If you wish to cut the cord or simply wish to hold your common TV plan, you have bought a number of decisions, however live TV streaming services do not require you to lock in to a pesky contract. They provide an assortment of channels, embody DVR capabilities and provide the power to stream sports activities and extra. Most providers additionally will let you watch in your laptop computer or cellphone.
Choosing the right platform could be difficult on account of pricing and regional sports activities networks, however there are six essential platforms to consider (we’re not together with smaller ones): Fubo, Philo, Sling TV, DirecTV, YouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV.
YouTube TV and Disney labored issues out, however Fubo misplaced a set of channels from NBCUniversal, together with USA, Bravo, MS NOW and NBC. You also needs to bear in mind that Philo’s monthly price went up, and Hulu’s dwell TV platform now costs more. But it surely actually boils all the way down to the channels, proper? We have examined which platforms function essentially the most high 100 channels of their essential lineups that will help you decide which one is finest in your family.
The Huge Chart: Prime 100 channels in contrast (up to date December 2025)
The principle distinction between the providers lies of their channel choice. All of them provide completely different lineups of channels for varied costs.
Beneath, you may discover a chart that reveals the highest 100 channels throughout all six providers. Observe that not each service has a worthy 100. There are literally seven listed as a result of Sling TV has two “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And when you’re questioning, I selected which “high” channels made the reduce. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Common HD.
DirecTV affords signature streaming packages, and its fundamental plan begins at $90 a month with charges (with out the promo charges). YouTube TV, Sling, Fubo and Hulu Plus Stay TV’s plans all value extra, affecting the worth of those providers primarily based on their channel lineups. With channel losses and worth hikes, a few of providers could appear much less interesting.
Nonetheless, there are quite a few dwell TV streaming decisions out there. Sling TV’s basic monthly packages are $46 in most cities and Philo affords a small roster however packages HBO Max and AMC Plus entry with it. However prices proceed to go up and people adjustments are mirrored within the chart beneath the place relevant.
Some extra stuff to know concerning the chart:
- Sure = The channel is accessible on the most affordable pricing tier. That worth is listed subsequent to the service’s identify.
- No = The channel is not out there in any respect on that service.
- $ = The channel is accessible for an additional charge, both a la carte or as a part of a dearer bundle or add-on.
- Regional sports activities networks — native channels dedicated to displaying regular-season video games of specific professional baseball, basketball and hockey groups — aren’t listed. DirecTV’s $130 tier has essentially the most RSNs by far however a couple of can be found on different providers. You can too try its MySports package for $70 and Xfinity’s sports and news providing.
- Native ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and The CW networks aren’t out there in each metropolis. As a result of the supply of those channels varies, you may wish to examine the service’s web site to confirm that it carries your native community.
- Native PBS stations are solely at present out there on DirecTV, Hulu Stay and YouTube TV. Once more, you may wish to examine native availability.
- Sling Blue subscribers in cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York Metropolis should now pay $51 per 30 days, however have entry to native ABC, Fox and NBC channels. Prospects in Houston, Fresno, California, and Raleigh, North Carolina, now have ABC and Fox on their Blue or Orange-and-Blue subscriptions at no additional cost. This isn’t mirrored within the chart. Test Sling’s site to see which native channels can be found in your space.
- Fubo subscribers might discover that the ACC Community and SEC Community are included with their bundle at no additional value. Test availability in your state.
- The chart columns are organized so as of worth, so if you cannot see every part you need, strive scrolling proper.
- Overwhelmed? An easier-to-understand Google Spreadsheet is here.
Philo vs. Sling TV vs. Fubo vs. YouTube TV vs. DirecTV vs. Hulu: Prime 100 channels in contrast
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole channels: | 43 | 24 | 34 | 78 | 39 | 56 | 75 |
| ABC | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| CBS | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Fox | No | No | Sure (some markets) | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| NBC | No | No | Sure (some markets) | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| PBS | No | No | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| CW | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure (restricted) | Sure |
| MyNetworkTV | No | No | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
| A&E | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | $ | Sure |
| ACC Community | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Accuweather | Sure | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | No |
| AMC | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No |
| Animal Planet | Sure | No | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| BBC America | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No |
| BBC World Information | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | $ | No |
| BET | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Huge Ten Community | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Bloomberg TV | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Boomerang | No | $ | $ | No | No | Sure | $ |
| Bravo | No | No | Sure | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
| Cartoon Community | No | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| CBS Sports activities Community | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Cheddar | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Cinemax | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| CMT | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| CNBC | No | No | $ | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| CNN | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Comedy Central | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Cooking Channel | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Vacation spot America | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Discovery Channel | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Disney Channel | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Disney Junior | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Disney XD | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| E! | No | No | Sure | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| ESPN | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| ESPN 2 | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| ESPNEWS | No | $ | No | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| ESPNU | No | $ | No | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
| Meals Community | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Fox Enterprise | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Fox Information | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FS1 | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FS2 | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Freeform | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FX | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FX Motion pictures | No | No | $ | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| FXX | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FYI | Sure | $ | $ | No | No | $ | Sure |
| Golf Channel | No | No | $ | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | $ | Sure |
| Hallmark | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| HBO/Max | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| HGTV | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Historical past | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | $ | Sure |
| HLN | No | $ | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| IFC | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No |
| Investigation Discovery | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Lifetime | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | $ | Sure |
| Lifetime Film Community | Sure | $ | $ | No | No | $ | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
| Magnolia Community | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | $ | Sure |
| MeTV | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | No |
| MGM+ | $ | $ | $ | $ | No | $ | No |
| MLB Community | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | Sure |
| Motor Development | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| MS NOW | No | No | Sure | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| MTV | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| MTV2 | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | Sure | $ |
| Nationwide Geographic | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Nat Geo Wild | No | No | $ | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| NBA TV | No | $ | $ | Sure | $ | $ | No |
| NFL Community | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| NFL Crimson Zone | No | No | $ | $ | $ | No | $ |
| NHL Community | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | No |
| Nickelodeon | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Nick Jr. | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Nicktoons | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | $ | $ |
| OWN | Sure | No | No | Sure | No | $ | Sure |
| Oxygen | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Paramount Community | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Science | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
| SEC Community | No | $ | No | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| Showtime | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Smithsonian | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Starz | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Sundance TV | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | Sure | No |
| Syfy | No | No | Sure | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| Tastemade | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | No |
| TBS | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| TCM | No | $ | $ | Sure | No | $ | Sure |
| TeenNick | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | Sure | $ |
| Telemundo | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | $ | Sure |
| Tennis Channel | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | No |
| TLC | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| TNT | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure |
| Journey Channel | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | $ | Sure |
| TruTV | No | $ | Sure | Sure | No | $ | Sure |
| TV Land | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| USA Community | No | No | Sure | Sure | No (on account of carriage dispute) | Sure | Sure |
| VH1 | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Vice | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | $ | Sure |
| WE television | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | Sure | No |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Stay TV ($90) |
Hulu Plus Stay TV, which incorporates entry to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, is among the costliest platforms, now at $90 a month for its base bundle. Its channel choice is not as sturdy as YouTube TV, however Hulu’s significant catalog of on-demand content material units it aside. Unique titles similar to Shōgun, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building give it a content material benefit.
