I’ve used all the live TV streaming services and I like them all. Each has advantages and disadvantages and finding the right one for you will depend on what you are looking for. Here is a rundown of the top services:

Fubo: This is a “sports first” streaming service meaning it is focused on sports but also offers a good selection of other channels. It is especially good for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
Sling TV: The original live TV streaming service offers the most flexibility of any service. And it is the cheapest way to get ESPN. Save 50% on Sling TV now!
DIRECTV STREAM: Truly a full cable replacement service. If you are leaving cable for the first time, this is the service that includes everything you expect. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
Hulu + Live TV: I think this is the best choice for the average cord-cutter. It has a great selection of live TV channels in addition to ESPN+ and Disney+ for a very reasonable $82.99/month. Try the Hulu Live free 3-day trial.
Philo: If sports isn’t your thing, Philo is a great choice. It features most non-sports “cable” channels for $28.00/month. Combine it with a digital antenna and you get everything most people would ever want. Try Philo free for 7 days.
Frndly TV: Similar to Philo but more family-oriented without some of the more popular channels like Comedy Central and AMC. But at just $6.99/month for the base plan, it’s hard to resist. Get Frndly TV free for 7 days!
YouTube TV: This is a great service — similar in many ways to Hulu Live. It also offers a great selection of channel add-ons. But the big reason to sign up is if you want NFL Sunday Ticket. YouTube TV offers a free trial.

Finding the right live TV streaming service for your needs can be intimidating. There are literally hundreds of channels and a number of services offer most of them.

Using our step-by-step process below, you can easily figure out which streaming service is right for you. If you know what channels your favorite shows are on, then you know what channels you need to prioritize.

Like with most things, one size does not fit all. You need to balance out cost and channel selection to find the cable TV alternative that is right for you.

Table Of Contents

1 Step-by-Step Instructions to Find the Right Streaming Service
2 Streaming TV Channel Matrix
3 Streaming Sports Matrix
4 Streaming Services Overview
5 Our Choice

Step-by-Step Instructions to Find the Right Streaming Service

This is a simple 7-step process for using the Streaming TV Channel and Streaming Sports matrices below.

Make a list of all your favorite TV series, events, and sports.
Make a second list of all the channels your favorite TV series, events, and sports air on. You can find guidance in the following pages:
- TV Series
- Events
- Sports
Use the matrices below. They provide lists of the most popular channels and sports along with indications of which streaming service offers each. You can use them to figure out which services offer the channels you cannot live without.
Sign up for a trial of the streaming service that best matches your needs. (Many offer free trials.)
Test it out. Make sure the channels you care about work as expected. Make sure the video quality is acceptable.
If you are not satisfied with the video quality or channel selection, contact tech support. If that does not work, simply cancel before the trial is over.
If you are satisfied with the channel selection and video quality then consider this exercise a success!

Streaming TV Channel Matrix

In the following table:

✔️ = The base plan includes the channel
💲 = The channel is available as an add-on or in a higher-price plan
❌ = The channel is not available at all
“Blue” = Available in the Sling Blue plan only
“Orange” = Available in the Sling Orange plan only

Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
A&E	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	❌	✔
ABC	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	❌
ABC News	✔	❌	✔	❌	✔	❌
ACCN	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
AccuWeather	✔	❌	❌	✔	❌	✔
AMC	✔	Orange and Blue	❌	✔	✔	✔
AHC	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Animal Planet	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	✔
Aspire	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
AWE	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
AXS TV	❌	Orange and Blue	❌	✔	❌	✔
Baby TV	❌	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
BabyFirst	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
BBC America	✔	Orange and Blue	❌	✔	✔	❌
BBC World	💲	💲	❌	💲	✔	✔
beIN Sports	✔	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
beIN Xtra	✔	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
BET	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
BET her	💲	❌	💲	💲	✔	✔
BET Jams	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
BET Soul	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
B1G	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Billiard TV	❌	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
BNC	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Bloomberg	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	❌	✔
Boomerang	❌	💲	✔	✔	❌	❌
Bravo	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
BYU TV	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
C-SPAN	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
C-SPAN 2	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
CN	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
CBS	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	❌
CBSSN	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔	❌
CBSN	✔	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌
CGTN	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Cheddar	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	💲	✔	✔
Cinémoi	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	💲
Cleo TV	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
CMT	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	✔
CNBC	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
CNBC World	💲	❌	💲	💲	❌	❌
CNN	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
CNN Intl	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌	❌
Comedy Ctrl	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
Comet	✔	Orange and Blue	❌	❌	✔	❌
Cooking	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Court TV	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Cowboy	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Cozi TV	✔	❌	✔	❌	✔	❌
Crackle	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
C & I	❌	❌	✔	💲	❌	✔
Curiosity Strm	✔	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
The CW	💲	❌	✔	✔	✔	❌
Dabl	❌	❌	✔	❌	✔	❌
Dest America	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Discovery	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
Disc Family	💲	❌	💲	💲	❌	✔
Disc Life	💲	❌	💲	💲	❌	✔
Disney	✔	Orange	✔	✔	✔	❌
Disney Junior	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Disney XD	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
Docurama	❌	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
Dove	❌	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
Dox	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Duck TV	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
DUST	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
E!	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
ESPN	✔	Orange	✔	✔	✔	❌
ESPN2	✔	Orange	✔	✔	✔	❌
ESPN3	✔†	Orange	✔†	✔†	✔†	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
ESPNews	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
ESPNU	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Estrella	✔	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
FETV	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Fight Network	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
FM	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	❌
Food Network	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
Fox	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Fox Business	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
Fox News	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Fox Soccer	💲	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
Fox Soul	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
France 24	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Freeform	✔	Orange	✔	✔	✔	❌
FS1	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
FS2	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Fuse TV	💲	Orange and Blue	❌	💲	❌	❌
FX	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
FXM	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
FXX	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
FYI Network	❌	💲	✔	💲	❌	✔
G4	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
GAC	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Great American Family	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Great American Faith & Living	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	✔
Galavisión	✔	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌
GSN	💲	💲	❌	💲	✔	✔
Game+	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
getTV	✔	❌	❌	❌	✔	✔
Golf Channel	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
GolTV	💲	❌	❌	💲	💲	❌
Grit	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
GustoTV	✔	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
Hallmark	✔	💲	❌	✔	✔	✔
HDNet Movies	❌	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
Here TV	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
H & I	❌	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
HGTV	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
History	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	❌	✔
HLN	❌	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Hopster	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
IFC	✔	Orange and Blue	❌	✔	✔	✔
ii24 News	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Insight TV	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
INSP	💲	💲	❌	❌	❌	✔
ID	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
ION	✔	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌
Jewelry TV	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	✔
Kids Street	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Law & Crime	💲	💲	❌	❌	💲	✔
Lifetime	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	❌	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
LMN	❌	❌	✔	💲	❌	✔
Local Now	✔	Orange and Blue	❌	❌	❌	✔
Logo TV	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌	✔
Longhorn	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Magnolia	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
MAVTV	💲	❌	💲	❌	💲	❌
MGM	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
Military History	❌	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌
MLB Network	💲	💲	❌	💲	✔	❌
MotorTrend	✔	Orange	✔	✔	✔	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
MSNBC	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
MTV	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	✔
MTV Classic	💲	❌	💲	💲	✔	✔
MTV Live	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
MTV2	💲	💲	💲	✔	✔	✔
MTVU	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
NASA	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌	❌
Nat Geo Wild	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Nat Geo	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
NBA TV	💲	💲	❌	💲	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
NBC	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
NBC News	✔	❌	✔	❌	✔	❌
NBC Universo	✔	💲	💲	✔	✔	❌
NBCLX	✔	❌	✔	❌	✔	❌
Newsmax	✔	💲	❌	✔	❌	❌
NewsNation	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Next Level	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
NFL Network	✔	Blue	✔	❌	✔	❌
NFL RedZone	💲	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌
NHL Network	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Nick Jr	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	💲	✔	✔
Nick Music	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Nickelodeon	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	✔
Nicktoons	💲	💲	💲	💲	✔	✔
Olympic	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
OANN	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Outdoor	💲	💲	💲	❌	❌	❌
Outside TV	💲	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
Ovation	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
OWN	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Oxygen	✔	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Pac-12	💲	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Paramount	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	✔
PBS	❌	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌
PBS Kids	❌	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌
People TV	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
Pixl	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
PlayersTV	❌	❌	❌	❌	💲	✔
Pocket Watch	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
Pop TV	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
Pursuit	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
QVC	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	❌
QVC-2	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Real Madrid	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Reelz	❌	💲	❌	✔	❌	💲
Revolt	💲	💲	❌	✔	❌	✔
Revry	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔
RFD-TV	❌	💲	❌	✔	❌	❌
RT America	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Science	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
SEC Network	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔	❌
Smithsonian	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔	❌
Sony Movie	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌	💲
SportsGrind	❌	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
Sportsman	💲	💲	💲	💲	❌	❌
Stadium	💲	Orange and Blue	❌	❌	💲	❌
Start TV	❌	💲	✔	❌	✔	❌
Sundance	✔	💲	❌	✔	✔	✔
Syfy	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Tastemade	✔	💲	❌	💲	✔	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
TBS	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
TCM	❌	💲	✔	✔	✔	❌
TeenNick	💲	💲	💲	✔	✔	✔
Telemundo	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔	❌
Tennis	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
Tigo Sports	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
TLC	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	✔
TNT	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Travel	✔	Orange and Blue	✔	💲	✔	✔
TruTV	❌	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
TUDN	✔	❌	❌	💲	❌	❌
TV Land	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	✔
TV One	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
TVG	✔	❌	💲	💲	💲	❌
TVG2	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌
TyC Sports	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌	❌
UniMás	✔	❌	❌	💲	✔	❌
Universal Kids	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔	❌
Univision	✔	❌	❌	✔	✔	❌
UPtv	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌	✔
Channel	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV	Philo
USA	✔	Blue	✔	✔	✔	❌
VH1	✔	💲	✔	✔	✔	✔
Vice TV	❌	Orange and Blue	✔	✔	❌	✔
VSiN	💲	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
WE tv	✔	💲	❌	✔	✔	✔
Weather	✔	❌	❌	💲	❌	❌
Weather Nation	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Willow TV	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
World Fishing	💲	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌
Zona Futbol	💲	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

