Cutting the cord doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite live TV channels. Thanks to live TV streaming services like Hulu + Live TV, Philo, and fuboTV, cable and satellite don’t have a monopoly on live TV anymore. These cable alternatives give cord cutters access to live TV networks — no cable required. We’ve reviewed and ranked each of the live TV streaming services, and there’s one factor that we consider to be most important of all: the streaming service channel list. After all, what good is a cable alternative if it doesn’t have the channels that you want to watch?
With that in mind, we combined our channel lists for DIRECTV, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Philo, Sling TV, and YouTube TV in one all-important chart. This is the ultimate comparison of live TV streaming services, and our chart makes it easy to check and see which service has the channels you crave. Should you sign up for Sling TV? Check out Hulu + Live TV? Get a Philo free trial? Consult our chart before you decide!
Skinny Bundle Channel Lists, Compared
As you dive into the live streaming channel comparison chart below, keep in mind that different services structure their pricing differently. We talk in detail about prices for Sling TV and other services elsewhere, but the main thing to know is that prices can vary based on which bundles you get. Our channel comparison chart includes all of the channels that are available through a given service — and that means that they may be in add-on bundles, so be sure to check our detailed channels lists and reviews of specific services for more details before you make your final decision.
| CHANNEL | DIRECTV | fuboTV | Hulu + Live TV | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&E | ||||||
| ABC | ||||||
| ABC News Live | ||||||
| ACC Network | ||||||
| ACC Network Extra | ||||||
| AccuWeather | ||||||
| Acorn | ||||||
| Acorn TV | ||||||
| ActionMax | ||||||
| Adult Swim | ||||||
| ALLBLK | ||||||
| AMC | ||||||
| AMC Premiere | ||||||
| AMC+ | ||||||
| American Heroes Channel | ||||||
| Animal Planet | ||||||
| Aspire | ||||||
| AWE | ||||||
| AXS TV | ||||||
| BabyFirst | ||||||
| BabyTV | ||||||
| BBC America | ||||||
| BBC World News | ||||||
| BeIN Sports | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 2 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 4 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 5 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 6 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 7 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports 8 | ||||||
| BeIN Sports ñ | ||||||
| BeIN Sports Xtra | ||||||
| BET | ||||||
| BET Her | ||||||
| BET Jams | ||||||
| BET Soul | ||||||
| BET+ | ||||||
| Big Ten Network | ||||||
| Black News Channel | ||||||
| Bloomberg Television | ||||||
| Boomerang | ||||||
| Bravo | ||||||
| C-SPAN | ||||||
| C-SPAN 2 | ||||||
| Cartoon Network | ||||||
| CBS | ||||||
| CBS Sports Network | ||||||
| CBSN | ||||||
| CGTN | ||||||
| Cheddar | ||||||
| Cinefest | ||||||
| Cinemax | ||||||
| Cinemoi | ||||||
| Cleo TV | ||||||
| CMT | ||||||
| CNBC | ||||||
| CNBC World | ||||||
| CNN | ||||||
| CNN en Español | ||||||
| CNN International | ||||||
| Comedy Central | ||||||
| Comedy Dynamics | ||||||
| Comedy TV | ||||||
| Comet | ||||||
| Comet TV | ||||||
| Con TV | ||||||
| Cooking Channel | ||||||
| Court TV | ||||||
| Cozi TV | ||||||
| Crime + Investigation | ||||||
| Curiosity Stream | ||||||
| CuriosityStream | ||||||
| Destination America | ||||||
| Discovery | ||||||
| Discovery Family | ||||||
| Discovery Life | ||||||
| Disney | ||||||
| Disney Channel | ||||||
| Disney Junior | ||||||
| Disney XD | ||||||
| DIY Network | ||||||
| Duck TV | ||||||
| E! | ||||||
| Epix | ||||||
| Epix 2 | ||||||
| Epix Drive-In | ||||||
| Epix Hits | ||||||
| ESPN | ||||||
| ESPN 2 | ||||||
| ESPN 3 | ||||||
| ESPN College Extra | ||||||
| ESPN News | ||||||
| ESPN U | ||||||
| Estrella TV | ||||||
| Euronews | ||||||
| FETV | ||||||
| FM | ||||||
| Food Network | ||||||
| Fox | ||||||
| Fox Business | ||||||
