Vidgo Review: Was This Streaming Service The Simplest One Yet?

IMPORTANT: Vidgo went out of business in late 2023. We think Fubo is a great “all round” alternative. Check out our review.

Not too long ago, I discovered Vidgo when it first emerged as the new kid on the live TV streaming block. I found it to be a mid-level service that delivered a large number of channels at a reasonable price. What caught my attention was its focus on college sports, family-friendly programming, and Spanish-language channels, which helped distinguish it in a crowded industry.

In a hurry? Vidgo was probably the simplest streaming service around. It offered 100+ channels for $69.99/month. There were no add-ons so if the channel lineup was good for you, you were ready to go. Try Fubo instead.

Try Fubo Instead!

Vidgo Alternatives

There are a lot of other streaming services that will appeal to different viewers.

Philo

Nobody beats Philo for price — there just isn’t a multichannel service cheaper than its $28.00/month. The trade-off is that it provides absolutely zero sports channels, Spanish-language channels, and local network affiliates — literally none. What’s more, BBC World is its sole news source.

Try Philo for Free

On the plus side, Philo has unlimited DVR and options for a few premium channels. See our Philo review for more information.

Sling TV

Sling TV is Vidgo’s closest competitor. At $40.00/month for either of their base packages, they’re undercutting Vidgo by quite a lot. They offer a good selection of channels including network affiliates but they do offer substantially fewer channels.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Their add-on system makes Sling TV easy to personalize. But it can also cause your price to rise substantially. Learn more in our Sling TV review.

Fubo

If you’re a serious sports fan and don’t mind paying more, Fubo is where it’s at. Starting at $79.99/month, it’s pricier than Vidgo, but fully a third of their 150+ channel lineup is pure sports. And you can upgrade to get even more.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

But Fubo is also an excellent all-around streaming service with a great interface. Our Fubo review has all the details.

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV solid cable-replacement service, you get the industry-leading on-demand library as well as 95+ live TV channels, ESPN+, and Disney+ for $82.99/month. You can only watch on 2 devices at a time, but it comes with unlimited cloud DVR with 9 months of storage. It’s got a little bit of everything.

Get Hulu + Live TV for $59.99 Monthly

No one beats Hulu + Live TV as an overall entertainment package. Find out more in our Hulu + Live TV review.

Other Services

The other major streaming services are DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV), which features the Choice Plan at $108.99/month for full access to pretty much every RSN in the nation. And YouTube TV offers 100+ channels for $72.99/month.

Vidgo Overview

Vidgo CEO Shane Cannon had said, “We play in a different sandbox.” One way they did that was by targeting a different demographic.

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Unique among online live TV providers, Vidgo offered prepaid accounts through local wireless retailers. This meant no credit card or bank info was required. Together with a solid base of Spanish-language channels, this made Vidgo a great service for first-generation Latin American immigrants.

Vidgo worked like most streaming services: you paid a monthly fee, they supplied TV channels you could watch, and typically some features to enhance the viewing experience.

But instead of receiving shows via a physical cord or satellite dish, you received them over the internet. If you read this, you probably already had internet service and a screen to view content on, so you had everything you needed to get started with an internet streaming TV provider.

Vidgo simplified its subscription plans about a year ago before it shut down. Then, there was just an English package and a Spanish package ($39.99/month). They later divided the English plan into the Plus ($69.99/month) and Premium ($84.99/month) plans. (See details on the Premium plan.)

The Plus package featured roughly 90 channels — typical cable channels like Disney, Discovery, and FX. And the Spanish package had over 25 Spanish-language channels from the US, Mexico, Central and South America, and Spain.

Vidgo was the only streaming TV service to include all the NCAA channels in its base plan: ACC, Big Ten, Longhorn, Pac 12, and SEC. Plus it included ESPNU as well as the pro channels NFL Network and NFL RedZone. This made it a great choice for football fans.

But sports and Spanish weren’t all Vidgo had going for it. It also had tons of kids and family-focused channels, including educational content, classic TV shows, and wholesome movies. It also had a slate of news channels although they did skew to the smaller and more conservative.

However, Vidgo’s plans were a little short in the bells and whistles department. This may have been a plus or a minus for you, depending on what kind of viewing experience you were going for.

