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For many, one of the biggest fears anyone considering getting rid of their cable or satellite box is whether they can still watch live TV. While cutting the cord may mean paying a lower monthly bill, many wannabe streamers still like to watch events like news and sports live — like the good old days.
Canceling your cable service doesn’t have to mean giving up watching live TV entirely. A selection of services allows streaming these coveted sports games live over the internet. Dubbed live TV streaming services, these services differ from monthly or yearly subscription-based streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+. Live TV streaming services, like Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV, offer a more complete opportunity to cut those cords that bind you while still giving you access to live local and national news and sports channels — for a price. But there are also free live streaming options to plug some holes, like Pluto TV.
Here’s what you need to know about the best alternative to cable while still retaining the ability to watch TV. Here are the best live-streaming TV services you can get right now and how they compare.
Live TV Streaming Services Compared
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is Hulu’s live streaming option. Featuring an assortment of live sports, news, and events, the service offers over 85 channels and the ability to watch TV live and on demand. Hulu’s live TV experience allows you to watch two screens simultaneously and also includes the ability to record live TV (with unlimited cloud DVR storage included). You can watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ESPN 2, The CW, A&E, FX, Pop TV, TBS, TNT, USA, CNN, Disney Channel, E!, FS1, CNBC, and many more.
The cost is $69.99/month (which includes a subscription to the ad-supported versions of Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+) or $82.99/month (which has a subscription to an ad-free version of Hulu), and you can cancel anytime. In addition, you can add things like HBO, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, Enhanced Cloud DVR, Unlimited Screens and STARZ for an extra monthly cost.
Subscribe to Hulu Plus Live TV
Sling TV
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One of the first live-streaming options, Sling TV, is also one of the cheapest. Like cable, it gives you a few different packages to choose from. In addition to its three plans, Sling Orange, Sling Blue (both $40/month without promotions), and Sling Orange + Blue ($55/month), Sling TV also offers a good selection of add-on channel packages.
Highlights of Sling Orange include ESPN, Disney, BBC America and Comedy Central, while Sling Blue carries Discovery, FOX News, MSNBC, NBC Sports, and SYFY. The Sling Orange and Blue plan has 47 channels if you want it all. The one thing to note is that you will not get the local live ABC channels with any package though if you pay two months of service in advance, Sling TV will send you a free HD antenna to watch your local channels. Local live CBS channels are also not included, though you can add Paramount+ (see below) if that’s an essential selection for you.
Paramount+
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In addition to an extensive library of originals, TV episodes, films, and original content from CBS, Showtime, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Pluto TV, and more, it offers a wide array of live TV options.
Sports fans will be delighted with CBS Sports HQ, which offers live events like the NFL on CBS, the PGA Tour and The Masters, NCAA Division 1 Men’s basketball, and lots of soccer action, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League with exclusive English-language coverage.
For news junkies, Paramount+ is a treasure trove. You’ll also be able to tune into CBSN, a 24-hour streaming news service, and your local CBS affiliate network.
You can get a week free trial right now, after that pricing is in two different tiers: a premium plan priced at $9.99/month or $99.99/year, and an ad-supported plan, now for just $4.99/month or $49.99/year. However, it’s worth noting that only subscribers to the premium plan get access to their live local CBS affiliate and most live sports.
YouTube TV
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With more top channels and PBS, YouTube TV offers a simple user interface and a comprehensive service that will almost entirely replace your cable TV for the (recently increased) price of $72.99/month.
With over 100 channels, including sports, news and entertainment and cloud DVR with unlimited storage, the service has the most extensive base plan offerings of all the live TV streaming services. Here you’ll get all the major networks, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Like some of the other services, you can also add on premium networks like HBO Max and Showtime.
If you want the most robust channel selection available, and don’t mind paying a premium for it, then YouTube TV is an excellent live-streaming service to consider.
Philo
For $25/month, Philo offers more than 70 basic-type lifestyle and entertainment channels, like HGTV, History, Discovery, AMC, and Nickelodeon. It also comes with an extensive library of on-demand titles, unlimited DVR and the ability to stream on up to four screens simultaneously.
If you’re a sports fan, Philo is not for you; however news enthusiasts can enjoy channels like BBC America, World News, and Newsy, and romance lovers can tune into favorites like the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime Movie Channel. Add-ons are also available, such as the MGM+ package for $6/month and the Starz bundle for $9/month. Right now, you can also enjoy one week free when you sign up.
Best Live TV Streaming Service Overall: Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is our pick for the best live TV streaming service because it offers something for everyone—as well as access to its popular on-demand Hulu service, Disney+ and ESPN+. You get all the live TV channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. But you can also bundle sports, entertainment and news along with Hulu’s enhanced DVR capabilities for $69.99/month.
Subscribe to Hulu Plus Live TV
Free Live TV Streaming Services Compared
Peacock
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Peacock is NBC’s foray into the streaming TV landscape, and the ad-supported free tier offers tons of NBC TV shows and an excellent library of movies — most in full-stream high definition. Here you can find NBC faves like Friday Night Lights, the first few seasons of The Office and Saturday Night Live, but you can also stream newer shows like Poker Face.
Other examples of content that didn’t premiere on NBC include Battlestar Galactica and Charmed, and it’s the single destination for all the Summer Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, only Premium subscribers (starting at $4.99 per month) can get access to most of Peacock’s live sports, including all the Premium League soccer matches. The completely ad-free Peacock Premium Plus will run you $9.99/month.
Pluto TV
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Owned by Viacom, Pluto TV is a basic, entirely free streaming service that can help you supplement cutting those cords with over 200 different streaming channels — though many are not the traditional channels you may expect. The entertainment area shines with Pluto TV, including Comedy Central, MTV, Fuse, and the Paramount Movie Channel.
You can also tune into lifestyle channels such as Food TV, This Old House, and kid’s channels like Nick Jr., Pluto TV Kids, and Anime All Ages. CNN also recently joined Pluto’s ranks, which is good news for news junkies. On-demand is available, but the smaller selection of movies and TV shows constantly changes.
Xumo
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Xumo has over 150 free and on-demand channels and a library of on-demand TV shows and movies. With Xumo, you don’t even need to sign up with a username and password. Just download the app and get streaming.
Available channels include NBC News, ABC News Live, Fox Sports, PGA Tour, TMZ, Hallmark Movies, and The History Channel. You won’t get DVR service here, so you can’t pause, rewind or fast forward, but for a free service with no strings attached, it’s an excellent addition to any cord-cutting plan.
Best Free Live TV Streaming Service Overall: Pluto TV
If you’re serious about cutting those cords, Pluto is the best free live TV streaming site around — and a great way to supplement a paid subscription service, like our favorite Hulu Plus Live TV. Though ad-supported, it offers a staggering number of channels, over 250 at current count, as well as on-demand TV shows and movies.
Like Xumo, you can just download the app or pull up the website and start watching immediately. If you choose to register, however, you can also create a personal account to save your favorite channels or even pick up watching your content on different devices.
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