The best live TV streaming services of 2024: Expert tested

Sling TV options: Channels: 30+ | Plan choices: 3 | Video storage: 50 hours | Worth: Begins at $40 monthly

Sling TV is my decide for greatest dwell TV streaming service total because of its inexpensive value and choices that assist you tailor the service to the channels you truly need to watch. 

Select from two plans: Orange ($40 a month), which solely consists of seven channels like Disney Channel and ESPN, or Blue ($45 a month), which solely features a few native channels like ABC, Fox, and NBC, in addition to 14 extra premium cable channels like FX, Bravo, NFL Community, and FS1. Each plans embody 25 base channels like AMC, CNN, Comedy Central, TBS, and TNT. You even have the choice to mix each plans for $60 a month. 

Get half off your first month of any plan while you enroll. Add on premium channels like Showtime, Starz, AMC+, and MGM+ for extra month-to-month charges. Proper now, there’s additionally a deal to prepay for six months of Sling Orange plus NBA League Cross at a reduced price.

For those who’re searching for non-English channels, Sling TV has extra choices than another service, together with quite a few Asian, European, Arabic, Brazilian, and Portuguese choices. 

The place Sling TV falls quick in comparison with different providers is its DVR providing: It solely consists of 50 hours of DVR storage, until you pay additional. It additionally would not include many native channels, although the platform suggests including on an antenna for that.

Backside line: For those who’re searching for a fundamental and inexpensive dwell TV streaming service that also will get you a very good variety of channels and an easy-to-use interface, Sling TV is a good selection. Nonetheless, it’s best to word that that is the one dwell TV streaming possibility on this checklist that won’t be streaming Tremendous Bowl 2024, as its channels do not embody CBS.

Hulu Plus Reside TV options: Channels: 90+ | Plan choices: 2 | Video storage: Limitless | Worth: Begins at $77 monthly

For these trying to reap the benefits of each dwell TV streaming and premium VoD streaming, Hulu Plus Reside TV is a stable decide and will get you lots of bang in your buck. For $77 a month, you get 90+ channels of dwell TV, plus Hulu’s VoD catalog (with unique reveals like Solely Murders Within the Constructing and The Bear), plus entry to Disney+ and ESPN+. 

Hulu Plus Reside TV’s dwell channels embody your native ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox stations in most areas, in addition to the ESPN and Fox sports activities networks. You may additionally get fashionable channels like HGTV, Comedy Central, TNT, TLC, USA, Cartoon Community, Nickelodeon, and Disney Channel. You may add on Max, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, NFL RedZone, and extra for an additional price.

Hulu Plus Reside TV additionally consists of limitless DVR storage, and two simultaneous streams (although you possibly can add on extra). The one draw back of this plan is that Hulu, Disney, and ESPN content material has adverts — you possibly can improve to the $90 a month plan to get ad-free content material and downloads. For those who can afford it, it is price it to not must cope with the adverts.

YouTube TV options: Channels: 100+ | Plan choices: 1 | Video storage: Limitless | Worth: Begins at $73 monthly

My household is at present a YouTube TV subscriber, largely it is because it is the one streaming service that gives NFL Sunday Ticket, for watching out-of-market Sunday afternoon soccer video games, for an extra price. 

YouTube TV provides plenty of perks, together with extra channels than its rivals (like AMC, Bravo, Comedy Central, FX, NBA TV, TLC, TNT, US, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon), and limitless DVR. You may add on Max, Starz, Showtime, and extra sports activities networks for an additional price. And for an extra $10 a month, you possibly can add 4K viewing to sure content material, limitless simultaneous streams at residence, and the power to observe recorded content material offline. 

The explanation why it is not increased up on this checklist is essentially as a result of the value has gone up pretty considerably this 12 months, from $65 a month to $73 a month. (As compared, Hulu TV prices simply $5 extra monthly, and likewise consists of entry to Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+.) 

