Video Streaming Services That Let You Cut Cable TV

by admin February 26, 2023

Services like FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and YouTube TV promise to replicate cable TV with lower monthly bills—but prices are rising

Cable-replacement streaming services are gaining in popularity as more people cut traditional TV service.

By James K. Willcox

Here’s a sobering statistic for cable TV executives: Major cable and satellite TV providers have lost about 25 million subscribers over the past decade, according to the research firm eMarketer. But that stat is good news for the rest of us. It points to all the options consumers now have for streaming traditional cable channels without paying cable TV prices.

These cable replacement services are very different from streaming services such as Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Netflix, which let you watch individual TV series and movies. Instead, these services try to replicate what you’d get with a traditional pay-TV package, but at a lower price.

The services that stream regular cable channels include AT&T’s DirecTV Stream, the sports-focused FuboTV service, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and Google’s YouTube TV. All except Philo combine at least a few live local channels with a smattering of cable networks, at prices that typically range from about $45 to $70 per month.

Most of these cable replacement services let you add genre- or theme-based channel packs, plus premium networks such as HBO Max or Showtime, for an additional monthly fee.

The content can vary by region, especially when it comes to local channels. To find out what you can receive, go to each company’s website, plug in your ZIP code, and see what’s available in your area. In general, video streaming services have been adding more local broadcast channels, such as ABC and CBS, but these are not always available in all communities.

If you’re missing some local channels, consider adding an antenna to get free over-the-air broadcasts. When we tested indoor models, some testers received dozens of channels and subchannels at home, and the picture looked even better than what they were getting from cable.

Many—but not all—of the cable replacement services offer a free trial period. Because most require a credit card number, you’ll have to keep track of when the trial period ends and cancel if you don’t want to continue the service.

Prices for many packages have been rising, as detailed below. Because the details can change often, it’s important to check the latest offers before signing up.

DirecTV Stream

Monthly bill: $75 to $155

What you get: Plans start around $75 per month for a mix of live TV stations and cable channels. The top-tier package includes premium channels including HBO Max, Showtime, and Starz.

AT&T has been doing a lot of rejiggering lately, including spinning off its DirecTV satellite TV business into a new entity, also called DirecTV. DirecTV Stream—essentially the DirecTV satellite service without the dish—is the name for the company’s earlier AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now streaming services.

The company raised prices on all plans at the beginning of the year. The Entertainment plan now costs $75 a month, a $5-a-month price hike, while the Choice plan—the cheapest plan that provides regional sports networks—jumped $10, to $100 a month. The Ultimate plan (with Starz) now costs $110 a month, while the Premier plan (with HBO Max, Cinemax, and Showtime) is $155 a month. Those both represent $5-a-month increases.

Customers with legacy plans also got hit with monthly price increases of either $5 or $10, with plan prices ranging from $85 to $115 a month.

Last year Discovery and WarnerMedia completed a merger; the new entity is called Warner Bros. Discovery. Company executives have said the long-term plan will be to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming entity.

But in a slight change of course, the company recently decided it will also keep Discovery+ as a lower-cost stand-alone service for people not interested in scripted entertainment programming.

All of the services come with on-demand shows and movies, and unlimited cloud DVR storage.

One good thing about the newer DirecTV Stream service is that you don’t have to rent a box. You can use an app on streaming players such as Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku, on Android and iOS phones and tablets, and on some Samsung smart TVs. AT&T also sells its own Android-based player, which costs $120 up front or $5 per month for 24 months. That’s much pricier than most stand-alone streaming media players, though it does support 4K videos and has a voice remote and Google Assistant built in.

What you don’t get: Some local channels and regional sports networks aren’t available in all markets or in the most basic plan. And some channels, such as BBC World News, FXM (the FX movie channel), Logo, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Oxygen, and the Smithsonian Channel, are available only in the pricier plans.

Sign up for DirecTV Stream.

FuboTV

Monthly bill: $75 to $100

What you get: This sports-centric service, among the first to support 4K videos with HDR, offers a mix of live and on-demand channels from ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC in most markets. You also get cable channels (AMC, Bravo, Discovery, FX, HGTV, Syfy, and TLC) and sports networks (BeIn Sports, FS1, Golf Channel, MSG, SNY, and NBA TV). Thanks to a deal with Disney, the service now has ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN 3), plus the SEC and ACC networks in certain markets.

