Cutting cable used to feel liberating. Now? It’s almost as complicated and expensive as the thing we tried to escape.
Live TV streaming services keep raising prices. Channels disappear mid-contract. And somehow, watching football now requires juggling three different apps. But for sports fans and news addicts, these services remain the best option. Just barely.
I tested all the major players to figure out which ones actually deliver value in 2026. The results surprised me.
YouTube TV Costs $83 Now But Still Leads the Pack
Google’s service raised prices again. The base plan jumped from $73 to $83 per month in late 2024. That stings.
Yet YouTube TV remains my top pick for most people. The interface is smooth. Search actually works. Plus, you get unlimited DVR storage that lasts nine months.
The channel lineup covers nearly everything. Local ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC stations appear in most markets. Sports fans get ESPN, FS1, TNT and TBS. News junkies have CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. That’s 100-plus channels total.
But here’s the trap. YouTube TV dangles 50 different add-ons at signup. Premium channels. 4K resolution. Themed packages. It’s absurdly easy to bloat your bill past $150 monthly.
The search function saved me countless hours of scrolling. Type in a team name and YouTube TV finds every upcoming game. Record a series and it grabs every episode automatically.
One killer feature stands out. The Key Plays option shows 12 to 20 highlight clips from recorded games. Each clip runs about 10 seconds. You get every goal from MLS matches and the best shots from NBA games. Not every sport gets this treatment, but when it works, it’s brilliant.
The new multiview mode lets you watch four channels at once. Pick from sports, news and weather streams. Instead of constantly flipping between games, you see them all simultaneously. That’s a huge win for anyone who follows multiple teams.
Fubo Dropped Channels But Became the Cheapest Option
Fubo lost NBC Universal properties in November 2025. That means no Sunday Night Football on NBC. No Bravo. No USA Network.
Warner Bros Discovery channels vanished earlier. HGTV, Discovery, Food Network, TNT and TBS all disappeared from the guide. Those were massive losses for a service built around comprehensive sports coverage.
So Fubo slashed prices. The base plan now costs $74 monthly. That’s $9 cheaper than YouTube TV and $16 under Hulu+ Live TV.
Sports fans can make this work. Use the $9 monthly savings to add Peacock for $11. That gets you the missing NBC sports content. You’ll pay $85 total, which beats YouTube TV by a couple bucks.
The sports coverage remains unmatched when you account for what Fubo still carries. Nearly 100 sports networks fill the guide. ESPN variants. Fox Sports. CBS Sports. Plus motorsports, international leagues and adventure sports.
FanView was my favorite feature but it’s currently unavailable. The mode shrunk live games into a smaller window and surrounded the video with updating stats. Hopefully Fubo brings it back soon.
The expanded multiview feature works great though. Watch four channels at once on Roku devices, not just Apple TV anymore. I had two college basketball games, local news and a crime show all on screen simultaneously.
Navigation feels designed for live TV first. The guide offers tons of filtering options without feeling cluttered. Finding and recording games takes seconds.
But the on-demand experience lags behind competitors. Search sometimes struggles to find shows. The lack of preview windows while fast-forwarding through recordings frustrates. Still, if sports matter most, Fubo delivers at a lower price point than anyone else.
Hulu Costs Too Much Unless You Already Subscribe
Hulu+ Live TV hit $90 per month in 2025. For reference, the service launched at $40 back in 2017. That’s a 125% increase in eight years.
The bundle includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s original programming though. So if you already pay for Disney+ separately, consolidating makes sense. Going ad-free bumps the price to $100 monthly.
Big changes loom on the horizon. Disney announced plans to merge Hulu with Disney+ sometime in 2026. Hulu also agreed to merge with Fubo. How that affects pricing and channel availability remains unclear.
For now, you get solid coverage. Local affiliates for major networks. ESPN variants. Fox Sports 1 and 2. TNT, TBS, USA and NBC Golf. The NFL Network rounds out sports offerings.
The interface feels like the live component was shoehorned into the standard Hulu app. Navigation lacks the polish of YouTube TV or the sports focus of Fubo. But if you’re already comfortable with Hulu and Disney+, this becomes the obvious choice.
DirecTV Dropped Satellite for Streaming
DirecTV rebranded in April 2025. Streaming is now the primary offering. The old satellite service still exists but only for customers without high-speed internet.
