PlayStation Vue vs DIRECTV NOW vs YouTube TV vs Sling TV vs Philo vs FuboTV vs Watch TV vs Hulu – Updated November 2018


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Smiling family sitting holding remote control

In October 2018 several changes happened with new channels joining services like Philo and PlayStation Vue. With 8 very popular live TV services it is harder than ever to pick the right one and new cord cutters can feel very overwhelmed with all the changes. The truth is there are no best services out there. Each person has different wants and needs. So we want to give you all the information and let you decided what is right for you. In this guide we looked at Watch TV, FuboTV, PhiloDIRECTV NOWSling TV, Hulu’s live TV betaYouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue with the hopes that we will make picking the right live TV streaming service easier.

*Note this list is up to date (as best as we can make it) as of November 1st, 2018.

Are you on a mobile device? Struggling to see the chart? Here is a PDF you can download for easier viewing.

Most of the services offer local channels in different markets. You can find out what locals are available in your area by visiting their sites.

First you should look at which of these services works on the devices you own:

Streaming Player Sling TV PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV Hulu Beta FuboTV Philo Watch TV
Roku X X  X  X X X X
Fire TV X X X  X X X X
Apple TV X X X  X X X X X
Chromecast X X X X X X
iOS X X X X X X X X
Android Phones/Tablet X X X X X X X X
Android TV X  X  X  X
Xbox One X  X X
PlayStation 4 X

 Next what channels each service offers:

*Due to limitations of fitting all the information on the page we are limited to the top 8 live TV streaming services based on subscriber numbers.

Channel Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
 AFRO  X
 AXS TV  X  X  X
A&E X X X X X X
AMC X X X X  X X X
American Heroes Channel X X X
Animal Planet X X  X X
Aspire X
Audience X X
Baby TV X  X  X
BBC America X X X X  X X X
BBC World News X  X X  X X X X
BeIN Sports  X X
BeIN Sports en Espanol X
BET X  X X X
BET Her  X X
Big Ten Network X X X  X X
Blaze TV X
Bloomberg Television X  X  X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
Boomerang X  X X  X X
Bravo X X X  X X X
Campus Insider X
Cartoon Network/Adult Swim X X X X  X X X
CBS Sports Net X  X  X X  X
CBSN X
Cheddar  X X X X  X
Cheddar Big News X X X X
Cinemax X  X  X X
CMT X  X X
CNBC X X X X X X
CNBC World X X X
CNN X X X X  X X X
CNN International X X
Comedy Central X X X X
Comedy TV X
Comet X X
Cooking Channel X X X X X
Cowboy Channel X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
Cozi TV X X
Crime & Investigatin X
Destination America X X X
Discovery X X X X
Discovery Family X X  X
Discovery Life X X  X
Disney Channel X X X X X
Disney Junior X X X X X
Disney XD X X X X X
DIY Network X  X X X X
Duck TV X
E! X X X X X X
El Rey X
Eleven Sports  X X
EPIX X
EPIX Drive-In X
EPIX Hits X X
EPIX2 X
ESPN X X X X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
ESPN 2 X X X X X
ESPN Bases Loaded X  X
ESPN Deportes  X X  X
ESPN Goal Line X X
ESPN News X  X X X X
ESPN U X X X X X
Euronews X
Family Channel X
Fla Ma X
FM X
Food Network X X X X X X X
Fox Business X X X X X
Fox College Sports X X
Fox Deportes X X
Fox News Channel X X X X  X
Fox Regional Sports Networks X X X X  X X
Fox Soccer Plus X
France 24 X
Free Speech X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
FreeForm X  X X X  X
FS1 X X X X X X
FS2 X X X X X X
FuboTV Netowrk X
Fuse  X X
Fusion  X  X X
FX X X X X X X
FXM X X X X X
FXX X X X X X X
FYI X X X X X X
Galavision X X
Golf Channel X  X X X  X X
Great America X
GSN  X X X X
Hallmark, Drama, &  Movies X  X X  X X X
HBO X  X X X
HDNet Movies  X
HGTV X X X X  X X X
History X X X X X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
Hi-Yah! X
HLN X X X X  X X X
IFC X X X X X X X
Investigation Discovery X X X X
Lifetime X X X X X X
Lifetime Movies X X X X X X
Local Now X X X
Logo X X X
Machinima X
MGM X
MLB Network  X X  X
MSG/MSG+  X X
MSNBC X X X X  X X
MTV X X X
MTV 2 X X X X
MTV Live X
Nat Geo X X X X X X
Nat Geo Wild X X X X  X X
NBA TV  X X  X  X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
NBC Sports Network X X X X X X
NBC Sportsnet X  X  X  X  X X
NDTV X
NESN  X  X X
News18 X
Newsmax X
Newsy X X  X
NFL Network X X X  X
NHL Network X X
Nick Jr. X X X
Nickelodeon X X
Nicktoons X X X X
OAN / AWE  X
Olympic Channel  X  X X  X X X
Outside TV X X X
Ovation X
OWN X X X X
Oxygen X X X X X X
Pac-12 X  X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
Paramount X X X
Poker X
Pop  X X  X  X  X
Pursuit Channel X
Revolt  X X
RFDTV  X  X
Ride TV X
RT Network X
Science Channel X X X
SEC Network X X X X X
Showtime  X  X X  X  X X
Start TV X X
Smithsonian X X X
SNY X X X X
Sony Movie Channel X X
Sportsman X X
Sprout X X X  X X
Stadium X X X
Sundance TV X X X  X X X X
SyFy X X X X  X X
Sling TV Hulu Beta PS Vue DIRECTV NOW YouTube TV FuboTV Philo Watch TV
TBS X X X X  X X X
TeenNick X X X  X
Tennis Channel X  X  X
TLC X X X X
TNT X X X X  X X X
Travel Channel X X X X X X
Tru TV X X X X  X X X
Turner Classic Movies X X X  X  X X X
TV Land X X X
Unimas X X X
Univision X X
Univision Deportes X
UP Family X
USA X X X X  X X
Velocity X X X X
VH1 X X X X
Vibrant X
Viceland X X X X X x
WE tv X X  X X X X x
Weather Channel X X
WeatherNation  X X
YES  X  X  X  X  X X

