I can't wait for my contract with comcast / xfinity to end in October 2020, signing up with them in October 2018 was the worst consumer decision I have ever made. They have sent 14 techs to my house, replaced the cable box 3 times, and because the service they expect me to pay for has not been there when I turn on my TV or computer I have only paid the full amount on 4 bills. I didn't pay the full amount last month and I will not be paying the full amount this month. AND their "customer service" leaves everything to be desired, everything. This from CNET.....
Best live TV streaming services for cord-cutters in 2020
Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and others let you ditch your cable company but keep the live channels and DVR. Here's how they stack up.
If you want to cut the cable TV cord but still want to keep live TV, the future is in streaming. Live TV streaming services like YouTube TV and Sling TV let you watch most, if not all of your favorite TV channels -- from ABC to NBC to ESPN to CNN to Nickelodeon to Fox News -- streamed live over the internet. And they probably cost far less than you're paying the cable company for TV.
Prices start at $15 per month with no extra fees or contracts. In place of a cable box and the monthly fee to rent it, you'll use an app on your smart TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or game console. And you can watch at home or on the go via a tablet, phone, other mobile devices or even a web browser.
These services have plenty of benefits -- no more cable fees, no more contracts, yay! -- but the savings can be outweighed by other downsides including internet fees, DVR restrictions, buffering and a lack of things to watch like live sports. And just like cable TV, the cost of these services just keeps going up. AT&T raised the price of its AT&T TV Now service packages, Hulu with Live TV increased by $10 last December, while Sling raised its price by $5 across the board. The landscape is in constant flux, and this can also mean competition is squeezed out -- for instance, PlayStation Vue was among our top picks for premium options, but Sony is shuttering its PS Vue streaming service in January.
LIVE TV STREAMING SERVICES COMPARED
| YouTube TV | Sling TV | Hulu with Live TV | AT&T TV Now | |
| Base price | $50/month for 70-plus channels | $30/month for 30-plus channels | $55/month for 60-plus channels | $65/month for 45-plus channels |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels | Yes, in many markets | Fox and NBC only in select cities | Yes, in many markets | Yes, in many markets |
| Simultaneous streams per account | 3 | 1 or 3 | 2 ($15 option for unlimited) | 2 ($5 option for 3) |
| Family member/user profiles | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Cloud DVR | Yes (keep for 9 months) | Yes | Yes | Yes (50 hours, 200 hours for $10 a month) |
| Fast-forward through or skip commercials with cloud DVR | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (Yes with $15 option) |
Meanwhile, plenty of heavy hitters have entered the on-demand fray, including Apple with its Apple TV Plus subscription video service which launched Nov. 1, and Disney with its Disney Plus streaming service, which debuted on Nov. 12. While both Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus lack live TV, and therefore supplement these linear services instead, they can still eat into your entertainment budget.
With all that in mind, here's a guide to the brave new world of live TV streaming over the internet, as well as other cord-cutting options available today, starting with our favorite recommendations for the best TV streaming service.
YouTube TV has more top channels for the base price than any competitor, including all four local channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC; note that CBS is the parent company of CNET) in most areas of the country. It also has the best cloud DVR of the bunch, including unlimited storage and a generous nine months to watch recordings (most are 30 days). YouTube TV's interface is no-nonsense, if a little drab, and yet it offers most of the features a cable service can give you. And unlike Sling and others, it's dead simple: One package, one price, done.
With its best-in-class channel selection and cloud DVR, YouTube TV is our favorite option for cord-cutters who want the perks of cable without the hassle. Like all premium-priced ($50-ish) services, however, its relatively high monthly fee makes it more difficult to save money over a traditional cable subscription.
Top channels not available: A&E, Comedy Central, History, Lifetime, NFL Network, Nickelodeon. Read the YouTube TV review.
Sling TV costs more than AT&T Watch TV ($15) and Philo ($20) but has better channels, more options and a better interface, so it's worth the extra money in our opinion. And it's still dirt-cheap compared to the other streaming services, let alone cable.
Sling is cheaper than premium services like YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV because it has very few local stations. Confusingly, it also has two $30-per-month channel packages, Sling Orange and Sling Blue. While some channels are available on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue, the two differ significantly with other channel offerings: Orange is basically the ESPN/Disney package, while Blue is the Fox/NBC package.
Sling's interface isn't much to look at, but it offers all of the options you need without cluttering the screen. The only real letdown, apart from the general lack of locals, is its arcane live pause. The service's options are myriad, so check out Sling TV: Everything you need to know for all the details.
Top channels not available on Sling Blue: ABC, CBS, Animal Planet, Disney Channel, ESPN, Nickelodeon. Fox and NBC only available in select major cities.
