The best services of Live TV Streaming: what you get, what they cost, and what they are worth? Americans are discarding cable in record numbers. Most of them have Netflix instead of cable subscriptions, the cable cut is increasing as cable bills increase and, in general, live television is struggling to stay relevant. The most recent attempt to get you to watch live TV is the new AT&T service, which offers its subscribers unlimited data what amounts to cable TV without sports. The plan joins a field full of people, and if you're tired of your cable plan, but do not want to give up some networks, a live TV broadcast plan could be a good option. But what is it, what do you get and what is it worth? Here are all the options that are currently running, from the most expensive to the least.
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Before starting, there are some things worth noting that apply to all of these services. Despite what you think, local affiliates are not guaranteed to be on the dial; The rights to transmission networks vary from affiliate to affiliate, so check the site for any service you are considering. Those addicted to local news especially should keep this in mind. In addition, sports tend to be the most isolated and blocked in these services; For example, if you can not transmit your local affiliate to a broadcast network, you will instead get an "on demand" version that overrides sports games. Sports fans can be better off looking at the broadcast service run by the league of their choice, or for broadcast games, by simply buying an antenna. And finally: Sorry, the ads are included and you can not unsubscribe. With that in mind, go ahead!
Streaming TV services Hulu Live, $40 / month
What you get: Hulu Live has almost all the basic cable set, including a variety of sports channels, although the local channels that appear on your line will depend on your zip code. There are also some additional networks, like HBO, that you can also get, and it comes with a 50-hour cloud DVR. And, of course, you can transmit Hulu.
Is it worth it ?: Hulu is a bit weird here because Hulu Live is a kind of competitor against his own father. Hulu's cable television library and classic and antique shows of $8 a month is pretty much what most of us get out of the cable, and it's probably left with fewer ads. Still, if you want cable, especially sports, but more freedom in how you look at it, Hulu Live is probably as close as you can get. Another useful factor: Hulu is easy to use on most devices.
Best Live TV Streaming Service YouTube TV, $40 per month
What you get: YouTube's sales pitch is the most direct. Get more than 60 networks, including one of the strongest news and sports channel packages in these services, for $40.
Is it worth it ?: We say yes, except that their platforms are absurdly limited: if you do not have the newest and most modern phone, or at least have one in recent years, good luck for this service to work. Even YouTube essentially recommends trying to download the application to find out if it works; If you can not, it's not like that. That is really the big black eye in what would otherwise be a surprisingly good service. Another disadvantage? You have to subscribe to the other YouTube services separately. And finally, sorry, Game of Thrones fans, but you can not add HBO.
Streaming TV services PlayStation Vue, starts at $40 / month
What you get: starting with the "Access" plan, $40 per month and reaching $75 per month for the "ultra" option.
Is it worth it ?: If you want to broadcast live TV on your PS4, this is the only game in the city, which is already a bit unpleasant, especially because the device support beyond the Sony products is relatively scarce. It is also a bit annoying for sports enthusiasts that you can not get the most basic plan and spend an additional $10 on the sports package: you have to update your plan to the "Core" option and then give Sony another ten dollars. That said, if you're a fan of the movie, strangely the Ultra option is really a good deal, since it includes HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. So, if you are already subscribing to the three by cable, this could be a cheaper way to look.
Best Live TV Streaming Service DirecTV now, starts at $35 / month
What you get: DirecTV Now, managed by AT&T, offers you 60 channels for $35 per month and up to $70 for 120 channels. The first level is roughly equivalent to what you get from a basic cable package and includes ESPN and ESPN 2.
Is it worth it ?: DirecTV Now it's still hard on the edges. It supports a decent amount of platforms, but the support of the local channel is less robust than you might expect. Features like your DVR in the cloud are still in beta, and only offer 20 hours per month. In general, the transmissions are well maintained, so they have a solid base, but it is definitely a work in progress.
Streaming TV Services Sling TV, starts at $20 per month
What you get: starting at $20 for thirty channels and $ 40 for more than fifty, Sling is the closest thing to a skinny television package like what you're going to get in the live TV broadcast industry. Sling earns his money with "bundles" of channels that he can add to his service for $5, such as children's networks or sports networks. But even the basic package is decently fleshy, particularly for sports fans, who get the first three ESPNs. However, those $20 do not include a DVR in the cloud.
Worth it?: Sling has come closer to what consumer advocates have been demanding for years, that is, the right to choose and choose what stations you have on your cable bill. That said, they are still grouped and while Sling, who has been in this game for years, can broadcast with the best, that grouping could delay it for some.
Streaming TV services Philo, starts at $16 per month
What you get: Philo really reduces it to the basics: 40 channels for $16, 49 for $20, no sports, no news, just some of the popular channels on the cable. However, there is a clear lack of FX and Turner channels.
Is it worth it ?: If you do not care about sports and you can do without the replays of Legion and Brooklyn Nine Nine, this may be worth it. But it is very, very basic, and it is not compatible with a lot of platforms, focusing mainly on mobile devices and Roku.
Streaming TV Services: ESPN Plus, $5 per month
What you get: Alternatively, you can get sports, and nothing but sports and things related to sports, for five dollars.
Is it worth it ?: Notably missing from ESPN Plus, for now, anyway, it's the NBA and the NFL. Still, it has hockey, baseball, golf and a decent collection of device support. That said, it also has a blocking policy, so be sure to look if that is at stake.
Finally, there is the AT&T service, AT & T Watch TV, which, as we noted, will be free for users of unlimited data plans and $15 for all others, and is expected to be launched this year. This seems inspired by Time Warner's newly acquired AT & T cable networks, such as CNN and Cartoon Network. It's likely that AT & T closes deals as we speak, but while it may outweigh Philo, you probably should not expect much beyond Turner. It's a good advantage if you already use AT&T, but it does not look like it's going to shake this part of the broadcast world.
The main problem with all these services is their cheaper competition and relatively free advertising. Even Hulu with the deleted ads is still $12, and if you're playing in your previous catalog, you can get it for $8 and just ignore the brief periods of advertising, usually one minute or less. Almost all the content of the cable, except for sports, eventually appears somewhere in Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, and it is not difficult to find news through the websites of the news networks.
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