We often get asked what is the best live TV streaming service. The truth is there are no best services out there. Each person has different wants and needs. So we want to give you all the information and let you decided what is right for you. In this guide we looked at Fubo TV, Philo, DIRECTV NOW, Sling TV, Hulu’s live TV beta, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue with the hopes that we will make picking the right live TV streaming service easier.
*Note this list is up to date (as best as we can make it) as of May 1st, 2018.
Are you on a mobile device? Struggling to see the chart? Here is a PDF you can download for easier viewing.
Most of the services offer local channels in different markets. You can find out what locals are available in your area by visiting their sites.
First what channels each service offers:
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV NOW | YouTube TV | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
A&E | X | X | X | X | X | ||
AMC | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
American Heroes Channel | X | X | X | ||||
Animal Planet | X | X | X | ||||
Audience | X | ||||||
Aspire | X | ||||||
Baby TV | X | X | X | ||||
BBC America | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
BBC World News | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Blaze TV | X | ||||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
BET | X | X | X | ||||
BET Her | X | X | |||||
Big Ten Network | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Bloomberg Television | X | X | X | ||||
Boomerang | X | X | X | X | |||
Bravo | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Campus Insider | X | ||||||
Cartoon Network/Adult Swim | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Cheddar | X | X | X | X | |||
Comet | X | ||||||
BeIN Sports en Espanol | X | ||||||
BeIN Sports | X | X | |||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Cinemax | X | X | X | X | |||
CBS Sports Net | X | X | X | X | X | ||
CBSN | X | ||||||
CMT | X | X | X | ||||
Comedy TV | X | ||||||
Cowboy Channel | X | X | |||||
CNBC | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
CNBC World | X | X | X | ||||
CNN | X | X | X | X | X | ||
CNN International | X | ||||||
AXS TV | X | X | X | ||||
NBC Sportsnet | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Comedy Central | X | X | X | ||||
Crime & Investigatin | X | ||||||
Cooking Channel | X | X | X | X | |||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Destination America | X | X | X | ||||
Discovery | X | X | X | ||||
Discovery Family | X | X | X | ||||
Discovery Life | X | X | X | ||||
Disney Channel | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Disney Junior | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Disney XD | X | X | X | X | X | ||
DIY Network | X | X | X | X | |||
Duck TV | X | ||||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
E! | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
EPIX | X | ||||||
EPIX Drive-In | X | ||||||
EPIX Hits | X | X | |||||
EPIX2 | X | ||||||
ESPN | X | X | X | X | X | ||
ESPN 2 | X | X | X | X | X | ||
ESPN Bases Loaded | X | X | |||||
Ride TV | X | ||||||
ESPN Deportes | X | X | X | ||||
ESPN Goal Line | X | X | |||||
ESPN U | X | X | X | X | X | ||
ESPN News | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
El Rey | X | X | X | ||||
RFDTV | X | X | |||||
Eleven Sports | X | X | |||||
Euronews | X | ||||||
Family Channel | X | ||||||
FM | X | ||||||
Fla Ma | X | ||||||
FobuTV Netowrk | X | ||||||
Food Network | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Fox Business | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Fox College Sports | X | X | |||||
Fox News Channel | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Fox Regional Sports Networks | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Fox Deportes | X | X | |||||
Football Report TV | X | ||||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
France 24 | X | ||||||
FreeForm | X | X | X | X | X | ||
FS1 | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
FS2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
FX | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
FXM | X | X | X | X | X | ||
FXX | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
FYI | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Fox Soccer Plus | X | ||||||
Fuse | X | X | |||||
Golf Channel | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Galavision | X | X | |||||
Great America | X | ||||||
Hallmark & Hallmark Movies | X | X | X | X | |||
HBO | X | X | X | X | |||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
HDNet Movies | X | ||||||
HGTV | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
History | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Hi-Yah! | X | ||||||
HLN | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Fusion | X | X | X | X | |||
GSN | X | X | X | ||||
IFC | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Investigation Discovery | X | X | X | ||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DirecTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Lifetime | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Lifetime Movies | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Local Now | X | X | X | ||||
Logo | X | X | X | ||||
Machinima | X | ||||||
OAN / AWE | X | ||||||
MGM | X | ||||||
MSG/MSG+ | X | X | |||||
MSNBC | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
MTV | X | X | X | ||||
MTV 2 | X | X | X | ||||
MTV Live | X | ||||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Nat Geo Wild | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Nat Geo | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