Streaming Sports Matrix

In the following table:

✔️ — The base plan supports the sport well
💲 — The sport is well supported with an add-on or in a higher-price plan
❌ — The sport is not well supported.

Note that some of the soccer leagues are not well-represented on live TV. Those you can usually find via Paramount+, which is just $7.99/month.

Sport	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV
Baseball (MLB)	💲	❌	❌	💲	❌
Basketball (NBA)	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
Basketball (NCAA)	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔
Boxing	❌	💲	✔	❌	❌
Cricket	❌	💲	❌	❌	❌
Cycling	✔	✔	✔	✔	❌
Darts[1]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Football (NCAA)	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔
Football (NFL)	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔
Football (USFL)	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Football (XFL)	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Formula 1	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Sport	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV
Golf	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔
Gymnastics	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Hockey (NHL)	❌	❌	❌	✔	❌
Horse Racing	✔	❌	💲	💲	💲
IndyCar	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
MotoGP	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔
NASCAR	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Olympics	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Poker	✔	❌	✔	💲	✔
Pool[1]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sport	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV
Pro Wrestling	❌	✔	✔	✔	✔
Rugby	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Snooker[1]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer	✔	💲	✔	💲	❌
Soccer (AFC)[2]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (Brasileiro Série A)[2]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (Bundesliga)	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Soccer (CAF)	✔	💲	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (CONCACAF)	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Soccer (La Liga)	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Sport	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV
Soccer (Liga MX)	✔	❌	❌	💲	❌
Soccer (Ligue 1)	✔	💲	❌	❌	❌
MLS	❌	❌	✔	💲	❌
Soccer (NWSL)[2]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (OFC)[3]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (Olympic)	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Soccer (Premier League)	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Soccer (Serie A)[2]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Soccer (UEFA)[2]	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Softball	✔	❌	✔	✔	✔
Sport	Fubo	Sling	Hulu	DTVS	YTTV
Tennis	💲	💲	❌	💲	❌
UFC	❌	❌	✔	❌	❌
Volleyball	💲	💲	✔	💲	✔

[1] Darts, pool, and snooker fans should check out DAZN.
[2] AFC, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, NWSL, Serie A, and UEFA fans should look at Paramount+.
[3] OFC fans should go to Eleven Sports.

Streaming Services Overview

Streaming services vary quite a bit in their price, which channels they carry, and their features.I get asked a lot, “What’s the best streaming service?” Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that question. There’s only the best streaming service for your household, your budget, and your viewing habits.

Streaming services may differ, but they all have a few things in common:

They use your existing broadband internet connection to deliver your programming.
Many if not most of the channels they carry will look familiar to you as
“basic cable” channels: AMC, History Channel, Food Network, ESPN, and so forth.
There are no contracts, early termination penalties, installation appointments, or random mystery fees. You can cancel anytime, usually online.
Almost all have cloud DVR provided and on-demand programming available.

Service	Price	Channels	DVR	Screens
DIRECTV	$79.99	90+	Unlimited	Unlimited
Frndly	$6.99	50+	0 hours	1
Fubo	$79.99	150+	Unlimited	10
Hulu Live	$82.99	95+	Unlimited	2
Philo	$28.00	70+	Unlimited	3
Sling	$40.00	30+	50 hours	3/1
YouTube	$72.99	100+	Unlimited	3

Our Choice

Every one of these live TV streaming services offer things you couldn’t even get from cable a decade ago — much less for these prices. Your only question is which one is best for you.

Fubo is my favorite streaming service because of its relatively low cost, inclusion of almost all RSNs, sports coverage, and general channel selection. It is also the most popular service with our readers. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

Page Updates ▼▲

May 8, 2023

Added buttons for streaming services. Updated some sub-sections. Updated some section headings. Linking.
Mar 20, 2023

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Dec 28, 2022

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Oct 6, 2022

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Aug 30, 2022

Added new section. Added links to streaming services. Mentioned channel info. Updated some sub-sections. Changes to some of the sections. Added useful links.
Jul 26, 2022

Added links to streaming services. Updated some section headings. Changes to sections. Mentioned offers.
May 5, 2022

Added links to streaming services. Changes to some of the sections. Updates to a section. Updated some section headings.
Dec 15, 2021

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.