Today there are so many ways to cut the cord while keeping access to Live TV, perhaps too many. They all are at different prices: from $5.99 to $74.99, offer different channels, and different features: some have unlimited DVR, some none at all, some will be available on your Roku or Fire Stick, some not.
So how can you pick? Here we have ranked the best Live TV streaming services based on their value: how many channels each dollar you pay gets you?
Level News is a slim ten-channel cord-cutting offer for, you guessed it, the news. It's a good add-on if you have another cord-cutting subscription that doesn't include news such as Frndly TV. That said, you will have to contend for less familiar channels as big-name broadcasters like CNN, the BBC, and MSNBC are still not available. Plus, some of the channels that are available, like France24, are streamable for free online. The service only launched in November 2022, and there are echos that it's looking to add more news channels soon.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, iPhone, Roku, Vizio, Vizio Smart TV, Website
Channel lineup: Bloomberg Quicktake, Bloomberg TV, C‑SPAN, C‑SPAN 2, C‑SPAN 3, Euronews, France 24, Law & Crime, NewsNation, NHK World Japan
Whether you're a Korean expat living in North America or a true-blue Hallyu fan, you'll find much to like in OnDemandKorea, also sometimes known as Korea on Demand. The streaming service has both live TV and on-demand content, which it makes available in three tiers. The basic plan is ad-supported and free, the premium plan costs $10.99/month and gives you exclusive ad-free content, while the premium + box plan costs $19.99/month and gives you all the benefits of the previous plans plus five simultaneous viewings and 100 live channels. Korea on Demand also gives you the option to pay yearly to help you save up to $200 in costs. In terms of content, the platform has an impressively wide range. On the on-demand side, it has more than 500 films that range from mainstream to indie, while on the live TV side, it has multiple channels that cover news, entertainment, variety, and sports. It's important to note, however, that the entire site is in Korean and not all titles have English subtitles, making it most suited to native or advanced speakers of the language.
Price: free for 9 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Google TV, Hisense, iOS, LG, LG Smart TV, Philips, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung, Samsung Smart TV, Samsung TV, Sony, TCL, Website
Channel lineup: Channel A, JTBC, K Movie, MBN, News 1, News 2, TV Chosun, Yonhap News, YTN
Haystack TV is an independently-run streaming service that delivers live and on-demand news, 24/7. It's ad-supported so it's somewhat free, but if you want to get rid of the commercials and dive straight into the latest news, you can subscribe to Haystack Premium for $4.99/month or try it for free for 30 days.
The convenient thing about Haystack is that it allows you to navigate not just by channels but by topics as well. It also picks up news from more than a hundred TV stations around the US (check if they cover your area here) which saves you the trouble of switching services when looking for local news.
Price: free for 12 channels available
Free Trial: 30 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Website
Channel lineup: ABC News, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Quicktake, CBS News, Cheddar, Deutsche Welle, Euronews, Local news channels, Newsmax, Newsy, Yahoo! Finance
Glewed TV is a free, ad-supported streaming channel that provides an extensive lineup of movies, series, and documentaries. It also has its own exclusive set of titles and podcasts, with genres spanning travel, sports, comedy, action, and more, plus it's available on a plethora of platforms. If you're still on the fence about going completely cordless, Glewed TV is one of many easy and accessible streaming options to choose from.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio
Channel lineup:
For the diehard soccer fan, Fanatiz is a streaming service dedicated to Latin American and Spanish soccer. Here, you'll get access to live and on-demand matches held by La Liga and Copa Libertadores, as well as complete coverage of Brazil's intense local competition Brasileirão. It's available in most countries worldwide, but North American viewers, in particular, will be glad to know that Fanatiz carries beIN and TyC Sports—vital channels that have exclusive rights to stream select leagues.
Fanatiz has an $8 and $10 monthly tier, the latter of which gives you access to even more leagues and hours of VOD content. But we suggest you try the platform first (free for a week) to really test its quality and see how it stacks up to other similarly inclined services, like FuboTV.
Price: $7.99/month
Device availability: Airplay, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Hisense, iOS, Roku, Website
Channel lineup: Bein Sports, beIN SPORTS Connect, BeIN SPORTS Español, Bein Sports XTRA, CentroAméricaTV, For The Fans, GolTV, GolTV en Español, NuestraTele, Real Madrid TV, Sevilla TV, Todo Noticias, TyC Sports International, XTF
For no-brainer shows like The Drew Barrymore Show, Extra, and The Voice, check out ET Live. You can also find clips and segments from these shows on the app. Sometimes it's called "ET Online" (the website is etonline.com), sometimes just ET; as its name indicates, it's the equivalent of a Youtube channel for ET.
One important thing to know: ESPN+ will not allow you to watch ESPN channels live. However, it has a lot of on-demand content that has aired on the channels and is a good way to watch some sports live. Namely: UFC events, many soccer leagues (such as LaLiga and Bundesliga), golf, tennis, and MLB. For the price, ESPN+ is worth at least a try if you are a fan of any of these sports.
Distro TV is a free streaming service that features free shows, movies, documentaries, news, concerts, and more from all around the world. It specializes in global content, drawing from the US, UK, and Canada, as well as from other parts of Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It has both live and on-demand content, plus it's easy to stream from many devices, making it an easy and affordable option for cord-cutters.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG, Roku, Samsung Smart TV
Channel lineup:
The most cable-like live TV package to date, DirecTV Stream Premier carries every possible channel you can think of. The sports department has ESPN and Fox Sports, to name a few, plus all the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB specialty channels. Meanwhile, the entertainment department has premium networks like HBO, Starz, Cinemax, and Showtime. It even has RSNs and local channels, all of which total more than 150 channels, so if you want your subscription to cover multiple bases, this is as comprehensive as it gets. All this comes to a hefty $160/month, which seems like a lot for a cord-cutting service, but with features like unlimited screens and DVR, it's worth considering if you have the budget to spare.
Price: $159.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: 75 Channels in "entertainment" including ESPN & Fox Sports, ACC Network, American Heroes Channel HD, Aspire, BBC News, BET Her, Bounce, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, ESPN U, ESPNews, Fanduel TV, Fox Sports FS2, Fuse, Fuse Music, FXM, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MLB Network, MTV Classic, National Geographic Wild, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, OWN, Oxygen, Pop TV, Showtime BET, Sportsman Channel, Travel Channel, Universal Kids, Up TV
There's a reason why DirecTV Stream Choice is the provider's most popular package to date: it carries over 105 channels, many of which are specialty sports channels like Big Ten Network, MLB Network, and NBA TV; it has local channels and RSNs where available; it offers premium add-ons like Starz and HBO; and maybe most important of all, it's still under a hundred bucks, which is not something you can say about most live TV packages these days.
In other words, Stream Choice is for those looking for extra sports coverage while wanting to enjoy the usual benefits of DirecTV, like unlimited screens and DVR, and keeping it all under a reasonable budget.
Price: $84.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: 75 Channels in "entertainment" including ESPN & Fox Sports, Cheddar News, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, ESPN U, ESPNews, Fanduel TV, Fuse, Game Show Network, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, MeTV, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, OWN, PopTV, Travel Channel, Up TV
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 12 cheapest Live TV streaming services for cord-cutting.
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.