Vidgo Plans

So, the first thing you’ll notice is the lack of any kind of tiers of service, add-ons, or even premium channels. That’s because Vidgo kept its offerings simple.

Try Fubo Instead!

This was not a five-star resort with massive suites, private patios, and turn-down service. But it wasn’t Motel 6, either, and if you were just looking for some good entertainment at a decent price, you could have found what you’re looking for.

Vidgo User Experience

For its price, Vidgo offered as good a live TV channel lineup as you would’ve found. But it was more than that. Below we look at Vidgo’s user experience.

User Interface

Vidgo’s interface, sad to say, was notoriously uneven. The mobile apps generally presented a fairly smooth and intuitive experience. But the live TV interface was no-frills and somewhat clunky.

If you like simplicity, nothing but the bare essentials, this was a breath of fresh air for you. If you were used to other services like Fubo, which offer slick and user-friendly interfaces, you might have found the Vidgo interface to have sent you back to cable.

Given all that, the search feature was surprisingly responsive. And channels were at least filtered into a few broad genres for easier browsing. Many of the worst complaints about the user interface described bugs and issues that had been long since fixed. So if that was your biggest concern, it was definitely worth a try.

DVR and On-Demand Content

Vidgo had recently added a cloud DVR feature to its Premium plan. And its Plus and Mas plans offered 90 days of cloud DVR storage.

Before that, it only offered 20 hours of DVR storage. This wasn’t great but then again, it was enough for most uses. People often use their DVRs as dumping grounds to store shows they will never watch.

Regardless, Vidgo had a couple of features that compensated for its limited cloud DVR. First, you could watch missed shows or events for up to 3 days (72 hours) after they originally aired, so if you were just not home when the game or episode you wanted was on, you still had a few days.

The second is called Timeshift, and it let you rewind, pause, or skip back to the beginning of shows or live sports.

If all that did not give you enough flexibility, there were third-party options available, such as Stremium, which for $5/mo gives you 25 DVR hours through a separate app. You could also install your own local DVR at home.

Similarly, Vidgo offered no on-demand library. However, channels that had apps or websites that support TV Everywhere (see below) did have on-demand content available.

Multiple User Support

Vidgo subscribers could watch on up to 3 devices at a time, with no conditions or limits. This meant you on the train, your spouse at the office, and your kid on the bus could all watch something different on your phones or tablets with no conflict.

The service did not support multiple profiles, however. So you needed to strike a deal to divvy up the favorites slots.

Social Watching

Vidgo’s social features were unique and innovative. Social TV — which was only available on mobile devices, not the TV app — let you watch with others in a digital chatroom session called a “hang.”

Several other services have group watching for friends and family, but only Vidgo let you create or join public hangs to exchange comments and opinions, memes, GIFs, or reaction clips.

You could also create private hangs for friends or family, or simply turn off Social TV altogether.

TV Everywhere

Vidgo’s TV Everywhere support definitely helped compensate for spotty local network coverage and the lack of native on-demand content. It was a little off-brand from the view-in-the-now vibe you get from the limited DVR and lack of on-demand, but that was okay. 

Vidgo supported an impressive 30+ channels via TV Everywhere.

Vidgo Streaming Devices

Vidgo didn’t offer as many options for hardware as other services, but they accepted all the standard ones.

HDTVs With Chromecast

The first thing you should know is that Google Chromecast is a small device that plugs into a TV (or is built-in) to allow it to receive streaming video from your Android device or Chrome browser.

You can plug an external Chromecast device into any modern TV with an HDMI port, which is pretty much any flatscreen HDTV. This allows Vidgo to work on any TV with an HDMI port.

Other TV Devices

Other ways to watch Vidgo on your TV were:

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV

You could also watch on any smart TVs that supported the Android TV standard.

Mobile Devices

• iOS
• Android
• Safari
• Chrome
• Firefox
• Edge.

Not Supported

• Most smart TVs (natively)
• Xbox One
• PlayStation
• Nintendo Switch
• Facebook Portal
• Echo Show.

Who Was Vidgo Good For?

