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The best streaming services in 2025 for TV, movies, sports and more, tested and reviewed
Find the streaming service that delivers more of what you love to watch — and fits your budget, too.
In this story
Remember that Bruce Springsteen song about "57 channels and nothin' on"? How quaint. These days there are zillions of "channels" spread across an endless sea of streaming services. And nothin' on? Hardly, Boss: I give you buzzworthy shows like Pluribus, The Diplomat, Stranger Things and Nobody Wants This, plus mega-hit movies like F1, A House of Dynamite and The Fantastic 4: First Steps. The only real challenge is determining the best streaming service for what you want to watch. Because, let's face it, you don't have an unlimited TV budget, and these things are getting a little pricey.
Indeed, it's hard not to factor in cost when considering which subscription to choose. Remember the early 2010s, when Netflix was $8 and Hulu was $6? And both were ad-free? Now, if want to keep the commercials at bay, they'll cost you, at minimum, $18 and $19, respectively. And if you want live TV, something to take the place of cable, hoo, boy: Be prepared to spend at least $80 per month.
As a card-carrying TV junkie, I subscribe to most of the major streaming services and watch more than my fair share of shows and movies. Meanwhile, I've tested and reviewed tech products and services for over 30 years. So, yeah, I know my way around the dial, so to speak. Here are my picks for the best streaming services — those with the best content, best pricing, best interface and so on.
(Don't have the budget for any of these right now? Check our roundup of the best free streaming services. The only cost for those is an internet connection.)
Update, Nov. 7, 2025: We checked all service prices and updated those that changed. All of our top picks remain unchanged. We also noted the name changes for Apple TV, HBO Max, ESPN and DirecTV.
Best streaming services for 2025
Rick Broida/Yahoo
Bundle and save — it's an idea old as commerce itself. (I'm pretty sure in ancient Rome, gourds were routinely "buy two, get one free.") You can do likewise with certain streaming services, with varying degrees of savings.
The one that appeals to me most: Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max. It costs $20 with ads, $33 without. That works out to a fairly reasonable $6.66 or $11 per month per service, respectively. Ad-free HBO Max all by itself would cost you $18.49. (Note that all these prices have increased recently. The bundle used to be $17 or $30; HBO Max was $17.)
To either of these you can tack on the new ESPN Unlimited sports service for $30, but there's no real savings there; that's the same price as subscribing to ESPN directly. Alternately, you can get just Disney+ and Hulu for $13 (with ads) or $20 (no ads).
Worth mentioning: If you're an Xfinity subscriber, be sure to check out the Xfinity Streamsaver bundle, which includes Apple TV, Netflix and Peacock, all for $15 per month on top of your regular subscription.
Before signing up for that or any other bundle, pay close to attention to which tier of service you're getting and what's actually included. For example, that Streamsaver deal is for the "with ads" plans for both Netflix and Peacock, with no option to upgrade if you wanted to. And many ad-supported plans don't allow you to download shows for offline viewing. Meanwhile, take note that any live content, like sports, will likely still have ads (which is true of nearly all live-TV services).
- Significant savings over subscribing separately
- Optional ESPN Unlimited add-on isn't discounted
- Both plans recently increased in price
Let's do some basic math: Hulu + Live TV costs $90 monthly, roughly the same as most live-TV streaming services. However, it includes three significant extras: "Hulu proper" (with all its original content and on-demand movies and shows), Disney+ and ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+).
That means you're effectively getting four streaming services for the price of one, and if you value those additional three, there's a very compelling case to be made for choosing Hulu.
Thankfully, the quantity doesn't come at the cost of quality. Hulu's live-TV lineup includes a generous selection of channels (close to 100), among them the five major locals (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS) and a solid helping of sports — though no regional sports networks like on DirecTV and Fubo. (Channel selection varies depending on your location; you can enter your ZIP code on Hulu's site to see exactly what's available.)
Alas, at this writing there's no 4K live TV content available, though some of Hulu's on-demand stuff is indeed 4K. And although Hulu + Live TV can stream in 1080p, for the moment it does so only with a handful of TVs and devices (including Apple TV 4th-gen and later, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and select Samsung TVs). Android TV, Google TV, Roku and other devices top out at 720p.
I appreciate Hulu's polished, easy-to-navigate interface, though it does reveal a few quirks once you venture into the live-TV area. Among them: an alphabetical channel guide with no way to change the order and inconsistent category menus. (Some show a channel-guide subset, others just rows of "what's on now".) It's also unnecessarily chunky; only five channels fit onscreen at a time.