Stay TV subscribers additionally obtain limitless DVR that features fast-forwarding and on-demand playback — at no further value. It is a transfer that has aligned Hulu with its opponents by way of options, however the channel lineup should be a deciding issue. It is pricier than YouTube TV, which has extra channels, however the entry to Disney Plus and ESPN might make it a extra interesting selection for you. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
Aside from its present carriage dispute with Disney, YouTube has a superb channel choice, easy-to-use interface and best-in-class cloud DVR. Sometimes, the $83-per-month service is among the finest cable TV replacements. It affords a 4K improve add-on for an extra worth, however the draw back is that there is not a lot to observe at current except you watch choose channels. In the event you do not thoughts paying a bit greater than the Sling TVs of the world, or wish to watch dwell NBA video games, YouTube TV affords a excessive customary of dwell TV streaming. Read our YouTube TV review.
If you wish to save somewhat cash and do not thoughts lacking out on native channels, Sling TV is the perfect of the funds providers. Its Orange and Blue packages begin at $46 per 30 days, and you’ll mix them for a month-to-month price of $61 ($66 in some areas). The Orange possibility nets you one stream, whereas Blue provides you three. It isn’t as complete or as straightforward to navigate as YouTube, however with a bit of labor, together with including an antenna or an AirTV 2 DVR, it is an unbeatable worth. We’ll additionally add that the service affords native channels similar to ABC and CBS in some areas the place the month-to-month price is $51. Read our Sling TV review.
DirecTV’s base signature streaming bundle prices greater than all the opposite platforms on this listing besides Hulu Plus Stay TV, and its stiffest competitors continues to be Hulu and YouTube TV. With its channel choice, it is excellent for sports activities followers who wish to watch native or nationwide video games.
The service does have its advantages, although — for instance, it consists of the flipper-friendly capability to swipe left and proper to alter channels. Moreover, it consists of some channels that another providers cannot, together with almost 250 PBS stations nationwide. The $90 Leisure bundle might fit your wants with its 100-plus channels and the inclusion of ESPN Plus, Disney Plus and Hulu. However for cord-cutters who wish to comply with their native NBA or MLB crew, DirecTV’s pricier Alternative bundle is a extra sturdy dwell TV streaming decide as a result of it has entry to extra regional sports activities networks than the competitors. Nonetheless, you may wish to make certain your channel is included right here and never out there on certainly one of our most well-liked picks earlier than you pony up. Read our DirecTV streaming service review.
There’s lots to love about Fubo — it affords a wide array of channels and its sports activities focus makes it particularly enticing to soccer followers or NBA, NHL and MLB followers who dwell in an space served by certainly one of Fubo’s RSNs. It is also an ideal selection for NFL followers as a result of it is certainly one of three providers, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, that provide NFL Community and elective RedZone. As of February 2025, Fubo is charging extra for its service and entry to Bally Sports activities RSNs. The most important gap in Fubo’s lineup is the dearth of Warner Bros. Discovery networks, together with Cartoon Community, CNN, Meals Community, HGTV, TBS and TNT — particularly because the latter two carry a number of sports activities content material, specifically MLB, NBA and NHL. These lacking channels, and the $85 price ticket for the bottom plan, make it much less enticing than YouTube TV for many viewers. Read our Fubo review.
Philo’s Core plan is now $33 and consists of the AMC Plus bundle and HBO Max at no additional value, and it is nonetheless an affordable dwell TV streaming service with a wide range of channels. But it surely lacks sports activities channels, native stations and big-name information networks — though BBC Information and Cheddar can be found. Philo affords bread-and-butter cable staples like Comedy Central, Hallmark Channel and Nickelodeon, and makes a speciality of life-style and actuality programming. It is also one of the reasonably priced dwell providers that streams Paramount, house of Yellowstone, and features a cloud DVR, in addition to elective add-ons from Hallmark Plus and Starz. We expect most individuals are higher off paying a couple of bucks extra for Sling TV’s superior service, but when Philo has each channel you need, it is a respectable deal. Read our Philo review.