*fuboTV, DIRECTV NOW, & Sling TV include several international packages.
*DIRECTV NOW now offers NFL Sunday Ticket in select markets.
*Hulu also includes access to Hulu’s on-demand service.
*Found an error? Please email us and we will fix it.

DVR

DIRECTV NOW comes with 20 hours of DVR storage for free. Later this year DIRECTV NOW will add an option to buy 100 hours of storage.

Philo includes an unlimited 30-day DVR, plus on-demand programming.

PlayStation Vue offers a 28-day DVR and after 28 days the recording is removed.

Sling TV has a DVR and most of their channels have on-demand versions of the aired shows. Sling TV is offering 50 hours of DVR space with no time limit on how long you can keep a recording for $5 a month.

YouTube TV will keep shows for 9 months but replaces DVR recording with on-demand versions when available.

FuboTV offers 30 hours of personal cloud DVR storage with no expiration and an Advanced DVR for $9.99/month, which includes 500 hours.

Hulu live TV beta starts with 50 hours of storage. If you want more storage or the ability to fast forward you can pay $14.99 a month to get that ability.

Watch TV has no DVR.

Number of Streams

Sling TV will allow you to stream one or three streams at once depending on what package you sign up for. You can also use your Sling TV login for some apps such as WatchESPN.

PlayStation Vue will work on five devices at once inside your house. Outside your house, you can use 1 streaming player and up to 4 mobile devices at once. (You can learn more about PS Vue out of home rules HERE.)

YouTube TV allows for 3 streams at once both inside and outside of your home.

fuboTV allows 2 streams at the same time or 3 streams with the Family Share option.

Philo allows 3 streams at once both inside and outside of your home.

Hulu live TV beta starts with 2 streams but you can add more for $14.99 a month.

DIRECTV NOW offers two streams. (DIRECTV NOW also offers a $5 add-on for a 3rd stream.)

Watch TV is limited to just 1 stream.

So what service should you pick?

Hopefully, this guide has helped you find the right service. If you are still wondering which is the best for you and your family the best thing to do is to try the free trial for FuboTVSling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu, PhiloPlayStation Vue, Watch TV, and DIRECTV NOW offer. Our suggestion is to give them a try and see if you like them. Check each service’s site for current prices because they keep changing.

Did you know we now have a FREE app for iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire? Click HERE to download our app.

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