This marks a huge shift. A traditional satellite provider admitting streaming won. And they’re trying to compete directly with YouTube TV and Fubo now.
The good news? No contracts. No early termination fees. You can cancel anytime unlike the old DirecTV satellite plans.
Pricing gets confusing though. Signature packages range from $85 to $170 monthly. Those compete with YouTube TV and Hulu+ Live TV. Or pick a Genre Pack focused on sports, entertainment, news or Spanish programming for $35 to $70 monthly.
The $85 Entertainment Signature Package matches YouTube TV pretty closely. You get local ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS stations. Nearly all top cable networks except Ion and History Channel. Sports channels include ESPN, TNT and FS1. Unlimited DVR with nine-month expiration.
DirecTV subscribers to Signature Packages now get ESPN’s Unlimited service at no extra charge. Plus access to Disney+ and Hulu basic if you lease the Gemini Air device.
That device costs $10 monthly. It’s an HDMI streaming dongle with 4K support, Dolby Atmos and HDR10+. But you can’t buy it outright. After five months, you’ll have paid $50, which is what similar devices from Roku or Amazon cost to own. That lease model feels antiquated.
The interface mimics cable with numbered channels. I liked flipping from one channel to the next using my remote’s up and down buttons. Very nostalgic.
But the app loads content noticeably slower than competitors. Every channel takes an extra second or two to start playing. That adds up when you’re surfing.
The new multiview feature offers seven preset “mixes” with four channels each. Sports, news, business, kids and more. You can’t customize the channels in each mix though. You take what DirecTV gives you.
Sling Lets You Build Your Own Package
Sling splits its base plan into three packages. Blue, Orange and Select. Each carries different channels. Both Blue and Orange cost $30 monthly. Select runs $30 too.
Orange includes ESPN, TNT and about 24 other channels. Blue delivers NFL Network, Fox News, USA plus 35 more. Select features National Geographic, FX, NFL Network and FS1.
Then you add packages. Sports extra. News extra. Entertainment extra. Premium channels like HBO, AMC+ and Starz. Each add-on costs $5 to $20 monthly.
This customization appeals to anyone who knows exactly what they want. Sports fans can grab Orange for ESPN. Add the sports extra for $11. That’s $41 monthly total for solid sports coverage.
But building your ideal package takes work. You have to figure out which plan includes which channels. Then determine what extras you need. It’s like assembling IKEA furniture for your TV subscription.
The interface looks good. Navigation feels speedy. Recommendations hit the mark more often than not. But the app froze on me five or six times during testing. More than any other service.
DVR storage tops out at 50 hours. That’s stingy compared to unlimited offerings from YouTube TV and Fubo. You can pay to increase storage but that defeats the purpose of keeping costs low.
Sling Blue grants local ABC, Fox and NBC affiliates in about 20 major markets. Cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas and New York get local access. Smaller markets don’t.
The Day Passes launched in 2025. Watch channels on Orange plan for $5 daily. Weekend and week-long passes exist too. If you only want to catch a specific game, this becomes the cheapest option available.
Philo Delivers if You Skip Sports
Philo hit $33 monthly in 2025. Still cheaper than everyone else. But you give up local stations and sports programming entirely.
That trade-off works for some people. If you don’t care about games or local news, Philo saves serious money. You get 70-plus cable networks including AMC, Hallmark, Discovery and Food Network.
The recent price increase added HBO Max and Discovery+ at the ad-supported tiers. Access those through their respective apps using your Philo credentials.
The minimalist interface looks clean. Just four navigation headings. Home. Guide. Saved. Search. The guide uses monospaced squares instead of stretched listings. Each square shows program duration and fills with live video when you hover.
Unlimited DVR storage lasts a full year. That beats the nine-month expiration most competitors enforce. Record anything you might want to watch later and skip commercials on playback.
The free tier includes 100-plus channels. Those appear alongside paid content once you subscribe. So you actually get 170 channels total for $33 monthly.
But the channel selection shows clear gaps. No Fox News, CNN, ESPN or MSNBC. Bravo and Freeform are missing too. Anyone who needs those networks should look elsewhere.