| Fox News | ||||||
| France 24 (English) | ||||||
| Freeform | ||||||
| FS1 | ||||||
| FS2 | ||||||
| fubo Movie Network | ||||||
| fubo Sports Network | ||||||
| fubo Sports Network 2 | ||||||
| Fuse | ||||||
| FX | ||||||
| FXM | ||||||
| FXX | ||||||
| FYI | ||||||
| Galavisión | ||||||
| Game Show Network | ||||||
| Get TV | ||||||
| Ginx Esports TV | ||||||
| Golf | ||||||
| Great American Country | ||||||
| Grit | ||||||
| Hallmark Channel | ||||||
| Hallmark Drama | ||||||
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ||||||
| Hallmark Movies Now | ||||||
| HBO | ||||||
| HBO 2 | ||||||
| HBO Family | ||||||
| HBO Latino | ||||||
| HBO Max | ||||||
| HDNet Movies | ||||||
| Heroes & Icons | ||||||
| HGTV | ||||||
| History | ||||||
| HLN | ||||||
| Home Shopping Network | ||||||
| Hopster | ||||||
| ID | ||||||
| IFC | ||||||
| IFC Films Unlimited | ||||||
| India Today | ||||||
| Insp | ||||||
| Justice Central | ||||||
| Kartoon Channel | ||||||
| LAFC | ||||||
| Laff | ||||||
| Law & Crime | ||||||
| Law & Crime Trial Network | ||||||
| Lifetime | ||||||
| Lifetime Movie Network | ||||||
| LMN | ||||||
| Local Now | ||||||
| Logo | ||||||
| Longhorn Network | ||||||
| LX | ||||||
| MLB Game of the Week | ||||||
| MLB Network | ||||||
| MLB Strike Zone | ||||||
| Motortrend | ||||||
| MSNBC | ||||||
| MTV | ||||||
| MTV 2 | ||||||
| MTV Classic | ||||||
| MTV Live | ||||||
| MTV U | ||||||
| NASA | ||||||
| Nat Geo Wild | ||||||
| National Geographic | ||||||
| Nautical Channel | ||||||
| NBA League Pass | ||||||
| NBA TV | ||||||
| NBC | ||||||
| NBC News Now | ||||||
| NBC Sports | ||||||
| NBC Universo | ||||||
| NBCSN | ||||||
| NECN | ||||||
| News 18 | ||||||
| Newslive | ||||||
| Newsmax TV | ||||||
| Newsy | ||||||
| NFL Network | ||||||
| NFL RedZone | ||||||
| NHL Network | ||||||
| Nick Jr. | ||||||
| Nickelodeon | ||||||
| NickMusic | ||||||
| NickToons | ||||||
| Noggin | ||||||
| OAN | ||||||
| Olympic Channel | ||||||
| Outdoor Channel | ||||||
| Ovation | ||||||
| OWN | ||||||
| Oxygen | ||||||
| Pac 12 Networks | ||||||
| Paramount Network | ||||||
| PBS | ||||||
| PBS Kids | ||||||
| People TV | ||||||
| Pixl | ||||||
| PlayKids | ||||||
| Pop | ||||||
| Pursuit Channel | ||||||
| QVC | ||||||
| QVC 2 | ||||||
| Reelz | ||||||
| Revolt | ||||||
| RFD TV | ||||||
| Ride TV | ||||||
| RT America | ||||||
| SCI | ||||||
| SEC Network | ||||||
| SEC+ | ||||||
| Showtime | ||||||
| Showtime 2 | ||||||
| Showtime Extreme | ||||||
| Showtime Family | ||||||
| Showtime Next | ||||||
| Showtime Showcase | ||||||
| Showtime Women | ||||||
| Shudder | ||||||
| Smithsonian Channel | ||||||
| Sony Movie Channel | ||||||
| Sportsman Channel | ||||||
| Stadium | ||||||
| Stadium 1 | ||||||
| Stadium 2 | ||||||
| Stadium 3 | ||||||
| Start TV | ||||||
| Starz | ||||||
| Starz Comedy | ||||||
| Starz Edge | ||||||
| Starz Encore | ||||||
| Starz Encore Black | ||||||
| Starz Encore Classic | ||||||
| Starz Encore Family | ||||||
| Starz Encore Suspense | ||||||
| Starz Encore Westerns | ||||||
| Starz Kids & Family | ||||||
| Stingray Karaoke | ||||||
| Sundance Now | ||||||
| Sundance TV | ||||||
| SyFy | ||||||
| Tastemade | ||||||
| TBS | ||||||
| TCM | ||||||
| TeenNick | ||||||
| Telemundo | ||||||
| Tennis Channel | ||||||
| The Country Network Plus | ||||||
| The Cowboy Channel | ||||||
| The CW | ||||||
| The Weather Channel | ||||||
| TLC | ||||||
| TNT | ||||||
| Travel Channel | ||||||
| TruTV | ||||||
| TUDN | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 1 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 10 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 11 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 2 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 3 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 4 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 5 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 6 | ||||||
| TUDN Xtra 7 |
Which streaming TV service works with Chromebook? None of them seem to offer PBS – why? How does Roku work with all this?
