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Best Live TV Streaming Services in 2020 – Hulu, FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, & More!

Last updated May 3, 2022
Written by:
Novak Bozovic
Novak Bozovic
Senior VPN Editor

Aside from the ever-growing list of media streaming services, we have new types of platforms designed to replace your cable or satellite TV subscription. Yes, we are talking about live TV streaming services – allowing you to access major TV networks, live local stations, and live sports events. However, we are sure that you want to get the most for your money, which means that you need to be prepared to do some research. Don’t worry, our editorial team is here to assist, which is why we’ll be talking about the best live TV streaming services in 2020.

So, let’s take a few moments to explain the basics. After all, we’re sure that many of you will be left overwhelmed by the amount of information these platforms provide. What you need to pay attention to is the list of TV channels that you receive for a fixed monthly price. Depending on your needs, you can often expand this selection with channels grouped around a common theme (sports, movies, foreign TV channels, cartoons, and similar). Then, pay attention to which platforms are supported by your chosen streaming service, as well as how many devices you can use at once. And finally, there are also 'extra' features that can include enhanced DVR functionality, family sharing, premium channels, and plenty more.

After having tested all of the currently popular live TV streaming services (you can find all those reviews on TechNadu), we’re ready to help you compare them. We will be going through their TV channel bundles, customization options, streaming quality, and plenty more. So, make sure to read this article carefully, and we’re more than sure that you’ll find the best live TV streaming service based on your needs.

So, finally, we present to you the 7 best live TV streaming services in 2020.

1. Hulu + Live TV - Best Streaming Service Overall

Hulu Live TV Website

Hulu is among the most popular streaming services right now, offering award-winning original programming coupled with an affordable price. As you can see, this streaming platform also offers a live TV service, priced at $55/month. This plan gets you a huge number of channels, including all of the popular picks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.

It’s interesting to note that Hulu + Live TV brings a nice group of sports channels, allowing you to live-stream the NCAA, NBA, NFL, the English Premier League, and more. In addition, it comes with a host of premium channels (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz) that are priced more affordably than what its competitors offer. Also, let’s not forget to mention that this live TV streaming service also gets you a basic Hulu subscription (the one that’s ad-supported). This means that you’ll find a huge library of movies and TV shows, including Hulu’s original programming such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Path, Freakish, and more.

When it comes to some of its downsides, Hulu + Live TV doesn’t come with the most powerful DVR functionality. To record single episodes and fast-forward through ads, you need to get an add-on named Enhanced Cloud DVR (priced at $14.99/month). To get additional information about these, we recommend turning to our Hulu + Live TV review.

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2. fuboTV - Best for Sports Fans

FuboTV Website

FuboTV began its life as a sports streaming service. At that time, there was a shortage of such services, as streaming live sports online was close to an impossible task. However, the situation has changed, which is why fuboTV has completely changed its subscription plans in the meantime.

At the moment, fuboTV comes with three plans – with the most affordable one being priced at $54.99/month. You get 110 channels, 30 hours of DVR cloud storage, and 2 simultaneous connections. The most expensive plan is priced at $79.99/month and includes 170+ channels, 500 hours of DVR cloud storage, and 3 simultaneous streams. There’s also a huge range of addons using which you can include premium channels. These add-ons are also oriented toward sports fans, so you can live stream NCAA games, NFL RedZone, and plenty more.

We also need to highlight fuboTV’s brilliant interface. No matter which device you use it on (and plenty of devices are covered, by the way), you can easily check the available channels, create personalized lists, use the application’s polished TV guide, and plenty more. To see this interface in action (among many other things), you can head over to our fuboTV review.

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3. Sling TV - Best Budget Service

Sling TV Website

Sling TV perhaps doesn’t have the most polished UI out there, but it brings huge value for its price. You get to choose from several TV channel bundles (Orange/Blue - $30/month, Orange & Blue combined - $45/month), bringing you a nice selection of major TV networks including plenty of sports channels. In addition, you can add plenty of extras including sports networks such as NBA TV, NFL RedZone, and NHL Network for an extra $10/month. In terms of its price, you’ll hardly find a better deal.

It should be noted that there are numerous differences between Sling TV’s skinny plans (Orange and Blue) and its most comprehensive plan (Orange & Blue). If you want to cover multiple devices at once, you need to go for the Orange & Blue plan as it supports 3 simultaneous streams. Other plans cover a single device only.

When it comes to its downsides, users of Sling TV often complain about the lack of live TV channels. This is true as mostly FOX and Univision affiliated are offered. However, this is something that you can resolve free-of-charge by using an antenna (not an ideal solution though). To learn more, we offer you our Sling TV review.