Top channels not available on Sling Orange: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Animal Planet, Bravo, CNBC, Discovery Channel, Bravo, Fox News, Fox Sports 1, FX, MSNBC, USA Network Read the Sling TV review.
Why is Watch TV so cheap? It lacks locals, much like Sling TV, doesn't have any dedicated sports channels and, with the exception of CNN, is missing news channels, too. And many of the shows on the channels it does have can be watched on-demand with a Hulu subscription for less.
On the other hand, it's solid for the price. Its lineup includes 30 channels, some of which -- like AMC, HGTV, and BBC America -- are no longer available on the more expensive AT&T TV Now. The interface is fun and easy to navigate. It's available on most other major streaming platforms, except for Roku, and some AT&T wireless plan customers get it for free.
Top channels not available: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Bravo, CNBC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Fox News, Fox Sports 1, FX, MLB Network, MSNBC, NFL Network, Travel Channel, USA Network Read the AT&T Watch TV review.
With the least cable-like interface of its competitors, Hulu's greatest asset is the integration of live TV with its significant catalog of on-demand content for one price. Unfortunately, the interface frustrations apparent with the standard service are amplified once you add live TV. Another issue is that you'll have to pay another $10 per month to get the ability to skip commercials on Hulu's cloud DVR (the base cloud DVR, which is included, doesn't permit skipping ads). Its channel count is solid, however, and with Hulu's catalog included (Handmaid's Tale, anyone?) it's a top competitor, but its higher price puts it out of the running for now.
Top channels not available: AMC, BBC America, Comedy Central, MLB Network, MTV, NBA TV, NFL Network, NFL Red Zone, Nickelodeon. Read the Hulu with Live TV review.
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TV Now has one major extra the other premium services lack: it has HBO included in the price. Whether or not you care about HBO (or Game of Thrones), it's still not a good deal. It's now the most expensive service, starting at a base of $65, and it's missing more top channels than any competitor (although you can pay extra to get most of those channels if you want). Its DVR is also a step behind those of our top choices. The traditional-style interface is good, however, as it includes the flipper-friendly ability to swipe left and right to change channels.
Top channels not available in base package: A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, HGTV, History, Lifetime, MLB Network, NFL Network, Travel Channel Read the AT&T TV Now review.
How to shop for cord-cutting live TV services
Each of the services above offers a different mix of channels, so your first step should be choosing one that carries your "can't miss" cable channels and shows. And some of the most important channels are locals, namely ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Not every service offers all of them in every area.
The services can be broken down into two main groups: Budget, with prices starting at $15 but without local channels. And premium, with prices from $50 and up and include locals and often other extras like a superior cloud DVR. Yes, most of the services (barring AT&T Watch TV) allow you to record and play back shows, just like a traditional cable or satellite DVR, but they often come with restrictions.
Then there's the multistream issue. If you want to watch more than one program at the same time -- for example, on your living room TV and on a bedroom TV, or the main TV and a tablet or other devices -- you'll want to make sure the service you're watching has enough simultaneous streams. Some of the least expensive services only allow one stream at a time, and if you try to watch a second, it's blocked.
Keep in mind that, especially if you do have more than one person watching at once on supported devices, you need to make sure you have fast, reliable broadband internet. A 100Mbps download service will cost around $50 to $60 a month, and that's where the savings of cutting cable can get swallowed up.
Here's a live TV streaming shopping list to consider:
Hulu with Live TV
Sarah Tew/CNETWhat streaming TV services won't give you
Streaming TV services are great, but there are some things they can't do compared to a traditional cable box.
First, it's worth looking at the channels that you can't get with any of these services. A big one has been PBS, as the broadcaster reportedly hadn't acquired the streaming rights to all of the shows that it airs. However, YouTube TV announced it would be the first to include PBS "later this year" though it's yet to appear.
Another biggie is sports. Sure, most services carry ESPN and local channels for NFL football, but if you follow a professional baseball or basketball team, chances are you'll need their specific channel -- called an RSN, or regional sports network -- to watch regular season games. RSN coverage varies widely for each service.
And fans of live sports beware: Every live TV service's video streaming is a few seconds to a minute or more behind the "live" stream you'll get from your local cable or satellite provider. That means you could get a preview of scores or big plays from Twitter, phone alerts or phone calls from friends slightly before you see the action on screen.
While AT&T TV Now offers HBO as part of its base subscription, most other services either sell it as an add-on or require you to sign up separately for HBO Now. In addition, NFL Red Zone and NHL Network are either not available or only as part of a package.
If you're used to 5.1-channel surround offered by cable or even OTA, then you'll probably be disappointed that all of the services only include stereo sound on live broadcasts. AT&T TV Now does include 5.1 audio on some on-demand material, though.