Much more annoying: If you pause live TV and rewind prior to a commercial break, even one you've already watched, you can't fast-forward past it; you have to watch that same break again. (Fortunately, this didn't seem to be an issue with recorded shows.)
One important note for parents: Although the Hulu app doesn't incorporate any Disney+ content, the Disney+ app (which you sign into using your Hulu credentials) now mixes in Hulu's on-demand library (but not live TV). This is not only confusing, but also off-putting: You may see the likes of The Handmaid's Tale alongside Bluey and Toy Story. Fortunately, you can create child profiles to keep kids away from decidedly adult Hulu content.
Hulu's free trial is the shortest in the group — just three days — so you'll need to decide quickly if you like the value proposition. Given that it's really the only live-TV bundle you can get, by default it's also the best.
Read our full Hulu + Live TV review.
- Simple, novice-friendly interface
- Includes "regular" Hulu, which has tons of on-demand content
- Includes Disney+ and ESPN+
- No added fees
- Unlimited DVR
- No 4K on live content, 1080p live streams limited to select devices
- No regional sports networks
- Perplexing Hulu/Disney integration
- No support for voice-powered search
- Time-shifting live TV forces you to rewatch ads
Rick Broida/Yahoo
Philo flies under most viewers' radar, and that's a shame: The service is arguably the best-kept secret in streaming. For those who miss basic-cable networks like AMC, Comedy Central, History, Hallmark and Nickelodeon, Philo serves them up in all their live-TV glory.
And it's home to some premium-cable channels as well: Your subscription now includes not only the full roster of AMC+ content, but also standalone HBO Max Basic and Discovery+ subscriptions. (Note that the latter two are accessed separately within their respective apps; only AMC+ is accessible within Philo proper.)
Yes, those additions came with a $5/month price-hike, but they're a $17 value. Even at $33, Philo Core is a superb deal.
It includes over 70 well-known cable channels, plus around 100 (!) specialty ones like Chicken Soup for the Soul, Game Show Central and multiple Vevo music-video channels. (To be fair, you can also access those for free, without a Philo subscription.)
If you want sports, however, look elsewhere; Philo has nada. And the only notable news channel is BBC News.
I don't love Philo's interface; the channel guide in particular has a blah design and some awkward navigation elements. I do like the extensive library of movies and TV shows available for on-demand viewing and the unlimited cloud-based DVR for shows you want to keep for later.
Indeed, if you're still clinging to a pricey cable subscription just for, say, The Food Network, you'll find Philo an affordable and comprehensive alternative. More cord-cutters should know about it.
Read our complete Philo review to learn more.
- Over 70 familiar cable channels, plus AMC+
- Tons of on-demand content from the various channels
- Unlimited DVR
- Now includes HBO Max Basic and Discovery+ subscriptions
- Limited news, no sports
- Commercial skipping can be flaky
- Dated, unattractive channel guide
Rick Broida/Yahoo
Pity the sports fan who just wants to watch their favorite team during, say, football season. On any given Sunday, Monday or Thursday, you might find a game airing on Peacock, Paramount+ or Prime Video. And those are just the P's! Now throw college football into the mix and it gets even more convoluted.
Fubo is probably your best bet. The service carries not only most local and league channels, but also EPSN Unlimited and lots of regional networks. And that's on top of the robust lineup of cable-TV channels, which comes close to matching that of Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
A full Fubo Pro subscription starts at $85 monthly, but there's a new "skinny" option as well: Fubo Sports, which includes most local stations (minus NBC) along with ESPN Unlimited, ACC Network, Big 10 Network and more. It costs $55, making it one of the most affordable options for anyone seeking a comprehensive sports package.
Whatever you choose, you'll get video-on-demand, unlimited DVR and Family Share (support for up to three simultaneous streams, including devices outside the home).
Just take note that 4K content is available only with the Fubo Elite plan ($105/month). That tier also buys you more channels, but if you want the likes of TBS and TNT (owned by Warner Bros. Discovery), you'll have to subscribe elsewhere; they're not available in any Fubo plan.
Read our full Fubo review for more details.