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4. YouTube TV - Best Local TV Service Coverage

YouTube TV Website

YouTube TV brings, without any doubt, one of the most compelling offers in the realm of live TV streaming. You will find plenty of popular TV channels in its standard offer, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, CCN, Disney Channel, Food Network and plenty more. It also carries a huge number of regional channels, which depends on your location. In case you’d like to keep your costs under control and even if you don’t want to pay for any extras, you get a truly nice combination of TV channels.

Considering that it comes from Google, you can count on amazing integration with Android and Google Assistant services. If you have a Google Home speaker, you can issue voice commands to control this service. However, YouTube TV is also compatible with just about any platform and device out there, via native software. And also, it’s worth mentioning that you get unlimited cloud DVR functionality, allowing you to store programming for up to nine months. Let’s not forget that once you become a YouTube TV subscriber, you can also watch YouTube Premium content.

All in all, YouTube TV is designed to cater to a broad range of users. We believe that many of you are going to love its base offer, which truly brings plenty of value. In case you’re using Android devices, you’re in for a big treat since YouTube TV is deeply integrated with  Google services. So, to dive deeper into these options, here's our YouTube TV review.

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5. AT&T TV Now - Best Selection of Premium Add-Ons

ATT TV Now

Previously known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TV Now is using its corporate relationships to create a compelling offer. In case you’ve been a DirecTV Satellite customer before, you will be familiar with this streaming platform’s offer and interface.

AT&T TV Now certainly isn’t the cheapest option among the best live TV streaming services. However, you do get plenty for your money, despite the recent price increase. The two base plans are PLUS ($65/month) and MAX ($80/month), where you’ll get 45 or 60 channels, depending on which one you pick. There are additional plans available, offering up to 125 channels (but these come at a high price, as you’d imagine). To justify the price of its plans, AT&T TV Now includes HBO and Cinemax with its plans.

It should be also noted that this live TV streaming service is known to suffer from performance issues at times. In the past, there were reports of its on-demand content not being available or freezing while streaming. In addition, the interface can be sluggish at times. Plenty has been done in the previous months to mitigate these issues, and we’re sure that you’ll now get to use this service without these problems.

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6. Philo - Best (Cheap) Selection of Entertainment Channels

Philo Website

The next entry on our list of the best live TV streaming services is Philo. Founded a couple of years back, Philo is trying to use a different approach to streaming. Instead of offering multiple plans and different types of add-ons, it comes with a single plan only.

Philo is priced at only $20/month, and you get access to 59 channels at the moment. Among those, you’ll find plenty of popular picks, such as AMC, BBC America, Comedy Central, Discovery, Lifetime, MTV, VH1, Travel Channel, TLC, Lifetime, Logo, and more. As you can see, a number of big-name national TV channels are missing here, in addition to sports channels. On the other hand, you get unlimited DVR storage, and you can keep your recording there up to 30 days, which seems like a generous offer.

Strangely enough, Philo doesn’t offer any extras – and it’s doing its best to simplify its offer. Therefore, we believe that non-demanding users who are after entertainment channels will like this live TV streaming service the most. To learn about this simple yet hugely interesting platform, check our Philo review.

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7. AT&T WatchTV - Best for Non-Demanding Users

ATT WatchTV Website

Here we have another live TV streaming service from AT&T – so you must be wondering what’s that about? Well, AT&T wanted to offer an affordable option aimed at specific types of users. As you can imagine, you can’t expect from AT&T WatchTV to match more expensive services, so let’s see what you’ll get and what you’ll be missing out.

First of all, you get around 35 TV channels. There are no local TV channels or any sports-related TV networks here. However, you will still get some of the most popular channels out there like CNN, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, History, Lifetime, TLC, and more. It’s clear that AT&T WatchTV is made for younger audiences who don’t need a huge number of options, and who’d like to save plenty of money.

Among other limitations, this live TV streaming service is available on a single device only (you get one stream per one subscription). Additionally, there’s no DVR functionality here. In case you need something more powerful, there’s always AT&T TV Now available for you to check.

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Still, Confused? Let's Help You Choose the Best Live TV Streaming Service in 2020, Based on Your Needs!

Don’t worry, we understand if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the current selection of live TV streaming services. So, based on our experience, we are going to tell you which platforms are suitable for certain needs, helping you easily reach the final decision.

So, we finally reach the end of our guide to the best live TV streaming services in 2020. Our hopes are that you’ll find a streaming platform aligned with your needs and that you’ll use it for a long time to come. Make sure to stay tuned to TechNadu for additional streaming-related tips - and thanks for visiting our website!


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