(Note that CNET is owned by CBS, which is a compensated programming provider on all cable, satellite and online TV services that offer CBS channels, which include Showtime, Pop, CBS Sports, and The CW, among others. CBS also owns and operates its own online service, CBS All Access, which is mentioned below.)
Other options
Price: Starts at $20 per month
Another cheap service with no sports or local channels, Philo offers bread-and-butter cable channels like AMC, Comedy Channel, Nickelodeon and BBC America. Unlike Watch AT&T, it includes a cloud DVR, but it lacks a big-name 24-hour news channel like CNN.
Read the Philo review
Price: Starts at $6 per month
CBS All Access stands out from all of the other services as it offers live (in some cities) and on-demand from just one channel. In addition to broadcast video-on-demand, it offers exclusive online content such as Star Trek: Discovery. The on-demand stuff has ads, but you can get an ad-free option for $10 a month.
Price: Starts at $55 per month
FuboTV is a sports-centric service that also offers several other channels including local OTA stations (except ABC) -- and more RSNs (regional sports networks) than any other service. Especially for fans of professional baseball, basketball and hockey teams, FuboTV offers what might be the only way to watch regular-season games without cable. There's no ESPN, however, and a convoluted user interface and relatively high price mean it's not the first service we'd choose.
Don't care about live TV? More cord-cutter staples
Netflix: One of the first streaming TV services and it's so popular that it's become a catch-all term in the same way as "Magic Marker" or "Coke" in the South. High-definition plans start at $13 a month, and the service covers thousands of TV shows and movies, including original content like Daredevil and Orange Is the New Black.
Amazon Prime Video: The "other" major streaming service, which is included as part of a $99 annual Prime Membership or $9 a month. The interface isn't as user-friendly as Netflix, but the service also offers shows not on its rival, including original content like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Amazon Prime also has the ability to add premium channels (HBO and Showtime and more), making it a potential one-stop shop.
Nicknamed Baby Yoda -- this might be the cutest Star Wars character from The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.
Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET
Disney Plus: One of the biggest streaming services to launch in some time, Disney has gathered a mix of movies, TV shows and exclusive content, including the Star Wars-universe-set Mandalorian, for $7 a month. Read the Disney Plus review here
Vudu/Movies Anywhere: A digital library (or locker) that incorporates legacy UltraViolet content and streaming movies and TV that are only available for purchase, like new releases.
It's also worth investigating free, ad-supported services such as Roku Channel, IMDB Freedive, TuBi TV, Pluto, and Sony Crackle, which offer a wealth of content.
Is an indoor or outdoor antenna a viable option?
If you have a TV in your house -- that is, a screen that incorporates a tuner -- you're part-way to cutting the cord already. An affordable indoor antenna hooked up to your set-top box will let you watch free TV over the air from any channel you receive in your local broadcast area. Antennas cost as little as $10. See our comparison of indoor antennas here.
You can also add a DVR such as the Amazon Fire TV Recast or TiVo Bolt OTA if you want. Then you can record those live TV antenna channels, play them back and skip commercials, just like on a standard cable TV DVR. Here's CNET's roundup of the best OTA DVRs for cord-cutters.
A solid, lower-cost alternative to live TV streaming services is the combination of an antenna for live local channels and an on-demand service such as Netflix or Hulu (which is now only $5.99 a month). That way you'll still be able to watch live programming and also have a choice of on-demand content.
Amazon's Fire TV Recast DVR is a cord-cutting antenna user's friend.
Sarah Tew/CNETConclusion: Try it yourself
Streaming live TV services are still in flux. Since launch, every service has increased prices by at least $5 a month, channel selections and cities with local channel access are changing all the time, and reports persist about some services losing money, or even closing in the case of PS Vue. While streaming is undoubtedly the future, it will be some time before both prices and the services offered settle in.
That said, if you want a cable-like experience both at home and for on-the-go devices, without the dead weight that a cable subscription brings, then a streaming service is worth a look. There's no contract to sign, and if you don't like the service you're on, you can easily switch. So whether you're looking for a basic package such as Sling TV or want to pay more for a deluxe experience from the likes of YouTube TV, there should be a streaming TV service to suit you.
Up Next: How to cut the cord for $10: installing an indoor...
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This is the best cheap live-TV streaming service for cord cutters
Priced at just $16 per month, Philo TV is the only Cheapskate-approved choice.
Philo serves up 45 live-streaming channels for $16 per month.
Philo
Everyone I know hates cable TV, simply because it's so expensive. We're all sick of rates that seem to climb by the month and sick of paying for channels we don't watch.
So what's the alternative? Cut the cord, of course, and ditch cable in favor of cheaper alternatives. Ah, but are they really cheaper? If you've looked at CNET's latest roundup of the best live-TV streaming services, you know that many of those services cost $45-$50 a month.
