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I find Syfy to be one of the most compelling TV channels worth having in my lineup, even though I’m not always glued to it. As someone who has cut the cord, I’m relieved to see how widely available it is across various streaming platforms.
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In a hurry? All the major streaming services offer Syfy in their base plans. Here are the best:
All three services carry SYFY. Pick based on your budget:
Best Overall
185+ channels including SYFY, all major sports networks, and local channels. 7-day free trial – watch tonight, cancel anytime. Best if you want one service that “just works”, without piecing together bundles.
From $79.99/mo after free trial
Lowest Price
Carries SYFY from $45.99/mo – roughly half the price of Fubo. Add channel packs if you want more. The lowest-cost route for SYFY, if you are happy with a smaller bundle.
Most Channels
90+ channels including SYFY – the closest thing to full cable without a contract. 5-day free trial, then from $59.99/mo.
Away from home? If your content is blocked, a VPN helps you keep streaming. Our top pick is ExpressVPN.
Let’s be honest: Syfy disappoints its fans a lot. Whether it’s the notorious “five-year wall” (shows have a tendency to be canceled at five years, if they make it that far), channel drift into reality programming (yes, Ghost Hunters, we’re looking at you), or the incredible schlockfests that are Syfy’s original movies (Exhibit A: poster-beast Sharknado), Syfy has a habit of repeatedly lowering the bar.
What keeps those fans coming back is that, much like the unlikely heroes of so many of its stories, Syfy never gives up or stops trying — and often, they succeed. Recent hits such as Chucky, Resident Alien, and Astrid & Lilly Save the World are reminding fans everywhere that, hey, Syfy’s still got it.
Syfy was launched as the Sci-Fi Channel in 1992, with no lesser luminaries than Gene “Star Trek” Roddenberry and legendary science fiction author Isaac Asimov among its initial advisory board members.
The network infamously rebranded itself in 2009 as “Syfy,” to near-universal derision, and it didn’t help that this rebranding coincided with an increase in non-scifi/fantasy/horror content on the channel, most prominently reality shows like Cha$e, Destination Truth, Estate of Panic, Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, and Ghost Hunters.
Syfy tries (with more or less success over the years) to position itself as a home for the various fandoms of things geeky, supernatural, futuristic, magical, dystopian, apocalyptic, super-powered, extraterrestrial, or otherwise other-worldly. They have somewhat broadened their scope beyond strictly science fiction to include some genres that fit well (urban fantasy, anime) and others that may not (real-life ghost hunting, professional wrestling).
Syfy is owned by NBCUniversal, and shares some creative departments and shows with sister-channel USA. Other science fiction-focused channels are:
Syfy shows cover the full range of science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, with some superheroes and paranormal tossed in. Outer space is a frequent setting, but top-secret locations and government-run laboratories are featured as well.
With plots revolving around time travel, conspiracy theories, aliens, wormholes, the Wild West, or a secret magical higher learning institution (or some combination), these shows all found loyal followings and enjoyed moderate to high success on the network:
And yeah, they run some WWE on occasion.
You used to need cable to watch Syfy, but now all you need is an internet connection and a screen that can connect to it. Live TV streaming services use month-to-month plans with no long-term commitments and more.
All the major streaming services carry Syfy except Philo, which doesn’t carry any NBCUniversal channels. Details below.
FuboTV’s passion is for soccer, and its whole reason for being is to bring international soccer to you. Its Pro plan for $79.99/month has over 110 channels, including Syfy, most of the other NBCU channels, all your local stations, and Comet. This plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on ten devices at once.
If you want to check out Dust, though, you’ll have to spring for either the Fubo Extra add-on ($7.99/mo) or upgrade to the Elite plan ($89.99/month), which also comes with upgraded DVR storage and a higher simultaneous device limit.
See our FuboTV review for more information.
Sling TV offers you the flexibility to put together your own package. If you love Syfy, you’ll want to sign up for Sling Blue, the $45.99/month base plan that includes NBCUniversal channels (in addition to Syfy you get Bravo, Oxygen, USA, E!, MSNBC, and CNBC, plus Sinclair’s Comet).
You could stop there, but you should check out its amazing selection of a la carte premium channels — there’s several horror channels, plus CONtv, which features Comic Con panels and other fandom-related stuff.
Sling Blue comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and simultaneous streaming on up to three devices. Get more information, in our Sling TV review.
DIRECTV has more of the top channels most people want. Their base Entertainment Package is $59.99/month and includes Syfy, as well as all your local network stations and sister-stations USA, Bravo, E!, MSNBC, and CNBC.
You also get unlimited DVR storage and you can stream on unlimited screens in your home and when away. Read more in our DIRECTV review.
Between the Hulu on-demand library, Disney+, and ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV has enough content to keep the whole family busy when there’s nothing good on the live channels. Not that that’s likely to happen often though, with over 85 channels in the base package, including Syfy, all your networks, and all of Syfy’s NBCU sibs.
Start Hulu + Live TV Free Trial ↗︎
Hulu + Live TV comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 months storage) and streaming on up to two devices. See our review for details.
There are other ways to stream Syfy — the channel or just some of its shows:
You can use a diverse range of devices to stream Syfy. Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, DIRECTV, and FuboTV, all support the following devices:
Note that as a last resort, you can stream on a laptop and connect to your TV with HDMI connections. This is the old-fashioned way of doing what casting does wirelessly.
Other than DIRECTV, all the services support Android TV compatible (eg, Sony) TVs as well as LG and VIZIO smart TVs and the Xbox gaming system.
FuboTV supports Hisense smart TVs. Hulu + Live TV lets you stream on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch units. And Sling TV supports the Oculus.
DIRECTV offers its own voice-activated streaming device. This can make the transition from cable easier since your entire streaming system is in one place.
After trying out a bunch of streaming options, Fubo really impressed me for watching Syfy. The channel lineup has tons to offer, and the streaming is smooth and dependable – no weird pauses or buffering issues. I also loved how easy it is to use, with a simple setup and a great DVR to save your favorite shows. It works on pretty much any device, so you’re not stuck watching in one place. While others like Sling TV and DIRECTV were decent, Fubo felt like the best deal with the right mix of features for anyone who’s into Syfy.
Syfy’s original movies were originally pioneered back in 2001 by one Thomas P Vitale, the Executive Vice President of Programming & Original Movies for Syfy (and the since-retired network Chiller). They are the epitome of scifi “B-movies”: low budget, campy, cheesy, outlandish premises, and has-been (and sometimes will-be) actors starring.
Fans tend to be polarized, either loving them for the magnificently perfect “things” they are, or hating them as a symbol of everything wrong with Syfy. A short list of Syfy originals should help illustrate the type of film we’re talking about here (and, again, we swear, we are not making any of these up):
“The Syfy original Man with the Screaming Brain (written, directed, and starring Bruce Campbell) will one day be seen as the work of Wellesian-level genius that it is.” –Frank Moraes
NBCUniversal features various divisions which focus on different kinds of content. Here are its main English-language non-sports channels:
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