Best Live TV Streaming Service Providers 2023

If you're thinking of switching over to a live TV streaming service, you're definitely not alone. More and more people are ditching cable or satellite TV to save money (especially during these inflation times, sigh).

We’ll help you find the best live TV streaming service based on your budget, and ensure you have all your favorite channels and ample DVR storage to meet your or your family’s needs.

Let's jump into the details of some of the best services in the industry.

• fuboTV has the most sports channels in the industry.
• fuboTV also has a decent number of news, lifestyle, and kids channels.

fuboTV's Pro plan gets you close to 20 sports channels (plus 20 TUDN and BeIN SPORTS channels) in your lineup. If you order the Elite or Premier plan, you’ll have about 50.

You’ll find your well-known sports channels in the entry-level plan, such as ESPN, Big Ten Network, FOX Sports, and NFL Network.

And you could say the Elite and Ultimate plans are for the sports megafans who don't want to miss an Ole Miss college game or Rafael Nadal tennis match. Some sports channels in these packages include the following:

While you watch your Chicago Bulls play, your spouse can watch Flip or Flop, and your kids can watch Spongebob Squarepants.

fuboTV’s channel lineup includes the following channels:

• fuboTV doesn't have TNT, TBS, and CNN

Although this live TV service is the best for sports, we're disappointed that it doesn't have TNT for NBA games. (Shame!) But if you're an avid basketball fan, an NBA LEAGUE PASS subscription might be up your alley. 

You won't be able to watch New Girl on TBS and you can't get political news through CNN with fuboTV, but you get to enjoy Hallmark Channel and MSNBC.

If you'd like to delve into lots more details about fuboTV, check out our full review.

View Plans | Read Full fuboTV Review

• YouTube TV has an arguably complete channel lineup.
• This streaming service has the best DVR in the industry.

You get 85 great channels with YouTube TV, including the ViacomCBS channels that we all love, such as Comedy Central, BET, and Paramount Network.

But our favorite part about YouTube TV’s channel lineup: you get NFL Network, NBA TV, and MLB Network. Sure, you can get these channels with fuboTV, but you’d have to pay $20 more per month.

We named YouTube TV the second-best streaming service for sports because it had those three major sports networks and 13 other sports channels for $65/month. (And this service will be home to NFL SUNDAY TICKET as of the 2023 season.)

Other great channels in YouTube TV’s channel lineup include the following:

YouTube TV’s DVR has the biggest storage space with unlimited hours. So you can literally record everything. (And recently, Hulu + Live TV added an unlimited DVR storage to its service, as well.)

Record all of The Office episodes, NFL games, and The Price Is Right every day, and still have space to record more.

• Record everything you want, but you can’t save your recordings indefinitely

We stand by our statement that YouTube TV’s DVR is the best.

We just have to warn you that your recordings will be deleted after nine months. So you won’t be able to record The Hobbit and save it in your library indefinitely to watch today and in a year from now.

But if you plan on deleting your recorded TV episode after watching it, you don’t have to worry about YouTube TV’s ninth-month-deleting spree.

View Plans | Read Full YoutubeTV Review

• Hulu Live comes with Disney+ and ESPN+.
• This streaming services gives you live channels and lots of on-demand content.

Who wouldn’t love the live TV channels and on-demand library from Hulu, live sporting events from ESPN+, and all the Disney+ movies you’ve ever dreamed of?

Why do we ask? Because both ESPN+ and Disney+ are now included with Hulu + Live TV! 

So enjoy The Mandalorian or the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans game with the family, then watch one of the great Hulu Originals afterward. 

Hulu Live has the biggest on-demand library out of all of the live TV streaming services. So this service is perfect for those who want to watch The Bachelor in real-time or binge last season. 

Other TV shows you can stream on Hulu Live include the following:

Hulu Live's channel lineup include the following:

• Hulu Live only lets you stream on two devices at once.
• You can’t watch NBA TV, MLB Network, or Nickelodeon with Hulu Live.

Hulu Live allows only two users to watch live channels at the same time, so if you have a family of four, you might run into problems. 

If you'd like more than two simultaneous streams for the family, you’ll get the option to pay an extra $10 per month for unlimited streams.

Right about now, we used to bash on Hulu Live's 50-hour DVR storage. (Can you imagine?) Now, the whole family gets to enjoy unlimited DVR storage like you can with YouTube TV.

Hulu Live has 85+ channels, so with that, you won't be getting all of the channels under the sun.

Here are a few other popular channels you’ll be missing out on:

• BBC America
• Comedy Central
• Hallmark Channel
• PBS
• PBS Kids
• Paramount Network

View Plans | Read Full Hulu + Live TV Review

• You get live TV at a reasonable price.
• Sling TV has three inexpensive packages to choose from.

