Canceling your cable contract doesn't mean giving up live TV. Many video streaming services deliver live channels via an internet connection, though they cater to different viewers. For example, some live TV services are good for general audiences, others offer top sports channels, and a few focus on entertainment and lifestyle content.
Our tested options are available across many platforms, including mobile devices, web browsers, gaming consoles, and media streaming devices. Although these services are on the pricier end of the streaming video spectrum, you may still spend less money per month than you did while subscribing to cable. Besides the potential financial savings, these live TV services sometimes offer à la carte channel plans (though this flexibility is becoming rare). Whatever your reason for leaving cable behind, know that the number of live TV streaming options continues to rise. These are our top picks.
(Credit: YouTube)Network Shows, News, and More
So long as the video streaming service you choose offers affiliate broadcast channels in your market, you can watch your favorite network shows from the likes of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Most of the services here, including YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, host these networks. YouTube TV is the only service we've reviewed that includes local PBS channels.
Other television channels aren't dependent on your geographic location. Philo is an excellent option for watching such entertainment networks, including AMC, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, and Travel Channel. Many video streaming services with entertainment channels also include on-demand content from channels you can watch at your leisure and record to DVR storage. Other services combine live TV with more traditional on-demand libraries. A subscription to Hulu + Live TV, for instance, lets you watch all the shows and movies from Hulu's on-demand service, including its original shows.
Although news channels may not be the primary way people stay informed about the world these days, they are still a good resource for live coverage of national and international events. For complete news coverage, make sure the service you choose includes both commercial broadcast affiliates (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC) and cable news channels (such as BBC America, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and MSNBC). Some services also include news networks not based in the US, such as BBC World News. For instance, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Sling TV offer international channels, though you will need to pay extra for some of them.
Some services claim to offer "live TV," while really just offering 24/7 online marathons of preprogrammed existing material. We skipped those. Every service covered here is truly live.
Stream Live Sports
To watch all the sports that you previously could with your cable subscription, you should consult our roundup of the best sports streaming services. When picking a service, verify that it carries all the channels you want to watch in your area, including regional sports networks (RSNs) for coverage of local MLB, NBA, and NHL teams. Most services offer the NBC Sports RSNs, but DirecTV Stream is the only one in this list that offers Bally Sports RSNs (previously FOX Sports networks) and AT&T-owned SportsNet RSNs, too. Which RSNs you need depends on your location and the sports you like to watch.
Not all services include all the major league channels, such as NFL Network, NBA TV, or MLB Network. Ensuring that a service covers all the affiliate broadcast channels in your area from ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC is also important, since many games air on those channels. Know that you are not exempt from local market restrictions or coverage blackouts.
We assume that you want the best streaming quality for watching your favorite teams no matter what device you use. YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV support 1080p/60fps live streams on select platforms. Fubo was the first of the live TV services to broadcast select events in 4K, but an add-on brings that capability to YouTube TV. A few services also have useful capabilities for sports fans. DirecTV Stream and Fubo, for instance, include DVR features that respectively let you start broadcasts from the beginning should you jump into them mid-game, and watch matches that have aired in the past few days. Note that these features are only available on select channels.
If you are an NFL fan, check out our roundup of the best NFL streaming services to make sure you can watch all the games on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday. If you don't want to pay additional fees every month to watch NFL games, there are some free options. For instance, the NFL Mobile and Yahoo Sports apps let you watch in-market and prime-time games, including Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football. Subscribers to Amazon Prime can also watch Thursday Night Football games at no additional cost, while Peacock subscribers can stream Sunday Night Football broadcasts.
We also have roundups of the best NBA streaming services, MLB streaming services, and NHL streaming services.
(Credit: Fubo)DVR, Simultaneous Streams, and Apps
All of the streaming services in this roundup offer some DVR capabilities. If you are the kind of viewer that likes to save and rewatch significant TV moments, you should ideally look for a service that lets you record many hours' worth of shows and keep them indefinitely. Robust DVR capabilities are useful for sports fans too; some games may air at an inconvenient time. YouTube TV is unique in that one of its available add-ons lets you download DVR content for offline viewing on mobile devices.
The ability to stream on several devices at the same time is also highly useful for large households. Most of the services let you pay more for higher concurrent streaming limits.
The best live TV streaming services support mobile devices, game consoles, web browsers, streaming devices, and smart TVs. With some services, you also get greater control over accessibility settings and parental controls than with cable. DirecTV Stream and Sling TV let parents restrict what their kids can watch by rating, for example.
Live TV Options That Missed the Cut
We don't include single-channel options, such as Paramount+, or services that only stream live sports and limited events, such as Amazon Prime Video, Dazn, ESPN+, and Peacock. Those services are all too narrow in scope to be reasonable alternatives to cable. The same goes for a service like Medici.tv, which only broadcasts live classical music concerts.
We also don't include services like Pluto TV and Xumo in this roundup, since they primarily offer preprogrammed content, rather than live TV channels. However, some people may appreciate channels of endless content streams (and that they are free streaming services). Plex also offers preprogrammed content and can serve as a live TV interface if you set up the correct hardware.
You could absolutely set up a digital antenna and tuner to pull down local channels over the air on your own, too. If an event is popular enough, such as a political debate or the Olympics, the broadcast may be free to stream online from the organizer's website.
Video Streaming Services: What You Should KnowOn-Demand Streaming Services
Although you may intend to replicate your cable experience on a 1:1 basis with video streaming services, we recommend that you don't. Take some time to determine which channels you actually watch on a regular basis. On-demand services open up an entirely new world of content, with many shows that don't air on traditional cable. These on-demand shows also tend to be the subject of pop culture discussions and critical acclaim. Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time, Disney+'s Hawkeye, Netflix's Stranger Things, and Paramount+'s Star Trek: Discovery are just a few examples. Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, and Max also feature original content that you can't get anywhere else. Cinephiles should check out our roundup of the best movie streaming services, too.
For even more on streaming, check out five reasons to ditch your video subscription and keep cable. Learn how to pick streaming services that fit your budget, and enjoy all sorts of reality show trash. Finally, check out our recommended streaming video guides if you don't know what to watch.
*Features in specs table only available via add-ons.
Ben Moore also contributed to this roundup.