- Virtually unrivaled sports channel selection
- Lots of live news and entertainment channels
- Includes unlimited DVR
- Affordable new "skinny" option available just for sports
- Lacks TBS, TNT and other Turner channels
- 4K content available only in Elite plan
Rick Broida/Yahoo
There's an embarrassment of family-friendly riches in the Disney+ toy chest, everything from Pixar to Marvel to Star Wars. Every episode of The Simpsons: here. Animated favorites like Cinderella, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and The Lion King: here. Even the filmed version of the Broadway legend Hamilton is here. If you have kids or grandkids, or you're just young at heart, Disney+ offers an unrivaled content library.
Unfortunately, it just got more expensive: a with-ads subscription now starts at $12 month, a 50% increase. But you can bundle in Hulu for just $1 more. (Check out the other available bundles, including our favorite listed at the top of this story.)
I do have a few quibbles with the interface. When you pause a show, for example, no status bar or anything else pops up onscreen to indicate how much time is left. And the search page is one of the weirdest I've seen: Once you get there, you have to hit "up" on your remote to get to the search bar, but then a keyboard and completely different search field appear near the bottom.
More troubling, the service is now integrating Hulu content, and some of that content is decidedly not child-friendly. While it's possible to set up restricted child-profiles, there's still the chance that non-tech-savvy parents could be enabling a youngster to be seeing — and streaming — the likes of Solar Opposites, an animated but very adult show.
Other than that, and even with the unfortunate price increase, Disney+ remains a must-have for families.
Read our full Disney+ review.
- Unrivaled selection of family-friendly content
- More affordable if you bundle with other services
- Prices went up 50% this year
- Some interface quirks
- Hulu integration could expose younger viewers to inappropriate content
Rick Broida/Yahoo
When I think of some of my favorite originals of the past few years, a lot of them originated on Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+). Sure, there are the obvious ones — Severance, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show — but I also adored Bad Sisters, The After Party, CODA, Mythic Quest, Schmigadoon, Silo, Slow Horses and The Studio, to name just a few. There's also a smattering of live sports, including MLS soccer (though it requires an add-on subscription) and, starting in 2026, Formula 1 racing.
Unfortunately, Apple TV is no longer the bargain it once was; a recent price increase bumped it to $13 from $10. At least you don't have deal with any obnoxious tiers; there's one price, period, and it includes ad-free 4K streaming, support for up to six users and downloads for offline viewing. And a new bundle option lets you tack on Peacock Premium for just $2 more. (You can also get Apple TV bundled along with various Apple subscriptions, including Arcade and News.)
But I continue to struggle with the messy interface, which relies on a poorly organized "Up Next" menu in place of the traditional watchlist and no easy way to navigate to the main page for a show you're watching. My Watch Now screen also mixes in content and purchases from other services, which is confusing at best. If there's a way to disable that option, I've yet to find it.
That said, no streaming app is easier to sign into, at least if you have an iPhone or iPad: Just scan the onscreen QR code and you're done. I wish every other service operated this way.
For highly bingeable original content, Apple TV is currently edging out the likes of Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max and Netflix. Time will tell if it can hold onto that crown.
Read our full Apple TV review.
- Most content is 4K
- No ads (outside of live sports)
- One account serves up to six users
- Super-easy sign-in (if you have an Apple device)
- Optional Peacock add-on for $2/month
- Frustrating UI
- Relatively small library of movies and shows
- Confusing new name (it's no longer Apple TV+)
Rick Broida/Yahoo
Full disclosure: I use Hulu more than any other streaming service, and not by a small margin. Whether it's new weekly episodes of Bob's Burgers and Shark Tank, a rewatch of The Shield (one of dozens of FX shows exclusive to Hulu) or the criminally canceled-too-soon Extraordinary, Hulu keeps me relentlessly entertained.
The service is largely unrivaled when it comes to current TV programming; many shows can be viewed the day after they air on the broadcast networks. But there's a deep catalog of older shows as well; this is the place to see classics like M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers and more.
Hulu (part of the Disney entertainment empire) is also home to some splendid original shows, including Only Murders in the Building and the surprisingly good King of the Hill reboot. You also get access to those aforementioned FX shows like Devs, Reservation Dogs, The Bear, Welcome to Wrexham and What We Do in the Shadows, as well as ABC programs including Abbott Elementary and High Potential.
All this starts at $12 monthly, but if you want commercial-free viewing, the price jumps to $19. Again, bundles are your friend, here — it's a no-brainer to fold in Disney+ for as little as an extra dollar. And all of the Hulu content can now be accessed from the Disney app (though I don't think that's a positive; read my Disney+ review, above).