NESN | X | X | X | ||||
MLB Network | X | X | X | ||||
NBC Sports Network | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
NBA TV | X | X | X | X | X | ||
NFL Network/NFL Redzone | X | X | X | ||||
NDTV | X | ||||||
NHL Network | X | X | |||||
News18 | X | ||||||
Newsy | X | X | X | ||||
Nickelodeon | X | X | |||||
Nick Jr. | X | X | X | ||||
Nicktoons | X | X | X | ||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
One World Sports | X | ||||||
Outside TV | X | X | |||||
OWN | X | X | X | ||||
Ovation | X | ||||||
Oxygen | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Pursuit Channel | X | ||||||
Pac-12 | X | X | |||||
Poker | X | ||||||
AFRO | X | ||||||
Pop | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Revolt | X | X | |||||
RT Network | X | ||||||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Science Channel | X | X | X | ||||
SEC Network | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Showtime | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Smithsonian | X | ||||||
Sony Movie Channel | X | ||||||
SNY | X | X | X | X | |||
Paramount | X | X | X | ||||
Sprout | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Sundance TV | X | X | X | X | X | ||
SyFy | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
TBS | X | X | X | X | X | ||
TeenNick | X | X | X | X | |||
TLC | X | X | X | ||||
TNT | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV | YouTube | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
NOW | TV | ||||||
Travel Channel | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Tru TV | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Turner Classic Movies | X | X | X | X | X | ||
TV Land | X | X | X | ||||
Olympic Channel | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Unimas | X | X | X | ||||
Univision | X | X | X | ||||
Univision Deportes | |||||||
UP Family | X | ||||||
USA | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Velocity | X | X | X | ||||
VH1 | X | X | X | ||||
Tennis Channel | X | X | X | ||||
Vibrant | X | ||||||
Viceland | X | X | X | X | X | ||
WE tv | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Weather Channel | X | X | |||||
WeatherNation | X | X | |||||
YES | X | X | X | X | X | X |
*YouTube TV also includes access to YouTube Red Originals. (You will still need to buy YouTube Red if you want the ad-free experience.)
*fuboTV & Sling TV include several international packages.
*Hulu also includes access to Hulu’s on-demand service.
*Found an error? Please email us and we will fix it.
Next, you should look at which of these services works on the devices you own:
Streaming Player | Sling TV | PS Vue | DIRECTV NOW | YouTube TV | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV | Philo |
Roku | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Fire TV | X | X | X | X | X | ||
Apple TV | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
Chromecast | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
iOS | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Android Phones/Tablet | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Android TV | X | X | X | X | |||
Xbox One | X | X | X | ||||
PlayStation 4 | X |
*Note: Chromecast will work on any Chromecast supported device like Android TV.
Number of Streams
Sling TV will allow you to stream one or three streams at once depending on what package you sign up for. You can also use your Sling TV login for some apps such as WatchESPN.
PlayStation Vue will work on five devices at once inside your house. Outside your house you can use 1 streaming player and up to 4 mobile devices at once. (You can learn more about PS Vue out of home rules HERE.)
YouTube TV allows for 3 streams at once both inside and outside of your home.
fuboTV allows 2 streams at the same time or 3 streams with the Family Share option.
Philo allows 3 streams at once both inside and outside of your home.
Hulu live TV beta starts with 2 streams but you can add more for $14.99 a month.
DIRECTV NOW offers two streams. (DIRECTV NOW has announced they will be increasing that to 3 streams at a later date.)
DVR
DIRECTV NOW has a DVR in closed beta testing and currently offers 20 or 100 hours of storage. According to AT&T DIRECTV NOW will add their DVR in Spring 2018.
Philo includes an unlimited 30-day DVR, plus on-demand programming.
PlayStation Vue offers a 28-day DVR and after 28 days the recording is removed.
Sling TV has a DVR and most of their channels have on-demand versions of the aired shows. Sling TV is offering 50 hours of DVR space with no time limit on how long you can keep a recording for $5 a month.
YouTube TV will keep shows for 9 months but replaces DVR recording with on-demand versions when available.
Fubo TV offers 30 hours of personal cloud DVR storage with no expiration and an Advanced DVR for $9.99/month, which includes 500 hours.
Hulu live TV beta starts with 50 hours of storage. If you want more storage or the ability to fast forward you can pay $14.99 a month to get that ability.
So what service should you pick?
Hopefully, this guide has helped you find the right service. If you are still wondering which is the best for you and your family the best thing to do is to try the free trial for Fubo TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu, Philo, PlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW offer. Our suggestion is to give them a try and see if you like them. Check each service’s site for current prices because they keep changing.
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