's almost cumbersome. Plus, they're all in a seemingly random order, instead of alphabetical.
Another UI complaint: When you're watching live content and want to access the channel guide (or anything else), playback stops — with no immediate or obvious way to resume what you were just watching. There is a pop-up menu you can access without leaving your current program, but it lists only categorical "more live TV". It would be nice to have the option of a pop-up channel guide.
I also found Fubo's search feature to be a bit lacking, as it doesn't support parameters like actor or genre: You can search for Top Gun and see a result, but "Tom Cruise movies" will return nothing.
Those wrinkles aside, I found Fubo fairly intuitive overall and a very pleasant live-TV viewing experience.
However, the recent merger announcement between Fubo and Hulu + Live TV could mean changes coming to one or both services. For the moment, Fubo definitely has the sports edge.
Rick Broida/chof360 News
Free trial: 7 days | Channels in base tier: 100+ | Streaming resolution: 1080p | DVR: Unlimited | Regional sports networks: Limited
Not to be confused with regular YouTube (home of user-created content), Google's live-TV service delivers over 100 channels — the second-largest roster in the group — including local ones and a decent selection of sports. Most of them stream at 1080p, and you can add 4K (for select channels) for an extra $10 monthly.
Hulu + Live TV also streams at 1080p, but doesn't currently have any 4K content (except for its on-demand library). Fubo also lets you add 4K for a $10 upcharge, but starts at 720p, not 1080p. The upshot: YouTube TV is your best option if you want higher-resolution streaming.
The interface bucks convention, dividing everything into just three sections: Library, Home and Live. That's simple enough, but by placing these options at the top, it creates extra work navigating back to it. (Most services employ a side menu that's quicker and easier to access.) Also, the order strikes me as odd; wouldn't Home be the more obvious first option, followed by Live and then Library?
Similarly, the DVR aspects are a bit confusing at first; you don't select shows or movies to record, but instead "add to library". And when you do that with a TV show, you automatically get the entire series; there's no option to record just one episode. Thus, when you visit the Library page, it can be a little confusing to figure out what's recorded, what's coming up, and what might be available on-demand.
Speaking of which, I often found myself confused by YouTube TV's on-demand content — namely, what you can actually get. For example, from the Home page I browsed my way to the Movies section, then drilled into Drama. This returned a lengthy row of "picked for you" titles (based on what, I'm not sure) in no particular order; I chose First Man and had the option of watching it. Then I scrolled down to a section labeled "Thriller movies" and selected The Town, but could only get info about it; there was no watch-now option.
I do like that you can reorder the channel guide to your liking: alphabetical, backwards-alphabetical, most watched, even a custom layout (though you have to set that up on a computer or in the mobile app).
Although it has nowhere near as many regional sports networks (such as Bally Sports) as Fubo, YouTube TV does offer NFL Sunday Ticket. It costs extra, but should allow you to watch your favorite team(s) no matter where and when the games take place. (Note, too, that you can get Sunday Ticket as a standalone package.)
There's also a nifty option called Multiview, which lets you watch four (select) live events at once. And I love the "key plays" option that appears when you tune into certain games that are already in progress; it'll show you a highlight reel of the big plays and then return you to the live broadcast.
Given YouTube TV's most recent price hike (to $83/month, up $10), I'm even more annoyed that a subscription doesn't include YouTube Premium (meaning ad-free regular YouTube). You still have to pay for that separately. I know they're separate entities, but they're also both YouTube products; seems like just the value-add Google should include to give it a boost over the competition.
As it stands, YouTube TV is solid live-TV service that's notable for its 1080p streaming and available 4K add-on.
Rick Broida/chof360
Free trial: 7 days | Channels in base tier: 70+ | Streaming resolution: 720p | DVR: Unlimited | Regional sports networks: None
Philo flies under most viewers' radar, and that's a shame: The service is arguably the best-kept secret in streaming. For those who miss basic-cable networks like AMC, Comedy Central, History, Hallmark and Nickelodeon, Philo serves them up in all their live-TV glory.
Your $28 monthly subscription includes over 70 well-known channels, plus around 35 specialty ones like Chicken Soup for the Soul, Game Show Central and multiple Vevo music-video channels. You also get access to the entire AMC+ catalog as well. If you want sports, however, look elsewhere — and the only notable news channel is BBC News.
The service mixes old-school and new, with unlimited cloud-based DVR for shows you want to keep for later and some 70,000 shows and movies (from the aforementioned networks) available for on-demand viewing. (Interestingly, that content streams at 1080p, though live streams top out at 720p.)
The interface doesn't conform to the side-menu standard; options like home, guide and search are arranged along the top. This makes things a little more difficult when you've scrolled way down the channel guide; there's no easy way to return to that menu without scrolling all the way back up.
In addition, live playback stops when you back out to the guide or menu, with no easy or obvious way to quickly return to what you were watching.
Those UI aggravations aside, Philo offers tremendous value to any wishing to keep "basic cable" on the menu. More cord-cutters should know about it.
Other live TV streaming services we tested
DirecTV MySports: This new service, still in beta at the time of this writing, is basically a sports-oriented offshoot of DirecTV Stream, with the same interface, video resolution, DVR features and so on. But with only around 25 channels and a $70/month price tag (after a $50/month rate for the first three months), it's hard to recommend this over the likes of Fubo, Hulu and YouTube TV — services offering 4-5 times as many channels for not a lot more money.