There's a live-TV upgrade as well (Hulu + Live TV, see above), but it bumps you to a whopping $90.
Read our full Hulu review.
- Massive library of current and classic TV shows
- Lots of worthwhile original content
- The best place for next-day broadcast-network viewing
- Good user interface
- Affordable, especially if you bundle
- Commercial-free tier adds over 50% to cost
- Live TV option costs significantly more
Prime Video occupies a weird space on this list because it's really two separate entities. First, there's the considerable library of movies, TV shows and originals included with an Amazon Prime subscription, which costs $15 per month — $18 if you want ad-free viewing.
That price is in line with the likes of Netflix and HBO Max, making Prime seem like a pretty solid deal considering all the other extras that go with it: fast shipping, free GrubHub+, Prime Music, Prime Reading and so on.
There's also a lot of free content for those who don't subscribe, all of it woven into the Prime Video app under "Watch for Free." (Amazon recently discontinued the confusing FreeVee branding for this.) Never watched The Middle or Schitt's Creek? This is the place.
Second, Amazon is arguably the best bet for the stuff you can't stream with a subscription (either here or elsewhere); the movies and TV shows you need to buy or rent. For starters, few other services even offer this option — on this list, only Apple TV competes. And if there's something available for rental or purchase, chances are good Amazon has it. I especially like leveraging the "digital reward" credits I occasionally earn from choosing slower shipping on Amazon purchases. A few bucks here and there can add up to a free rental.
My only complaint with all this is that the Prime Video interface mashes all these things together, with little delineation between what's free with ads, what's free as part of your Prime subscription and what needs to be rented or purchased. The overall UI is busy and repetitive, which just adds to the confusion.
Nevertheless, this is definitely my preferred stop for movie rentals.
Read our full Amazon Prime Video review to learn more.
- Massive library
- Makes it easy to buy and rent content not available for free streaming
- You can use Amazon credits to save on purchases
- Lots of good content available without Prime subscription
- Confusing user interface
- Ad-free viewing now costs extra
Suffering from subscription fatigue? Pluto serves up a wealth of streaming content that's absolutely free, though you'll have to sit through commercial breaks, just like when you're watching basic cable.
Speaking of which, Pluto's program guide should seem familiar to anyone who owned a cable box. There's a learning curve to both finding and using that guide, but overall the user interface is above average.
For starters, it's categorical: Pluto's hundreds of channels are divided into sections like Movies, Comedy, Classic TV, News, Reality, Kids and Sports. You can also find a good selection of on-demand movies (older titles, mostly, but some decidedly mainstream ones). I especially like the Kids Mode option, which strips away everything but the kid-friendly channels and movies.
Another Pluto strength: dozens of channels devoted to old shows and favorite genres. Trekkies, for example, can tune into multiple (!) Star Trek channels for round-the-clock episodes, and there are others devoted to I Love Lucy, Baywatch, Matlock and loads more. If it's "comfort" viewing you're after, Pluto has an endless supply.
For other options, see our complete roundup of the best free streaming services.
- Completely free
- Dozens of specialty channels not available elsewhere
- Solid selection of on-demand movies
- Numerous news channels, including online CBS and NBC streams
- Excellent 'Kids Mode'
- Interface has a learning curve
- Most movies and TV shows are older
I'll never understand why anyone chooses to watch horror films; I don't want those images and ideas in my brain. (Real life is horrific enough, am I right?) But if that's your jam, look no further than Shudder. The aptly named service is home to an unparalleled selection of horror movies and TV series.
Just don't subscribe directly; the smarter move is to sign up for AMC+, which starts at $7 per month with ads or $10 without. That service includes not only all AMC content, but also full access to Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited. Shudder all by itself would cost you $7.50 per month.
Although there's plenty of mainstream and cult content here, Shudder's library does seem to be lacking certain classics. Where, for example, is Shawn of the Dead?! Where's The Shining? But my real complaint is with resolution: It's just 720p. Maybe a little graininess suits the material, but at a minimum Shudder should be slinging 1080p.
- Large library of horror movies and series
- Available for as little as $7 per month
- Lacking some genre classics
- Most streams are just 720p resolution; some are only 480p
Other streaming services we tested
Wait, wait, wait — where's Netflix? Where's HBO Max? You may be surprised by a few of the omissions in the above list; I'm honestly a little surprised myself. While those and other services have their merits, for one reason or another they just missed earning a "best" nod. Read on to find out why.
