Top 5 Live TV Streaming Services in 2020
As the world continues to encounter financial crises as we are fighting the battle with COVID-19, ditching the cable TV cord is a great way to cut down on family entertainment. All thanks to streaming, it is possible to ditch cable while still holding onto the live TV channels dear to you. We know live local and international news are so important along with live sports like IPL and Barclay’s Premier League starting to return. You can enjoy them all using an affordable streaming service without a cable box or antenna.
Live TV streaming services start at $20 per month with 0 fee or contract. You can now view your favourite shows on streaming apps on your smart TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV etc. The pro, you can watch at home or while commuting on a smartphone, tablet or a web browser. In most cases, these streaming services cost far less than a cable TV and you don’t need a professional installer to visit your home, in times of social distancing. Let us check out the top 5 Live TV streaming services according to us in 2020:
Sling TV Blue
Sling TV has a wide range of channels, more options to choose from and a better user interface. It is one of the best budget friendly streaming services available in the market. It is a tad bit expensive than Philo, however considering the wide range of channels, it is still much cheaper than other premium streaming services. Sling TV is definitely more cost effective than premium services like Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV due to few local stations. Additionally, it provides two $30 per month channel packages, Sling Orange and Sling Blue. There are some common channels on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue, there is a considerable change between other channel offerings.
Hulu Plus Live TV
Hulu Plus Live TV became a global favourite when YouTube TV price increased by almost $15. It has a robust channel offering for a modest price and Hulu’s integration of live TV with a decent catalogue of on-demand content is commendable. When compared to YouTube TV, the interface does lag behind and you will need to pay $10/month to be able to skip advertisements on Hulu’s cloud DVR. Due to the increase in the price of other streaming services, Hulu Plus Live TV now gives the best budget experience at $55.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV improved it’s offering with the addition of eight new channels by June end. YouTube TV, priced at $65 now has more top channels than other services so it is an instant win if you want a premium experience. Additionally, it also has the best cloud DVR of the bunch, including unlimited storage and a generous nine months to watch recordings. Other services, only allow you to watch recorded shows for a maximum of 30 days. The interface is simple to use but has more options than your cable TV. There are no variations provided, it only has one price for the entire package. Pretty neat.
AT&T TV
In the beginning, HBO subscription was bundled with AT&T TV. Now, you will have to shell out an additional $10 a month. Even without HBO, the streaming service still lacks more top channels than other premium services like Hulu Plus or YouTube TV. The DVR quality is also lagging behind YouTube TV. AT&T TV has a decent style interface due to the flipper-friendly ability to swipe left and right to change channels.
FuboTV
We all have those sports fans around us. If you are not one of them, you definitely know at least 5 sports fans who could make the most of FuboTV. FuboTV offers a great variety of channels to choose from. This is second only to YouTube TV and due to the sports focus, FuboTV is a major hit with football fans. However, it is available at$60, which is the second most expensive service after YouTube TV. Recently, FuboTV has added a bunch of new channels like ESPN and Disney. We would recommend you to go for FuboTV, only if you are a big sports fan and more than 80% of your viewing time is dedicated to sports.
Wrapping Up
As we have discussed the top 5 Live TV streaming services based on their price and features, the platform is still evolving. Almost all major streaming services have increased their prices by at least $5 in the last few months along with available channels. We would like to conclude that though streaming is the future, there is still some time before we see a good pricing model to go with the services offered.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.