You’re right that the live TV streaming services listed above don’t offer PBS, but all of them should work with Chromebooks through the Chrome browser and Roku devices.
You Tube TV does offer PBS
I have DIRECTV Stream and I have PBS. I suspect this is because it’s one of the local channels.
PBS has 4 channels where I am at. Of course I have 40+ channels all OFF THE AIR. I purchased an upgraded antenna which has helped tremendously. I also purchased a DVR to record programs OTA which also helped, I have a ROKU TV, an Amazon FireStick, I did have a ChromeCAST but got rid of it when I changed to the FireStick, which proved to be the better of the two. The best move I ever made was to “Cut The Cord”. Hope this helps point you in the right direction.
Can you get a DVR that records streamed programing? I haven’t found anything on line but admittedly have no idea what I am doing and have not gone to a big box store like Best Buy or ABC. I am kind of high risk for Covid-19 & try not to go in stores…
Hi Sandy, the answer to your question is a little complicated. The short answer is no, because there’s no extra device that you can use to record whatever you’re streaming. But most of these live TV services have DVR features built right in. They call them “cloud DVRs,” because whatever you record is stored in “the cloud,” a.k.a. on the internet (instead of on a hard drive like with an old-school DVR). That’s a good thing, because then you can watch what you record on other devices — for example, you could press the record button on your phone and then watch your recording later on your Roku.
thx for straight answers and filled in details!
The best way to record streaming programming is to use the “Debut” on screen recorder for computer screens. That way you can record the stream with a timer and then play it back on your TV or computer. The only downside is that you would need your computer tuned in to the streaming service with the sound on and record in real time.
yes james at NC.
PBS Should be called the public programming network. Once it produced good content. Now you have to be some kind of woke moron to stomach what comes from that bastian of communist programming.
Very true!!!
Ugh.
PBS is definitely another leftist indoctrination center.
WHAT????
Don’t understand your comment about PBS. When did you last watch Masterpiece theater, NOVA, Nature, or NewsHour.
Many great shows and very informative shows as well
Not really! Actually PBS offers programing for people with education and a brain.
whaaaa?
I used to love PBS until they told me on Fox that PBS is communist! I think that’s just terrible, even though i’m not sure what “communist” means. It must be bad though, because the Fox anchors were sneering and making these mocking faces when they said it.
Are you serious on this one? You loved PBS … but now you don’t because it’s “communist”? Fox hosts tend to mock and sneer most of the time BTW.
I’m guessing Heather was being sarcastic. But PBS is a Communist front. No doubt about that.
Like many people we remember a time when we fought communism. I did two tours in Viet Nam as our country tried to stop communist aggression. Now the block head democrats welcome the same people who would have destroyed this country. I resent the schools and the children’s tv shows that tell our children that our way of life is wrong and their way is better. It undermines our freedom and our way of our pursuit of happiness.
Omg Lol….CNN are the best sneerers and fake news spreaders…they will go down as criminals for crimes against humanity…liars.
Marsha, are you a fan of the general media? That would explain your comment about Fox
And what do you think, what does your eyes tell you, does it makes sense?
Fox is full of lies , fake news, and is flat out not to be trusted, period.
try Newsmax
Right on!
PBS should be called the
Propaganda Broadcasting Service.
I love how a simple comment section about TV streaming options turned political.
Scary and sad so many have been brainwashed by Fox propaganda. Fox is a licenced entertainment channel, not news.
right on
Isn’t that a little strong? Explain? I have PBS locally that includes most programming.
I know of no current active communist government on the planet. They are autocratic (N Korea, China, Venezuela) and have no interest in having the government act in the best interest of the people it is supposed to serve.
If you are convinced by Fox opinion anchors you are being suckered as they are only interested in TV ratings which can raise their salaries. Fox News does not exist. It should be named Fox Political Entertainment. That, at least, would be an honest reflection of what is important to Fox. They are definately not interested in your welfare.
I agree.
The Left RUIN Everything.