Spanish speakers

First up, Vidgo was great for native Spanish speakers or anyone who enjoyed Spanish-language programming. The only competition for their Spanish plan came from Sling TV, which has a lot of options, and Fubo, which has a similar plan but is more sports-oriented.

College Sports Fans

NCAA fans, your TV provider had arrived in Vidgo. But even pro fans should take note. No other streaming service provided NFL RedZone in their base plans. NFL fans did, however, miss out on CBS, which they could get via antenna or Paramount+.

The biggest drawback for sports fans was that Vidgo lacked regional sports networks (RSNs). This wasn’t a problem for football fans but MLB, NBA, and NHL fans would miss out on the home team’s games. If this is important to you, check out Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM.

Families

If you were looking to sit down to watch something with the kids and not get into an embarrassing discussion from an innocent question over an inappropriate comment, gesture, or situation, look no further.

Wholesome, inoffensive, lighthearted entertainment was Vidgo’s bread and butter. From Little House on the Prairie to My Three Sons, old-fashioned Westerns, classic romances, and high adventure abound.

News Junkies

Vidgo had the highest number of right-leaning news sources of any service. DIRECTV STREAM, for example, is the only other service that carries One America News. And i24 News, a pro-Israeli news channel, was a Vidgo exclusive among American streaming services.

Together with Newsmax, Fox News, and NewsNation, it was definitely a compelling package for those who found modern television to be on the whole far too liberal.

Was Vidgo Worth It?

“Back in my day, if you didn’t like what was on the TV, you just waited. None of this DVR, on-demand, binge-watching stuff. No sir,” this streaming service said. “We are going to fire up the way-back machine and do TV the way it’s supposed to be. And if you kids don’t like it, well, you can go watch Press Your Luck on Game Show Network.”

Try Fubo Instead!

Okay, we’re kidding. But there was definitely a market out there for people who didn’t want or need all the bells and whistles or 200+ channels. People who used to be satisfied with the $40-50 basic cable package and didn’t quite understand how they ended up with a bill three times that. People who liked sports, news, and reruns of classic shows.

So, to sum up, Vidgo’s lack of features was definitely going to be a dealbreaker for some. But for many, it had far more than you will ever use. Try Fubo instead.

FAQ

Could you get local channels on Vidgo?

In most areas, Vidgo provided you with the local affiliates for ABC and Fox. Whether you got one or both depended on where you lived and whether those stations had agreements in place with Vidgo. If so, you could see the networks in your channel guide. Otherwise, you needed to invest in an antenna or upgrade to another streaming service.

Was Vidgo live TV?

Yessiree Bob. Vidgo provided just 100% all-natural guaranteed fresh live and in-person TV. Joking aside, yes, Vidgo was a live TV streaming service, with linear channels just like cable or satellite TV. It was not video on demand (VOD) like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

What was the Vidgo Premium plan?

In 2021, Vidgo had divided its English plan into two: Plus and Premium. The Plus plan was pretty much the same as the original English plan with roughly 100+ channels for $69.99/month. The Premium plan came with more channels (150+ channels) for $84.99/month.

Try Fubo Instead!

The additional channels included American Heroes Channel (AHC), beIN Sports (removed from English), CMT Music, Cooking, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Great American Country, MTV Classic, MTV2, Nicktoons, RFD-TV, Stadium (removed from English), and The Cowboy Channel.

This seemed like a strange move. Perhaps it was meant to keep the cost of the Plus plan down. We didn’t see why anyone would choose the Vidgo Premium plan when both Hulu + Live TV and Fubo offered better plans for $15 less. It was even the same price as the Fubo Elite plan, which came with over 160 channels including all local channels and a good selection of RSNs, unlimited cloud DVR, and unlimited screens.

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Alanna Baker

Alanna Baker was the Streaming Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in comprehensive streaming coverage across various genres, with a particular focus on sports and Sling TV offerings. With a background in literature and education, coupled with extensive experience in media and law, Alanna brings a unique perspective to the streaming industry.

Her expertise stems from being an early adopter of various entertainment technologies, from mail-order Netflix to modern streaming platforms. Alanna's in-depth knowledge of Sling TV's modular service and her ability to cover diverse streaming content make her a key expert in navigating the complex landscape of modern streaming options, especially in sports and entertainment.

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