I don't know your situation, but that's close to what I'm paying Comcast for my basic-cable subscription -- a price that includes several gazillion channels and quite a lot of on-demand content. So where are the savings?
Right here. Philo is a live-TV streaming service priced at just $16 a month, making it one of the best values out there -- by a pretty substantial margin.
Before I go on, let me pause to mention AT&T WatchTV. It's a very similar service, and priced even less: just $15 a month, and possibly less if you're an AT&T Wireless subscriber. But it's not nearly as good, for reasons I'll get into in an upcoming comparison post.
Here's what the $16 Philo plan buys you: Three simultaneous streams of 45 popular channels, including AMC, Comedy Central, Food Network, IFC, Nickelodeon, Science and The History Channel. Interestingly, there's a $20 option that adds 13 more channels, but I'm guessing most folks won't feel the need. AHC? Discovery Life? Revolt?
You can watch those streams live or on-demand, and Philo also offers unlimited recording -- basically a cloud DVR for any shows you want to save. Some services, like Sling TV, charge extra for that option.
The service is accessible on Android and iOS mobile devices, with apps also available for Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku. There's a web interface as well for computer-based streaming.
Read more: Roku vs. Amazon Fire TV
Here's what you don't get from Philo: local channels and sports. I can deploy an antenna (and, if needed, a DVR) for the former, because I live in an area well served by over-the-air signals, and I watch sports very infrequently.
Indeed, the channel selection aligns pretty closely with what I like to watch: The History Channel for Forged in Fire, Food Network for Chopped, Comedy Central for Corporate and so on. I think the only channel I'll really miss is FX, home to the likes of Atlanta, Better Things and Legion. Thankfully, those and other shows eventually make their way to Hulu, which is also a steal at $6 a month. (Until June 10, you can get Spotify and Hulu bundled together for just $10 per month. You won't be able to upgrade the Hulu plan to add premium channels or the commercial-free option, but the former -- HBO, Showtime, Starz and the like -- are all available separately anyway.)
I've been test-driving Philo for the past few days (you can get a seven-day trial for free), and so far I like it -- a lot. The guide affords me the kind of channel-surfing I miss without having cable proper, and the price is just so damn reasonable. You get a generous selection of channels, three simultaneous streams and unlimited DVR, all without the nickel-and-diming you'd expect.
So, yeah, Philo is definitely Cheapskate-approved. Cord cutting can mean sacrificing channels you want and conveniences you enjoy, often without saving all that much money. Even if you're paying just $40 per month for cable, there's no question this saves you a big chunk of change.
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Sling TV review: The best budget live TV streaming service
Sling TV offers cord cutters a wealth of live cable TV channels and plenty of add-on options for an affordable price.
The wild world of live TV streaming services, which are designed to replace cable TV by letting you stream live channels over the Internet, is in a constant state of flux. The big names are all increasing the prices of their plans, removing or adding large chunks of programming, or in AT&T's case, creating three different versions of its live TV streaming service. Amid all of the turmoil there's one service that sticks out as a potential oasis for the budget-conscious cord-cutter: Sling TV.
Sling TV may be the oldest such service, but with some savvy updates and a low price, it is still the best if you want to save money. It may not have the most flashy interface -- especially on the desktop or Roku -- but the service is dependable and offers a lot of channels and myriad choices for your $30.
The downside is that Sling TV's worst enemy is itself. It's complicated to pick a plan and there are a couple of hidden costs and gotchas in there as well. And if you want a full slate of local channels (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) you'll have to augment Sling TV with an over-the-air antenna or choose a more-expensive alternative like YouTube TV (Note that CNET is a division of CBS).
Despite some of its shortfalls and numerous competitors, Sling TV remains the most powerful budget service and is the best value service overall. Sling TV earns the CNET Editors' Choice for the best budget live TV streaming service.
What is it?
While we cover what kind of services Sling TV offers in depth here, in short it's a selection of channels, streamed over the internet, for a monthly fee. Sling streams to TVs via media streamers, smart TV systems (LG and Samsung) and game consoles (Xbox One), as well as to phones, tablets and computers -- no cable box required.
Sling TV was the first of its kind, having debuted in 2016, but it now has a bunch of competitors at different price points, including Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, AT&T Watch TV, Philo and Fubo TV. For ease of categorization, I've separated them into budget (under $40) and premium (over $40) services. Sling TV is therefore a budget service, even with its new price hike, alongside AT&T Watch TV ($15) and Philo ($20).
What makes Sling TV tricky is that there are essentially two main plans for the same $30 price: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. They share many of the same channels (like CNN, History and TNT) but other channels are exclusive to one or the other. Sling TV Blue is essentially the Fox and NBC option, while Sling Orange is the ESPN/Disney package.