For those who’re searching for the widest collection of channels (and/or NFL Sunday ticket) and do not thoughts the value tag, YouTube TV is a good dwell TV streaming service. 

DirecTV Stream options: Channels: 75+ | Plan choices: 3 | Video storage: Limitless | Worth: Begins at $80 monthly

DirecTV Stream is the dwell TV streaming service that the majority resembles cable, each by way of the consumer expertise and the value tag. Its base supply prices $80 a month for 75+ channels. The following two tiers go as much as $109 a month (for 105+ channels) and $120 a month (for 140+ channels). You may add on a sports activities pack to every of those plans for an additional $15 a month, which incorporates ESPN, NFL Community, MLB Community, and extra regional sports activities networks than many others on this checklist. (On the time of this writing, there are offers to bundle every bundle with the sports activities pack for a reduced value.)

The bottom Leisure bundle consists of 75+ dwell channels (together with AMC, FX, HGTV, TBS, TCL, and Nickelodeon) and native information channels (like ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS) in most areas. Add-on channels Max, Showtime, Starz, MGM+, and Cinemax are included free for the primary three months, after which for additional charges. 

DirecTV Stream additionally provides limitless in-home streams (and three most out-of-home streams), and limitless DVR storage. 

One enjoyable characteristic that makes DirecTV Stream a good selection for many who nonetheless need a channel-flipping expertise is the power to swipe left and proper to alter channels. 

Fubo TV options: Channels: 175+ | Plan choices: 3 | Video storage: 1,000 hours | Worth: Begins at $75 monthly

For those who’re primarily searching for a dwell TV streaming service to observe sports activities, Fubo is probably going your best option for you. Watch ESPN, BeIN Sports activities, the Huge 10, FS1, FS2, and the Golf channel, together with most native networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Meaning you possibly can entry the whole lot from NFL, NBA, and MLB video games to English Premier League soccer video games, NASCAR races, boxing, and extra. Verify Fubo TV’s web site beneath to see what particular native channels can be found in your zip code.

Past sports activities, Fubo TV additionally consists of dwell channels like FX, Bravo, E!, HGTV, Meals Community, Disney Channel, Hallmark, Fox, and MSNBC. Add on Starz, Showtime, or MGM+ for extra month-to-month charges. With 1,000 hours of DVR storage, you are not more likely to run out of house for some time. You may stream on as much as three units on the similar time.

Select from three completely different plan tiers, starting from $75 to $95 monthly. All plans supply native ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels in lots of areas. Nonetheless, Fubo TV would not embody TNT and TBS, each of which present lots of sports activities. It additionally would not embody the Fox regional sports activities networks. And if you wish to watch league-specific channels, like MLB TV or NHL Community, you may must both improve your plan or add them on. 

By the tip of March Fubo is providing $20 off for the primary month or first quarterly bundle, together with all English plans (Professional, Elite, and Premier). 

Philo options: Channels: 115+ | Plan choices: 1 | Video storage: Limitless | Worth: Begins at $25 monthly

For those who’re searching for a less expensive dwell TV streaming possibility and are not fascinated about sports activities or native programming, Philo is a good possibility: At simply $25 a month, you possibly can stream greater than 70 channels dwell, and entry an on-demand library of over 70,000 titles.

Philo’s dwell TV channels embody Comedy Central, HGTV, AMC, Discovery, TLC, Discovery, BET, Nickelodeon, Lifetime, and Meals Community. Add on MGM+ for $6 a month or Starz for $10 a month to entry their content material as properly. 

A significant plus: Philo provides limitless DVR, so you possibly can rewind and quick ahead via commercials as you want. Even with out the DVR, a lot of the platform’s reveals and flicks stay obtainable on demand for a couple of days after their first dwell airing, too.

Stream on as much as three units without delay, and create as much as 10 consumer profiles. For those who do need to attempt to entry some native channels and sports activities, you possibly can complement Philo with a TV antenna.