Frndly TV: An undeniable bargain at just $7/month, Frndly offers over 50 channels, unlimited DVR and "72-hour lookback": access to any show or movie for up to 72 hours after it airs. However, save for a few cable staples like A&E, The Hallmark Channel and The History Channel, the selection is pretty anemic. Many of the channels have direct or adjacent equivalents on free services like Pluto TV. But keep this one in your back pocket for the holidays if you want cheap access to all those Hallmark movies.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Sling TV: A one-time budget favorite, Sling no longer makes sense for most users. Its individual "Orange" and "Blue" tiers now cost $46 each, or $61 when bundled. Deciding between the two (which offer just 35 and 43 channels, respectively) was always a challenge, but with only $15 to be saved, the only logical course is to get both. Even then, you get only three local channels (and many cities limit you to only one or two of them), limited sports, limited DVR (unless you pay extra), 720p resolution and ads appearing atop paused shows.
How we tested live TV streaming services
All these services can be streamed just about anywhere there's a screen: TV, tablet, phone, web browser, etc. While the bulk of our testing took place on TVs, we also looked at each service's mobile app; we can easily envision wanting to catch, say, a big game or other live event when you're not able to be home in the living room.
Our testbed TV, a Sansui S55VOUG, runs the Google TV operating system. There might be minor differences in user interface and/or features on platforms like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. Thus, if something shown or described here doesn't exactly match what you're seeing, that's likely why.
Obviously we considered things like price and number of available channels, but for actual testing, we spent time evaluating each service's interface, channel guide, search capabilities, time-shifting (pausing and scanning live TV) and image quality. This last is often dictated by streaming resolution: 720p tends to look a little soft and grainy; 1080p is reasonably sharp; and, of course, 4K looks best (but has limited availability).
Factors to consider when choosing a live-TV streaming service
What's important when deciding where you put your streaming dollars? These are some of the key factors to consider:
Advertisement
Advertisement
Free trial: All the services here will let you kick the live-TV tires for a few days free of charge — usually seven, though Hulu + Live TV limits you to just three days, DirecTV Stream to five. It's definitely worth taking advantage of these offers to be sure you're comfortable with the interface, features, etc. Try them all!
Channels: Which ones are most important to you? For many viewers, local channels (CBS, ABC, etc.) rank highly; others want news or sports or favorite cable stations. If you can't get everything you want from a single service, choose the one that gives you most of what you want.
Interface: Most of these services rely on a familiar design: a home screen populated by various categorical rows ("On now," "Recommended for you," etc.) and a side menu for access to things like search, DVR and channel guide. Some are definitely better than others, though, both in terms of appearance and navigation.
4K: You probably own a 4K TV; it stands to reason to choose a streaming service that can deliver 4K content. However, at this writing, not many channels actually broadcast in 4K, and not all services offer it from those that do. The bigger question might be 1080p versus 720p; the former is available (on select channels) only from Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
DVR: If you like to record shows to watch later, look for a service with DVR included — ideally unlimited DVR, so you don't have to worry about running out of room. Most of the major ones offer this, and at no extra charge.
Sports: Modern sports streaming is a colossal mess. Different sports (football, baseball, hockey, etc.) air on different networks, and different live-TV services have different selections of them. Meanwhile, some games air only in some regions, and local games can be subject to market blackouts. To further complicate matters, there's FanDual Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports), a standalone streaming service offering live games from around 30 NBA, NHL, MLB, and WNBA teams. Sadly, there's no single one-service-for-all-sports solution right now; be prepared to do some research and planning in order to watch your favorite teams' games.
FAQs
Can I watch movies on a live-TV streaming service?
Yes, but... it gets a little confusing, especially with regard to what's available and where to find it. Remember that these services effectively mimic cable TV, so at any given time, there are movies showing on various channels. In some cases you'll see a selection of those you can join live or "in progress". And even if a movie is halfway through, you might be able to start it from the beginning. Meanwhile, many of these services have rotating selections of movies you can watch on-demand (with ads, but at no extra charge). To find them, try browsing the movies section or searching for a particular title.
Do live-TV streaming services have commercials?
Yes, because remember that they're giving you the same channels you get via cable TV, and those stations all have commercial breaks. Where it gets a little confusing is with Hulu + Live TV, because there's an ad-free tier available. However, that option eliminates the commercials from "regular Hulu" content, not from the live channels.
Can I skip commercials?
When watching recorded content, you should be able to fast-forward past commercials — though there may be exceptions here and there depending on licensing and other regulations.
Are live-TV streaming services easy to use?
At a basic level, yes: Each one provides a channel guide that should be fairly familiar to anyone who has used a cable or satellite service. But expect a learning curve, especially with regard to things like time-shifting (i.e. pausing or rewinding live TV), DVR features and overall navigation. For example, I often struggled to remember how to access the channel guide while already watching a show. With some services you press the up button on the remote; others use the down button. And what appears after that is sometimes just a channel subset, not the full guide. All this can get a little frustrating; I recommend taking notes as you learn your way around the interface.