Sling is also the only live TV service to offer a bunch of add-on channel packages. You can pay $5 or $10 monthly for packages like Sports Extra, Comedy Extra, Hollywood Extra, The Best of Spanish TV and more. The channels in each vary depending on whether you have Blue or Orange, and some channels (like Animal Planet and Fox News) are missing completely, but between its Extras and multiple base packages, Sling offers more ways to customize your channel lineup than any of its competitors.
Check the chart at end of this article for all of the Top 100 channels Sling offers. It's a condensed version of complete list of Top 100 channels offered by every service.
The Sling TV guide
Sarah Tew/CNET
Of the two $30 tiers, I like Sling Blue best. It has more channels than Orange and allows up three people to watch different streams at once. Sling Orange only allows one stream at a time. To add to the complexity, you can combine the two Blue and Orange services for $40 a month, but if you're paying that much YouTube TV is a better option -- easier to use, more channels and with a more generous DVR.
Sling stays inexpensive by eschewing most local channels. The Blue package has Fox and/or NBC in a handful of major cities but doesn't include any ABC or CBS stations. The Orange package offers no local channels, period.
As any cord-cutter knows, local channels are also available via over-the-air antenna. The cheapest, clunkiest way to watch locals as a Sling subscriber is to just connect an HD antenna to the back of your television. The next method, and Sling TV's preferred solution, is for you to buy the $120 AirTV OTA streamer. The AirTV connects to an antenna and your network and streams the missing local channels via the Sling TV interface, integrating them right into Sling's program guide and other areas. Other OTA DVRs are available too, although no others feed into Sling's interface.
Sling now includes 10 hours of free Cloud DVR for both Orange and Blue.
The $120 AirTV feeds local channels into Sling TV's program guide.
Dan Ackerman/CNETWhat's it like?
As far as the Sling TV experience is concerned, it's pretty good. The menus are clean and uncluttered, particularly on the Apple TV version. There you get a choice of My TV, On Now Guide or Sports, However there are still things it could do better, for example the Sling logo takes up half of the Apple TV screen, and while it's a placeholder for show information I'd prefer to see more shows at all times. If the screen could slide up when you select a show and down when not needed that would be better. The Roku interface offers more information at once including further menu options On Demand and Rent.
Navigation is zippy, and it was easy to find the content I wanted to watch -- and record, with the $5 DVR option, of course. With the multiple discovery screens, including the main My TV screen, there were plenty of options even when I didn't know what I wanted.
My only main issue with the service was with the DVR. First off, you can't record anything at all on the ESPN and Disney channels. It's not always clear which channels you can't DVR, and sometimes when time-shifting a live program you'll come across unskippable, undefeatable ads. You just have to wait them out. On some recordings I had a better experience -- for instance I was able to fast-forward on recordings of Discovery without issue.
Should you subscribe?
While you can save some money with AT&T Watch TV ($15) or Philo ($20), it's worth spending more on Sling TV, especially the Blue package. The experience is better overall, zippier, and it offers more channels. It's not perfect, but it's a decent cable replacement, and it should save you a chunk of change in the long term. Just be sure to have a local channel contingency in place before you start.
The chart below compares channels on Sling to its two budget rivals. "Yes" means the channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier, "No" means the channel isn't available at all on that service and "$" means the channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
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BUDGET LIVE TV SERVICES COMPARED
| Channel | AT&T Watch TV ($15) | Philo ($20) | Sling Orange ($30) | Sling Blue ($30) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total channels: | 37 | 39 | 24 | 39 |
| ABC | No | No | No | No |
| CBS | No | No | No | No |
| Fox | No | No | No | Yes* |
| NBC | No | No | No | Yes* |
| PBS | No | No | No | No |
| CW | No | No | No | No |
| MyNetworkTV | No | No | No | No |
| A&E | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AMC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Animal Planet | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| BBC America | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BBC World News | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| BET | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Big Ten Network | No | No | No | No |
| Bloomberg TV | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Boomerang | Yes | No | $ | $ |
| Bravo | No | No | No | Yes |
| Cartoon Network | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CBS Sports Network | No | No | No | No |
| Cheddar | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cinemax | No | No | No | No |
| CMT | No | Yes | $ | $ |
| CNBC | No | No | No | $ |
| CNN | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Comedy Central | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooking Channel | No | Yes | $ | $ |
| Destination America | No | Yes | $ | $ |
| Discovery Channel | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Disney Channel | No | No | Yes | No |
| Disney Junior | No | No | $ | No |
| Disney XD | No | No | $ | No |
| DIY | No | Yes | $ | $ |
| E! | No | No | No | Yes |
| EPIX | No | No | $ | $ |
| ESPN | No | No | Yes | No |
| ESPN 2 | No | No | Yes | No |
| ESPNews | No | No | $ | No |