The $75-a-month Pro plan has about 150 channels with local stations in most markets, plus lots of sports networks and many cable channels, though currently not Turner channels (CNN, TBS, TNT). Stepping up to the $85 Elite plan gets you Fubo Extra, with 42 more lifestyle and sports channels, plus 130 events in 4K. The $95 Premier plan has even more channels as well as Showtime.

All of the plans come with a cloud DVR with 1,000 hours of storage and allow up to 10 simultaneous users at home, plus two on the go. There’s also a Latino plan, which costs $33 a month for 45 channels and more than 100 sporting events. It allows two users at a time and comes with a cloud DVR with 250 hours of storage. (Both can be upgraded for an additional charge.)

You can add several premium channels, though not HBO Max. One plan combines Epix, Showtime, and Starz for $20 per month. Sports fans can get Sports Plus with NFL Red Zone, with NCAA games and RedZone from the NFL network, for an extra $11 per month. An $8-per-month Fubo Extra plan adds more TV shows, movies, news, sports, music, and kids’ entertainment. There are also several Spanish-language plans and add-ons.

The company has made a foray into the sports betting world with Fubo Sportsbook, though the company said in a recent earnings call that its business is under “strategic review.”

What you don’t get: Compared with many other services, Fubo’s on-demand library is limited. Also, Fubo is missing Turner channels (Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, TBS, TNT) from its lineup, though there are reports that a new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery will have them appearing soon. Also missing are A&E networks, including A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, and Vice TV. You don’t get Fox regional sports networks or the Yes Network, home to Yankees games.

Sign up for FuboTV.

Hulu + Live TV

Monthly bill: $70 with ads, $83 without

What you get: Hulu + Live TV offers about 75 channels, including the major broadcast channels—ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC—in a growing number of markets. You also get cable channels such as A&E, BET, CN, CNN, Disney, Fox News, FX, HGTV, TBS, and TNT. The lineup includes CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports, plus some regional sports networks. And, of course, you get Hulu’s streaming library, plus Hulu originals such as “Only Murders in the Building” and “The Bear.”

Recently, Hulu + Live TV added both Disney+ and ESPN+, though the price is now $5 higher: $70 per month for about 75 channels. The service has ads in the Hulu video-on-demand part of the bundle. To go ad-free (Hulu with no ads + Live TV, ad-free Disney+, and ESPN+ with ads ), you now have to pay $83 per month. There’s also a live TV-only plan for $69. It doesn’t include the Hulu streaming library or access to Disney+ or ESPN+, so we don’t think its pricing makes much sense for consumers.

Hulu has a deal with Discovery to keep several channels, including the Food Network, HGTV, and TLC on the service, but some popular shows, such as “90 Day Fiancé” and “Fixer Upper” will only be on the company’s newer Discovery+ service. Hulu also lacks a few popular networks, including AMC, though it has recently added 14 new channels, including Hallmark and The Weather Channel.

The basic service lets you create six separate profiles—though only two people can use the service at a time—and it includes an unlimited cloud DVR. You can add premium networks, pay more to get additional sports and entertainment content, and upgrade to unlimited screens.

What you don’t get: Now that it has a deal to get missing Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) channels, the service is mainly missing AMC, BBC America, Hallmark, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, and PBS.

Sign up for Hulu + Live TV.

Philo

Monthly bill: $25

Philo can be a great option if you get local channels via an antenna because it doesn’t include them. It’s a sports-free streaming service backed by several cable networks, including A&E, AMC, Discovery, Scripps, and Paramount (formerly CBSViacom). In addition to lacking local channels, it doesn’t offer live news (CNN, Fox News) or sports networks such as ESPN or NFL Network. But for just $25 a month, you get access to more than 70 channels from partners including Discovery, Paramount (CBS and Viacom), and AMC Networks.

The company recently added the Smithsonian Channel and POP, which airs older network shows such as “House” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”

In addition to the cable channels, Philo now has a few original series, including “Boss Moves” with “Love and Hip-Hop” star Rasheeda Frost. It recently signed a deal with Kin Community for access to that company’s women-focused lifestyle content.

You can add premium channels, such as Epix ($6 a month) and Starz ($9 a month).

Last year Philo’s price for new subscribers went from $20 to $25 per month, but those who signed up before the price hike were able to keep the lower price. As part of the new $25 package, Philo is extending the time it keeps recordings in its unlimited DVR from 30 days to a year. You can create up to 10 profiles, and up to three people can stream at the same time.

Philo supports three simultaneous users and includes a cloud DVR that lets you record and save an unlimited number of shows for up to 30 days. You can watch a show from the beginning if you join late, and a 72-hour “look back” feature lets you view any show that appeared within the previous three days. You can even share your favorite shows with friends right from within the platform.