You are correct!
This reply is to ALL of you injecting your political opinion on a site that is clearly trying to help people do a comparison of TV streaming services. If you want to be political, go to political sites and give your opinion! Get off this site because it isn’t about politics. You all are the problem with the world!
Youtube TV does have PBS.
You tube tv offers PBS, check out there channel lineup
You tube tv has PBS.
How can I find out some place just what I need to get live TV? I really don’t know much, but I don’t like paying the cable bill. Thank you.
You could check which live TV streaming services offer the channels that you’re interested in and test them for free. Also, we have a pretty comprehensive guide to cutting the cord here, if you’d like to learn more.
Hard as hell to get started on the free trial YouTube tv 📺
I agree I have tried for 2 days off &on w no luck so far Might give fubo a try
Depends what you mean by live TV. Do you just mean the local broadcast (OTA=”over the air”) networks? If so, in most respects the best option is an antenna – provided you get good reception of all the channels you want. If you don’t, you might look at Locast.org, provided you live in one of the areas they cover. I won’t claim their service is completely reliable, or is always of the best quality, but they are free. (NB: Some of the networks are suing Locast. If the networks win, Locast will probably die. But that’s in a possible future. For now they appear to a non-expert like me to be legit, and the court, perhaps recognizing this, is provisionally allowing them to continue, if I understand correctly.)
And, if you do mean those OTA networks, many of the services will not deliver all the local channels you might be interested in, despite what the chart says, because they each define “local” in a different way. Further, some of them, including, last I knew, Sling and AT&T, and maybe some others, don’t really deliver the local channels – they send you a very cheap small indoor antenna, which doesn’t get very good reception unless you have a good line of sight to the transmitter towers, and live fairly close to them. They also have obscure rules – e,g, for some reason I never figured out, I’m not eligible to receive Sling’s free antenna. Not that that’s a big deal: their antenna is probably no better than something you could improvise for a couple bucks, using wire or a metal coat hanger.
Hopefully you are eligible for the free trial periods, so you can try out each service in turn. It makes sense to take advantage of all the relevant free trial periods for as long as you can, to save yourself some initial, money, cancelling each a couple days or so before they expire, then pick the one whose service you liked best. (There are significant differences between the services, in picture quality, sound quality, reliability, # of minutes of ads, etc., which vary from area to area, and also with your Internet provider.) That said, there is a counter argument – some services may give you the option of NOT taking the free trial period, but getting a free streaming device instead, which might be worth it, if you want that streaming device, and its cost is greater than the equivalent cost of the free trial period.
I’ve gone back & forth between several services, depending on what shows, and therefore, what networks, I am currently watching. You can best figure out what works best for you by looking at what each service offers, and trying them.
Additional comment:
This is an industry in constant change. E.g., over the next several years, thousands to 10’s of thousands of new communications satellites are scheduled to go into orbit. They may deliver affordable satellite Internet, and possibly satellite TV. That could radically alter this entire market. So could other factors, such as court cases, mergers, and politics. So if you want the best bargain, stay on top of the offerings.
Also, don’t completely count out the cable, phone and satellite companies. Long term, my experience has been that their rates eventually go sky high, and they sometimes neglect to list all the charges ahead of time, and/or have a requirement that you stay with them even if they raise prices without limit, all of which scares me away, but if you rotate between these services, people say they sometimes offer good deals too.
If all you’re looking for are local, live channels, check LoCast to see if you are in their coverage area.
TCM is available as an add-on with Sling TV.
Thanks for catching that! Corrected!
Thanks for a great article.
In your Local Channels section, you neglected to mention over-the-air antenna reception as a viable solution with a link(s) to the website’s antenna articles. I realize this article is about streaming services comparison, and reference to the antenna supplement would be useful, especially if this is the first article that a new site viewer selects.
PLEASE UPDATE THIS CHART! Too Much is changing too quickly, this Data is WAY out of date!
Here, here…this is very misleading! Please update the chart or delete it.
Jojo
Which box or adaptor is the easiest to select channels we use? Do any of them save favorites or search for a channel?
Which is the best for NFL and all around TV along with offering premium channels (add on) options …YouTubeTV or PlayStation Vue? Just dropped HuluLive due to their new hotspot policy also can you run hotspot with these two options no hassle and do you need really good internet for those two options as well
Can u get hallmark movies on your iPad streaming? Also can’t u use tv for live streaming if u don’t have cable on tv.