| ESPNU | No | No | $ | No |
| Food Network | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Business | No | No | No | No |
| Fox News | No | No | No | No |
| Fox Sports 1 | No | No | No | Yes |
| Fox Sports 2 | No | No | No | Yes |
| Freeform | No | No | Yes | No |
| FX | No | No | No | Yes |
| FX Movie Channel | No | No | No | No |
| FXX | No | No | No | Yes |
| FYI | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| Golf Channel | No | No | No | $ |
| Hallmark | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| HBO | No | No | No | No |
| HGTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| History | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HLN | Yes | No | $ | $ |
| IFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investigation Discovery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime Movie Network | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| MLB Network | No | No | $ | $ |
| Motor Trend | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| MSNBC | No | No | No | $ |
| MTV | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| MTV2 | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| National Geographic | No | No | No | Yes |
| Nat Geo Wild | No | No | No | Yes |
| NBA TV | No | No | $ | $ |
| NBC Sports Network | No | No | No | Yes |
| Newsy | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| NFL Network | No | No | No | Yes |
| NFL Red Zone | No | No | No | $ |
| NHL Network | No | No | $ | $ |
| Nickelodeon | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Nick Jr. | No | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Nicktoons | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| OWN | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Oxygen | No | No | No | $ |
| Paramount Network | No | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Science | No | Yes | $ | $ |
| SEC Network | No | No | $ | No |
| Showtime | No | No | $ | $ |
| Smithsonian | No | No | No | No |
| Starz | No | No | $ | $ |
| Sundance TV | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| Syfy | No | No | No | Yes |
| Tastemade | No | Yes | No | No |
| TBS | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TCM | Yes | No | $ | $ |
| Telemundo | No | No | No | No |
| Tennis Channel | No | No | $ | $ |
| TLC | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| TNT | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Travel Channel | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TruTV | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| TV Land | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| Univision | No | No | No | No |
| USA Network | No | No | No | Yes |
| VH1 | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| Viceland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WE tv | Yes | Yes | $ | $ |
| Weather Channel | No | No | No | No |
*Fox and NBC available in select cities only on Sling Blue.
Originally published Aug. 6, 2019.
Update, Dec. 23: Reflects Sling's new pricing.
Update, Dec. 23: Reflects Sling's new pricing.
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Sling TV: Everything you need to know
Sling TV lets you ditch cable TV and still watch live channels from ESPN, CNN, Fox and more. At $30 a month, it's our favorite budget cord cutter live TV service.
Sling TV ($280 at Amazon) was the first live TV streaming service -- appearing in February 2015 -- and while it spawned a number of competitors it's one of the cheapest, and the best, ways to cut the cable TV cord. In fact we awarded it our Editors' Choice among budget live TV streaming services, surpassing cheaper competitors and undercutting everyone else. If your main priority is saving money over cable, it should be the first such service to check out.
Wait a minute, you say. What the heck is Sling TV? It's a service that allows subscribers to watch a collection of live and on-demand TV channels on their TVs, computers, tablets or phones. This is live TV, just like a cable or satellite TV service, except it's streamed over the internet. Instead of a cable box, you connect a media streamer (like Roku or Apple TV) or game console, or just use the Sling TV app on your smart TV (or phone, tablet or computer) to watch.
Sling offers two tiers, Blue and Orange, and if you're a sports fan then Sling Orange remains the cheapest way to watch live ESPN shows like SportsCenter. You can pay more to get additional channels or add extra storage to the cloud DVR, and if you care more about Fox Sports and NBC than ESPN, you can subscribe to Blue. Here's everything you need to know.
How is Sling TV different from my cable or satellite provider?
Sling TV is a live TV streaming service that's operated by Dish Network, but it is an entirely separate entity. You do not need a Dish subscription (or a satellite dish) to get Sling TV. It's available on a number of different platforms including iOS, Android, Apple TV and Roku. In addition:
What about the competition?
When it comes to live TV services, there are two types -- budget and premium. As a budget service Sling has two main competitors: Philo ($20 per month) and AT&T's Watch TV ($15 per month). Like Sling, these competitors lack local channels but also don't offer sports networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports.
Premium services include YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now and Fubo TV, all of which are priced between $45 and $65 per month. They cost more than Sling, mainly because they also carry many of your local broadcast channels -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Why is it so cheap?
One of the biggest "gotchas" with Sling TV, and one of the reasons it's cheaper than cable, is the single-stream restriction on the Sling Orange package (the one that includes ESPN). Meanwhile, the Fox and NBC-inclusive Sling Blue does offers up to three simultaneous streams.