Streaming NFL Games Requires Multiple Services Now
Football rights got fragmented across too many platforms. CBS/Paramount+ and Fox carry Sunday afternoon games. NBC/Peacock airs Sunday night matchups. ESPN shows Monday contests. Prime Video handles Thursday nights.
Netflix aired two games on Christmas Day. The NFL Network streams select games too. YouTube aired one week-one matchup.
So watching all games requires subscriptions to six different services. That’s absurd.
Most paid live TV streamers include the channels you need for majority coverage. YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu+ Live TV and DirecTV deliver local Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC stations in most areas. They also carry ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS Sports.
But Christmas football requires Netflix and Prime Video. Neither comes with your live TV subscription.
The NFL Sunday Ticket moved exclusively to YouTube TV. Costs range from $35 to $115 monthly depending on your subscription type. That doesn’t include Sunday night games. You need Peacock or local NBC access for those.
Free options exist but they’re limited. Hook up a digital antenna to your TV. You’ll grab games broadcast over airways in your region. Those antennas cost $20 to $60.
Nearly all paid services offer free trials lasting a few days to a week. Hop between providers to catch games without paying. But with 18 regular season weeks, you can’t watch everything free.
Your best bet? Check your local sports bar. They pay thousands to air games. You pay for nachos and a soda.
Free Streaming Got Better This Year
Tubi leads free options for on-demand content. You get 260 live channels including dozens of regional Fox stations. NBC News Now, Fox Live Now and ABC News Live cover news.
Fox owns Tubi so expect Fox Sports, Fox Soul and Fox Weather. About a dozen sports channels show replays and sports programming. True crime, dramas, comedy and lifestyle content round out the lineup.
The on-demand library impresses. Categories like Martial Arts Mayhem and Werewolf Mysteries make browsing fun. Navigation feels fast and settings include parental controls and closed caption options.
The only annoyance? The guide disappears after 10 seconds if you stop clicking. Also, your current show keeps playing as you browse.
Plex excels at search. Type in any title and Plex tells you which service currently carries it. I searched for recent shows and movies. Plex correctly directed me to Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+ for each one.
The service includes 800-plus free live channels too. You can search by actor or director. Rent movies directly through Plex. User reviews from other Plex subscribers help you decide what to watch.
Sling Freestream delivers solid news coverage. BBC News, CBS News 24/7, ABC News Live, Bloomberg and regional Fox and CBS stations fill the guide. Entertainment channels include AMC content and channels devoted to single shows.
Navigation feels clunkier than Tubi or Plex. But whatever you’re watching pops into picture-in-picture mode when you browse the guide. That window closes easily so you can search in peace.
Pluto TV organizes content into nearly two dozen categories. Local CBS news appears alongside sports networks like CBS Sports HQ, NBC Sports Now and channels for NFL, NBA and MLB.
The news selection includes NBC News Now, ABC News Live, CNN Headlines, BBC News and Sky News. Paramount owns Pluto so expect plenty of Star Trek and Paramount-branded stations.
One quirk bothered me. Your current show plays under the guide with just a sliver visible. That felt distracting while browsing.
Price Hikes Made This Harder to Recommend
Live TV streaming used to clearly beat cable. Not anymore. Base plans hit $75 to $90 monthly. Add premiums and you’re pushing $200.
That matches cable pricing. Sometimes it exceeds it. The only real advantage now? No contracts. You can cancel anytime.
But the rising costs and disappearing channels make me question the value. Fubo lost NBC Universal and Warner Bros Discovery content. Hulu keeps raising prices annually. YouTube TV jumped $10 in one hike.
Sports fans still need these services though. Standard streaming apps don’t offer comprehensive sports coverage yet. And the few sports-focused options that exist have their own problems.
For now, YouTube TV remains the safest bet despite the $83 price tag. The interface works smoothly. Channel coverage spans sports, news and entertainment. Unlimited DVR solves most recording needs.
But keep an eye on alternatives. ESPN launched its standalone streaming service for $30 monthly. Fox One delivers Fox Sports and other Fox properties for $20. Fubo Sports costs $56 and includes local broadcasts plus ESPN Unlimited.
Those targeted options might make more sense than paying for 100 channels you never watch. Especially if prices keep climbing at the current rate.
The streaming revolution promised to liberate us from cable. Instead, it just rebuilt cable with a different billing structure. Progress, I guess.
Comments (0)