What you don’t get: Philo has no local channels, and it doesn’t offer live news or sports networks such as ESPN or the NFL Network.

Sign up for Philo.

Sling TV

Monthly bill: $40 to $55

What you get: Sling has two major offerings. The Orange package is now $40 and includes about 30 cable channels, including Disney and ESPN, plus A&E, the Food Network, and TBS, but no broadcast TV. It supports one user at a time. Sling Blue, also $40 per month, supports three users and has a different mix of about 40 channels, including local broadcasts and regional sports. (Among other differences, Sling Orange includes ESPN.) A combined plan costs $55.

Until now Sling lacked access to CBS and ABC, but in late January the company announced it would start carrying ABC-owned stations in eight cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, in the Sling Blue and combined Sling Blue and Orange plans. Sling is hiking the cost of its Sling Blue tier in those markets by $5, to $45 a month. The price of the combined Orange/Blue tier is also going up $5 in those markets, to $60 a month.

You can add premium channels including Showtime ($10) and Starz ($9). Sling TV offers a large number of add-on packs, which provide extra genre-based programming (sports, news, lifestyle, Hollywood, etc.). They cost $6 to $21 (for a bundle with several packs) extra each month.

Earlier, Sling raised prices on its plans by $5 a month and upped the prices for its themed add-on packages, though only by $1 per month. But the good news is that Sling has beefed up its cloud DVR. Everyone now gets 50 hours of free DVR storage, up from 10 hours. You can also get 200 hours of storage, up from 50 hours, for $5 per month with the DVR Plus add-on.

Sling now has a deal with Barstool Sports for a channel dedicated to sports and pop culture. The Barstool Sports Channel features live content, including video podcasts, blogs, and video series.

There’s a free, ad-supported service called Sling Freestream, with more than 210 channels and 41,000 on-demand titles with genres including news, sports, game shows, crime dramas, sitcoms, home improvement, and cooking.

What you don’t get: You can get Fox and NBC in some markets, but ABC and CBS are still missing from both plans, though as we noted above some markets will be getting ABC stations. And Sling doesn’t offer HBO Max. Also, Sling subscribers outside of several major markets can no longer get NBC on-demand channels. Sling had provided on-demand NBC channels in markets where the live NBC channel wasn’t available.

Sign up for Sling TV.

YouTube TV

Monthly bill: $65

What you get: YouTube TV offers access to more than 85 channels, including all the major broadcast networks, cable channels (AMC, Bravo, Disney, ESPN, FX, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, National Geographic, Turner, USA), and major sports networks such as CBS Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports, along with the MLB, NBA, and NFL league networks. A cloud DVR with unlimited storage for up to nine months is included.

HBO Max, Showtime, Starz, and a few other channels can be added for an extra fee. There’s also a Spanish-language plan that costs $35 a month. And you can add a 4K plan, which gives you additional channels in 4K, for an additional $20 a month.

Like other cable-style streaming services, YouTube TV has imposed a few price hikes, the last being 18 months ago when the monthly bill jumped a whopping 30 percent, from $50 to $65 per month. When the price went up YouTube TV added a bunch of Paramount channels, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Network. The service has also expanded its Spanish-language content with three Univision channels as well as two new add-on packages.

Perhaps the biggest news, though, is that parent company Alphabet (Google) has reached a deal with the NFL to give YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels the exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket starting with the 2023 NFL season. NFL Sunday Ticket had been a DirecTV exclusive for decades; that deal expired after the 2022 season.

The company says YouTube TV subscribers will get special pricing for NFL Sunday Ticket but hasn’t provided details. It says that NFL Sunday Ticket will have split-screen options so you can watch multiple games at once.

The company will also reportedly offer some less expensive NFL Sunday Ticket options.

Last year Google unveiled a new 4K Plus bundle—a $20-per-month add-on to the regular service. Benefits include 4K video support, with the ability to search for 4K titles; the ability to watch content saved to your DVR offline on the Android and iOS apps; and unlimited streams from home. YouTube TV supports 5.1 Dolby audio when played on select devices. The feature is available with both live and on-demand programming.

What you don’t get: Now that YouTube TV has reached deals with Paramount (ViacomCBS) and WarnerMedia (for HBO Max), its biggest content holes are some cable channels, including A&E, CW, DIY Network, History Channel, and Lifetime.

Streaming Devices to Consider

Amazon Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen)

Roku Streaming Stick 4K+

Apple TV 4K (128GB, 2022)

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