If you're an Orange subscriber, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. This restriction can be a real hassle for families who want to watch different shows in different rooms, for example.
How does it work? If you're watching Sling TV on one device and then someone else begins watching Sling TV on another device, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming. The other device is blocked from streaming Sling TV until the first device stops.
How are Orange and Blue different?
Despite Sling TV's advertising itself as "a la carte TV," you can't pick and choose individual channels. As with cable, there's a set fee for a certain package.
Sling calls its packages Orange and Blue, and differentiates them by channel selection and simultaneous stream limit.
Here's all of the channels offered by Sling TV's base packages as of July 18, 2019.
SLING TV ORANGE VS. BLUE CHANNELS
| Channel | Sling Orange ($30) | Sling Blue ($30) | Sling Orange + Blue ($45) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&E | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AMC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AXS TV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BBC America | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bloomberg TV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bravo | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cartoon Network | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cheddar Business | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cheddar News | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Comedy Central | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Comet | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Channel | Yes | No | Yes |
| Discovery Channel | No | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESPN 2 | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESPN 3 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Food Network | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox | No | Yes* | Yes |
| Fox Regional Sports | No | Yes* | Yes* |
| Fox Sports 1 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Sports 2 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Freeform | Yes | No | Yes |
| FX | No | Yes | Yes |
| FXX | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fuse | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HGTV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| History | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local Now | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MotorTrend | Yes | No | Yes |
| Nat Geo Wild | No | Yes | Yes |
| National Geographic | No | Yes | Yes |
| NBC | No | Yes* | Yes |
| NBC Sports Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| NBC Regional Sports | No | Yes | Yes |
| Newsy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NFL Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| Nick Jr. | No | Yes* | Yes* |
| Paramount Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| Stadium | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Syfy | No | Yes | Yes |
| TBS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TLC | No | Yes | Yes |
| TNT | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Travel Channel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| truTV | No | Yes | Yes |
| USA Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| Viceland | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*On Sling Blue, Fox and NBC's local broadcast channels and sports networks are available in select markets only.
What other channels are available?
Beyond the channels listed above as part of the Orange or Blue base packages, Sling TV also sells add-on mini-packages it calls Sling Extras.
To get one, you'll have to subscribe to either the base Orange or Blue package, then pay an additional monthly fee. Many Extra channels are restricted to either Orange or Blue subscribers. Here's a few current Extra packages and the major channels they include.
Sling also offers Heartland, Hollywood and Broadcast extra packages, as well as a wide array of foreign-language channel packages. Premium channels available on Sling include HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Stars, EPIX and CuriosityStream. Pricing varies from $5 to $15 extra per month.
Lastly, customers can add the Total TV Deal which includes eight extras for $20.
What about local broadcasts (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC)?
The biggest reason Sling costs less than many competing services is because it has very few local channels.
Orange customers don't get the major broadcast networks' local channels, namely CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC. (And let us note, for the record, that CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a division of CBS.)
As mentioned on the chart above, Blue customers can watch local live Fox and NBC broadcast networks (and regional sports channels) in select markets only -- and again, the number of markets is relatively small (about a dozen on each). Blue customers outside those markets have access to Fox and NBC shows on-demand.
Sling encourages users who want local channels to use an over-the-air antenna. It runs promotions that include free antennas and sells the AirTV Player and AirTV to integrate antenna broadcasts with Sling's interface.
The AirTV connects to an antenna to distribute live TV to your TVs and devices via the Sling TV app.
AirTVWhat other channels are not available on Sling TV?
Beyond local channels, a handful of popular channels aren't available at all on Sling TV. They include:
Sling TV also lacks many regional sports networks (RSNs) that are probably found on your local cable service. These vary by locality, but typically they include channels that show professional baseball, basketball and hockey games in the regular season; for example, NESN in New England and MSG in New York.
How can I watch Sling TV?
You'll need to subscribe at Sling.com and set up an account, then install the app on a supported device.
Once you have the device and app installed, you'll be able to sign in and start watching anywhere in the US that has stable internet connection, whether wired, Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Sling TV is currently available (or not) on the following devices.
SLING TV DEVICES
| TV devices | Roku (TVs, boxes and streaming sticks), Apple TV (2015 and newer only), Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, Android TV, Channel Master, LG TV (Web OS 3.0+), Samsung Smart TV |
|---|---|
| Mobile devices | Android phones and tablets, iOS phones and tablets (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch), PC and Mac computers |
| Not available | PlayStation (3 or 4), Xbox 360, Apple TV (pre-2015 versions) |
Does Sling TV have commercials?
Yes. It has the same commercial breaks and national ads as the standard TV channels delivered via cable or satellite TV service. There are also un-skippable and un-pausable ads on some on-demand content.