Hi Shu, thanks for reading! Yes, you can watch Hallmark Movies on an iPad. Check out our piece on how to watch the Hallmark Channel without cable for more information. You can also use a TV for live TV streaming without cable — as long as its a smart TV or has a streaming device attached, and as long as you have a streaming service that offers live TV.
Imhijyuuhuuvy
This is is crazy wrong. At least for YoutubeTV. For instance the YoutubeTV site says that it has Discovery channels and Food Network. The list claims its does not.
Many channels included on YoutubeTV since last April that are not included on this updated comparison. Comparison is quite misleading.
Wife actually watches 2 channels Food Network and Home and Garden. Your suggestions? Don
Hi Don, thanks for reading! Here are some tips for those: https://cordcutting.com/how-to-watch/food-network/ https://cordcutting.com/how-to-watch/hgtv/
PS lots of nature shows, comments?
Philo has Hallmark, Hallmark Drama, and Hallmark Mysteries.
So does Fibo, but hey also carry most locals.
we need watching business during weekday how do we applied with cutting cable ? how much cost for monthly streaming TV prgram?
Philo does include all Hallmark channels. List needs updating.
It would be a good feature if channels were selectable (or searchable) so we could get a short list of specific channels.
I’ve been looking for a PSV replacement since they dropped the announcement, only “need” about half a dozen channels and short of going back to cable it doesn’t seem like they’re available from a single service.
Can I get Fox News on Roku?
You can! Here’s some more information on that: https://cordcutting.com/how-to-watch/fox-news/
Your channel chart for philo is missing the Hallmark channels.
Which services have DVR services, either in the cloud or not
What would be REALLY useful as an addition here is data usage by these services. With data caps, that’s something all cord-cutters need to watch – and the fact that there isn’t a way to track data usage by device through one’s router DEFINITELY doesn’t help.
Which packages will carry fox sports south and fox sports south east?
List needs updating. I heard that Fubo lost nat geo channels. Will this list be updated anytime soon? Thanks
I’m unclear as to what constitutes “live” streaming. I have Comcast for Internet only and a Roku. I’ve downloaded an app for my local CBS affiliate (WFSB Hartford) that promises live news streaming, but more often than not there is nothing live about it. For instance, they start broadcasting at 4:30 AM, and sometimes when I tune in then it actually is live. But often as not, I’ll go there during their broadcast day and all that’s available is last night’s broadcast. There are also long gaps between streaming–all I’ll see is the station logo for 4-6 minutes, then the stream resumes haphazardly at some point in the broadcast (not necessarily real time). I’ve asked the station but so far no answer.
I would very much like to cut the cable. I have been researching Roku. Before I change, I am mostly looking for 2 channels. We have a 2 year old who watches the children’s network. A friend of mine has it on his Roku but it is not listed online anywhere. Roku should have it because it is on his screen and he played it for me. So, why does it not show up when I search for it online? My wife and my favorite channel is MeTv. It is an Erie, Pa station. It features old shows from the 50s and 60s. Maybe there is another channel that features these. I cannot find that one any where either. Can you please tell me where I can find these 2 channels? We would prefer to get Roku and Netflix. Hope you have an answer to this.
Hi Barry, thanks for reading! MeTV is a broadcast channel, so you might be able to pick it up with an antenna. If you can, you would be able to use the antenna for MeTV and the Roku to run Netflix. As for the children’s show, it’s possible that Roku no longer supports the channel. When channels leave Roku’s store, they can stay on user’s devices. They just won’t get updates and won’t be available to download anew. That may or may not be what’s going on — hard to say for sure without knowing the name of the channel. Roku does have a lot of kid-friendly channels with free content, though, so you could always just look through Roku’s channel guide and download something new to try. Hope this helps!
There is a kids channel on OPB
I need understandable sci-fi cause I need that on Shawn’s TV
I tossed out dish network year ago, never brought cable back. Just streamed from my laptop when i wanted it or checked the news. But I am wondering, I would like to watch news services with the coronavirus tragedy, which streamer is the best for like CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and news networks? And the least expensive. I wish a person could just add 10 channels, pay for them and forget the rest. After all who needs netflix when there is Tubi?
Thanks,
Paul
Hi Paul, thanks for reading! This article might help: https://cordcutting.com/how-to-watch/cnn/
There are a bunch of skinny bundles with news coverage, including Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and fuboTV. Most are right around the same $50/mo price point for their smallest bundles. Many of them offer free trials, so I’d recommend you test some out and see which one is for you. Hope this helps!
thanks Stephen