David Katzmaier/CNET
Deciding to cut the cable TV cord doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite channels. You can stream them live, including sports like the NFL, NBA and NHL, as well as live news from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC or your local TV station. One way to watch live shows without cable is to connect an antenna, but your channel selection will be relatively small. If you want more options you should check out a live TV streaming service. They deliver numerous familiar live channels, features like cloud DVRs and the ability to watch not only on TVs but also on phones, tablets and computers — all with no cable box or contract required.
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Six major services are available today: AT&T’s DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV, AT&T TV Now and DirecTV Now), Google’s YouTube TV, Disney’s Hulu Plus Live TV, Dish Network’s Sling TV, FuboTV and Philo. Our full live-TV streaming guide has all the details about prices and features of the various services, but really, it’s all about the channels.
Read more: NFL 2021 streaming: How to watch football without cable
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The big chart: Top 100 channels compared (updated Dec. 3, 2021)
The main difference between the services is their channel lineups. All of them offer different slates of channels for various prices.
Below you’ll find a chart that shows the top 100 channels across all six services. There are actually seven listed because Sling TV has two different “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And if you’re wondering, I chose which “top” channels made the cut. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Universal HD. The most recent addition to the list is TeenNick, which replaces the Olympics Channel.
See also
10 ways to save money on streaming
How to cut the cable TV cord in 2021
See more at Streaming TV Insider
It’s been another busy year in live TV streaming. In November DirecTV Stream launched its first PBS channels and YouTube TV added the Hallmark network (just in time for the holidays), in October YouTube TV renewed a deal to keep NBC channels; in September AT&T spun off AT&T TV as DirecTV Stream; in late July Hulu added NFL Network and RedZone; in June YouTube TV added a 4K option and Philo increased its price to $25; in March T-Mobile closed down TVision and FuboTV increased its base price to $65; and in January Sling TV raised its price to $35. Those changes are reflected in the chart below where applicable.
On December 21 Hulu will increase its price by $5 — and throw in Disney Plus and ESPN Plus — but the chart will continue to show the current $65 price for now.
Some more stuff to know about the chart:
Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier. That price is listed next to the service’s name.
No = The channel isn’t available at all on that service.
$ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
Regional sports networks — local channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams — are not listed. DirecTV Stream’s $85 tier has the most RSNs by far, but a few are available on other services. See our 2021 NBA and NHL streaming guides for details.
Local ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and The CW networks are not available in every city. Since availability of these channels varies per service, you’ll want to check the service’s website to make sure it carries your local network.
Local PBS stations are only currently available on YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream, although YouTube TV has more by far since DirecTV just started its PBS rollout. Again you’ll want to check local availability.The chart columns are arranged in order of price, so if you can’t see everything you want, try scrolling right.Overwhelmed? An easier-to-understand Google Spreadsheet is here.
CNET TVs, Streaming and Audio
PHILO VS. SLING TV VS. FUBO VS. HULU VS. YOUTUBE TV VS. DIRECTV STREAM: Top 100 channels compared
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Total channels:
42
25
37
59
72
79
63
ABC
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CBS
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NBC
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
PBS
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
CW
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MyNetworkTV
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
A&E
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
ACC Network
No
$
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Accuweather
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
AMC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Animal Planet
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
BBC America
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
BBC World News
Yes
$
$
$
No
Yes
$
BET
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Big Ten Network
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Bloomberg TV
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Boomerang
No
$
$
No
Yes
No
Yes
Bravo
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Cartoon Network
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
CBS Sports Network
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Cheddar
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Cinemax
No
No
No
No
$
$
$
CMT
Yes
$
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CNBC
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CNN
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Comedy Central
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cooking Channel
Yes
$
$
$
$
No
$
Destination America
Yes
$
$
$
$
No
$
Discovery Channel
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney Channel
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney Junior
No
$
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney XD
No
$
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DIY
Yes
$
$
$
$
No
$
E!
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EPIX
$
$
$
No
No
$
$
ESPN
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPN 2
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPNEWS
No
$
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
ESPNU
No
$
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
Food Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Business
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox News
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 1
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 2
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Freeform
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX Movies
No
No
$
$
Yes
Yes
$
FXX
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FYI
Yes
$
$
No
Yes
No
$
Golf Channel
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Hallmark
Yes
$
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
HBO/HBO Max
No
No
No
No
$
$
$
HGTV
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
History
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
HLN
No
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
IFC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Investigation Discovery
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Lifetime
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Lifetime Movie Network
Yes
$
$
No
Yes
No
$
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
MLB Network
No
$
$
$
No
Yes
$
Motor Trend
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MSNBC
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV
Yes
$
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV2
Yes
$
$
$
$
Yes
Yes
National Geographic
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nat Geo Wild
No
No
$
$
Yes
Yes
$
NBA TV
No
$
$
$
No
Yes
$
NBC Sports Network
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NFL Network
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
NFL Red Zone
No
No
$
$
$
$
No
NHL Network
No
$
$
$
No
No
$
Nickelodeon
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nick Jr.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Nicktoons
Yes
$
$
$
$
Yes
$
OWN
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
$
Oxygen
No
No
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Paramount Network
Yes
$
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Science
Yes
$
$
$
$
No
$
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
SEC Network
No
$
No
$
Yes
Yes
$
Showtime
No
$
$
$
$
$
$
Smithsonian
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Starz
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Sundance TV
Yes
$
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Syfy
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tastemade
Yes
$
$
Yes
No
Yes
$
TBS
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
TCM
No
$
$
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
TeenNick
Yes
$
$
$
$
Yes
Yes
Telemundo
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
Tennis Channel
No
$
$
$
No
No
$
TLC
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
TNT
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Travel Channel
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$
TruTV
No
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
TV Land
Yes
$
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
USA Network
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
VH1
Yes
$
$
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Vice
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
WE tv
Yes
$
$
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Channel
Philo ($25)
Sling Orange ($35)
Sling Blue ($35)
FuboTV ($65)
Hulu with Live TV ($65)
YouTube TV ($65)
DirecTV Stream ($70)
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