Can I pause live TV or skip commercials?
Not unless you pay extra for the cloud DVR service (below). Even then, live TV pause only works on certain channels.
Without the cloud DVR, the pause, rewind and fast-forward commands don't work at all when watching many of the ESPN channels (including the SEC Network), as well as AMC, TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, any of the Disney channels, ABC Family, Boomerang, HLN, IFC or Sundance TV.
On some other channels the pause, rewind and fast-forward buttons work as expected. You can pause a current show and rewind all the way to the beginning. You can also fast-forward, even through commercials, to catch back up to live time. But the only way to schedule and keep recordings of shows is to use the cloud DVR.
What's the deal with the cloud DVR?
With its December price increase Sling now includes 10 hours of DVR storage with its plans. On most devices you can pay an extra $5 per month to get 50 hours of storage.
The service is designed to mimic the functionality of the physical digital video recorder box available from many cable and satellite services, allowing you to record and play back recorded shows and skip commercials on certain channels.
Can I watch shows on demand?
Nearly every channel has shows you can watch on-demand, instantly. Most of channels feature "Three Day Replay," allowing you to watch any show aired within the past three days. You can't easily skip commercials on those past shows, however. Some channels even allow you to watch any show or movie that aired in the previous seven days.
Can I use my Sling TV account to sign in to other TV apps, like Watch ESPN and FX Now?
Yes, but not with every app and platform.
Apps like FX Now and Bravo allow you full access if you authenticate with Sling TV credentials, as long as the app is part of your Sling package. Here's the full list of channels, apps and devices you can use your Sling TV login with.
Note that Watch ESPN is still subject to the single-stream restriction, so you can't watch live TV via the Watch ESPN app on one device at the same time as you watch any live TV via the Sling TV app on a second device. And of course Sling Blue customers can't authenticate Watch ESPN at all.
Does the picture look as good as cable?
Not quite, but it's still very good. In our testing, Sling TV has came close to Verizon Fios' HD channel quality at its best, but did look slightly softer. It did briefly drop in quality when moving to a new channel, and there were other occasional picture-quality drops, but on our high-speed connection it was mostly delivered at the highest quality with excellent stability. Picture quality on smaller screen devices was also quite good.
What about sound?
Although Sling originally said the TV channels would be available in 5.1 surround sound where available, it now says 5.1 is restricted to video-on-demand (VOD) content. Live TV is in stereo only.
Is it easy to find stuff to watch?
Much easier than cable, in our book. Sling TV's app has a user interface that's more like Netflix than the traditional cable TV grid guide (though it has one of those too). The interface features thumbnail images of shows and access to on-demand content -- it focuses on individual channels and genres in an easy-to use way.
The main My TV page lets you choose your favorite channels and shows, as well as continue watching on-demand content where you left off. The On Now section lists currently airing shows in categories like Sports, Kids and Lifestyle. There's a full guide, which offers two different views: one is the traditional grid, and the other includes channels you subscribe to, subdivided again into categories. You also get an easy-to-use search function to find specific shows.
What happens if I cancel?
With other live TV services, canceling means you lose access to all of their programming. To watch anything, you'll have to pay (once the free trial period ends).
in 2018 Sling started offering a small selection of shows and movies to former subscribers and newcomers, too, even if they're not currently paying for the service. That includes people who cancel without paying after the free trial period ended.
The new Watch Now row has a selection of free shows, with ads.
Sling
A new "Watch Now" row on the Sling TV app gives these users access to a few free TV shows and movies. It currently includes around 100 hours of programming, with shows like Wrecked, The Detour, Good Behavior, Flip or Flop and more. The shows have ads, which vary in length per show; some ad breaks will be two minutes and some will be shorter.
In addition, former subscribers can watch pay-per-view fights on Sling as well as certain premium channels for a separate monthly fee without paying for a full Sling subscription. They include Showtime ($10), CuriosityStream ($6), Stingray Karaoke ($7), Dove Channel ($5), Outside TV Features ($5), Up Faith & Family ($5), Pantaya ($6) and NBA League Pass ($29).
As of January 2019, only the Roku app for Sling supports these extras, but the company has promised more devices will come.
In addition, users who cancel still have accessed to their DVR recordings for 30 days after the expiration of their service.
What else do I need to know?
That's plenty for now. If you want more info I recommend trying it for yourself. Sling TV offers a free trial, for a week and sometimes longer. If you've read this far, it's probably worth a shot.
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Originally published Jan. 20, 2015.
Update, Dec. 23, 2019: Adds details after Sling's price increase.
Update, Dec. 23, 2019: Adds details after Sling's price increase.
Discuss: Best live TV streaming services for cord-cutters in 2020