There aren’t many decent live TV streaming services out there that offer a good chunk of popular channels for $40, making it perfect for those who want to cut the cord because of that expensive cable bill.

You won’t have to give up on TV altogether. Thanks to Sling, you won’t have to break the bank.

Just try not to spend that extra money you’ll be saving on online shopping (or maybe that’s why you’re making cuts elsewhere in your life).

Both Sling Orange and Sling Blue are the same price, but both plans have almost a completely different channel lineup. And the Sling Orange + Blue package is basically a combination of both.

If you have kids, you’ll want Sling Orange. You’ll get Cartoon Network and Disney Channel for the little ones, and ESPN and Food Network for you.

If you love news channels, get Sling Blue. You can watch FOX News, MSNBC, and NBC. But if you want them all, Sling Orange + Blue is for you.

If you want to know more about the difference between Sling Orange and Sling Blue, check out our comparison piece where we break down which package has which channels.

• Don’t expect all of your favorite channels.
• Sling TV has low DVR storage.

Yes, Sling TV is on the cheaper side, but that also means you might not get all of your favorite channels.

You’ll absolutely find a lot of popular channels in their packages (the reason it makes the low price so great), but you won’t get your ABC, The CW, Nickelodeon, or Telemundo.

As for the sports channels ... let's just say Sling tends to the less than average sports fan. Sling offers the following sports channels:

Sling TV includes 50 hours of DVR storage in your service, which should be expected with the price tag.

You have the choice to upgrade to a 200-hour DVR storage for an extra $5 per month to make your monthly bill $45–$60.

Oh, and just a heads up: when your DVR storage is full, and you happen to record another show, your old or already-watched recordings will erase in your library (without warning).

View Plans | Read Full Sling TV Review 

• Premium channels are included in three of DIRECTV STREAM’s packages.
• DIRECTV STREAM has four packages to choose from for the family.

If you order a package from CHOICE and above, you’ll get HBO Max free for three months with DIRECTV STREAM.

When you get the ULTIMATE package, you’ll get STARZ channels in your channel lineup. Or upgrade to PREMIER to get HBO, STARZ, SHOWTIME, and CINEMAX.

In short, DIRECTV STREAM isn’t messing around. They tend to the fans of Outlander and Billions.

But wait, there's even more entertainment. With DIRECTV STREAM's device ($5/month), you'll be able to stream Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and more.

The ENTERTAINMENT package is going to have more of your lifestyle and news channels, like Hallmark, HGTV, MSNBC, and USA.

If you upgrade to CHOICE, you’re going to get MLB Network, Nick Jr., and the Tennis Channel.

The ULTIMATE will give you all of the sports channels DIRECTV STREAM offers, including the Golf Channel and NHL Network, and all of the STARZ channels.

And lastly, the PREMIER package will give you the most channels you can possibly get with DIRECTV STREAM, including four premium channels.

• It’s the most expensive live TV streaming service in the industry.

DIRECTV STREAM is the most expensive of the bunch, so this service might only be for those who love premium channels or want a traditional TV experience.

To put it in perspective, DIRECTV STREAM averages a little over $1 per channel. YouTube TV is 75 cents per channel, and fuboTV is about 46 cents per channel.

We hope DIRECTV STREAM will decide to lower its prices one day.

View Plans | Read Full DIRECTV STREAM Review

• fuboTV: Perfect for families full of many of personalities, you can get about 50 sports channels and 100+ other channels for news, lifestyle, movies, and kids with fuboTV. It’s the best-valued live TV streaming service because you get over 140 channels for $75 per month, a big DVR storage space, and an easy-to-use interface.
• YouTube TV: YouTube TV comes in at a close second because you get a solid channel lineup of more than 85 channels with the best DVR in the industry. YouTube TV is not for those who absolutely need their Tennis and HISTORY channels, but you will get your ViacomCBS channels, like Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.
• Hulu + Live TV: Hulu Live offers a three-streaming-service bundle for one decent price. The bundle of Hulu Live, Disney+, and ESPN+ will make all members of the family happy. But if you want zero ads in your on-demand content, you’ll have to tack on $13 to your monthly bill.
• Sling TV: If you’re trying to save money but want live TV without the expensive cable or satellite TV bill, Sling is for you. Just keep in mind with that low price, you may not get everything fuboTV, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV can offer you.
• DIRECTV STREAM: Although DIRECTV STREAM is the most expensive live TV streaming service in the industry at the moment, you do get premium channels included in most of the plans. And you get four plans to choose from to best fit your family.