DirecTV: As cable-TV replacements go, DirecTV (formerly DirecTV Stream) is one of my favorites. Great interface, robust channel selection, impressive parental controls. But it's expensive, especially if you look to the higher tiers for more sports content, and it forces you to view ads when you pause a program. Still, if not for the better value that is Hulu + Live TV (see above), this would absolutely be our top live-TV streaming pick. Read our full DirecTV review to learn more.
ESPN Unlimited: Formerly ESPN+, the new service includes all of ESPN's linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews and ESPN Deportes, plus access to programming on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+ and ACCNX. It's effectively "cable ESPN, but via streaming." That translates to some 47,000 live events each year, on-demand replays, original programming and more. It costs $30/month, but the same price buys you a bundle with Hulu and Disney+ — so that's obviously the smarter buy.
HBO Max: What used to be the service for prestige TV (Barry, Game of Thrones, Succession, etc.) now feels more like an also-ran, with fewer buzzy shows than in years past and an inconceivable series of name changes. (HBO Max debuted in 2020; it became simply "Max" in 2023, now it's back to HBO Max. Ludicrous.) Granted, the service is home to stalwarts like Friends, Turner Classic Movies and some live sports, but I no longer consider it an essential streamer; it's not the "best" at anything. These days I subscribe for a month or two when there's something I want to watch.
Netflix: The pioneer streaming service was once the best streaming service, period, but now I can't figure out what Netflix is good at. Raising prices? Cancelling shows? Cranking out so-so originals? Meanwhile, the Continue Watching and My List carousels keep moving to different positions, and a significant new interface update is... not good. Make no mistake, there's still a ton of excellent content to be found here, but the tentpoles are fewer and farther between — making the ever-increasing price tag harder to justify. Read our full Netflix review to learn more.
Paramount+: If I were to add a "most improved" category, the winner would be Paramount+. The streamer, operated by the eponymous movie studio that also owns CBS, offers a lot of content not available elsewhere, including all the current-generation Star Trek series (as well as the entire Star Trek back catalog). This is also the place to find most Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible movies, plus everything available on Showtime (if you choose the Premium subscription tier). And it's the source for nearly everything from megaproducer Taylor Sheridan, including exclusives like Lioness, Landman and Tulsa King. That comes with a frustration, though: You'll find Sheridan's Yellowstone spinoffs, 1923 and 1883, on Paramount+, but the original remains licensed to Peacock. (Maybe that was an omen: Sheridan himself will be decamping for NBC/Peacock, too — but not until 2028.) See our full Paramount+ review.
Peacock: NBC's streaming service has a good shot at making the best list, as it's home to a considerable library of beloved TV series (The Office, Parks and Rec, etc.), new originals (The Paper) and exclusive movies. You'll also find some sports here, including Sunday Night Football, occasional NFL playoff games and the Olympics. Learn more in our full Peacock TV review.
Sling TV: Anyone interested in live TV should definitely check out Sling, though be prepared for a bit of confusion. The service offers two bundles, Blue and Orange, each with a different catalog of channels (including a smattering of local ones). Orange has 35 channels; Blue, 43. But there are about 24 "base" channels that overlap between the two. Um, okaaay? Meanwhile, Orange lets you stream on one device at a time; Blue, on three. The two tiers cost $46 per month apiece, unless you bundle them together for $61; the only logical choice. The good news here is that you can cycle your subscriptions on and off and jump between them with relative ease — and Sling even offers day or week passes, too. So long as the packages in question have the channels you need, that can make it a good option for dipping into playoff season, for example. See our complete Sling TV review for more details.
Starz: I recently "inherited" a free Starz subscription as part of a Netflix bundle, and I have to tell you: Not much there of interest (to me, anyway). There's some original content, little of it notable, and most of the movies are B-list or worse. I have a hard time seeing Starz ever making the jump to the best-list roster.
How I selected and tested the best streaming services
I evaluated these services based on the most obvious criteria: price, content and ease of use. In some cases it was easy to determine which ones were the standouts in specific categories. Best free service? Pluto, hands-down. Best for families? Disney+, easy. (On the flipside, choosing the best service for sports was quite challenging; read on to learn why.)
All tests were conducted on a Roku Ultra, my preferred slinger of streaming apps. It's worth noting there can be slight differences between these apps on different platforms. Any complaints I have with an app's user interface (UI) might not apply — or might be even worse — if you're using something else, like an Amazon Fire TV or a Google TV.
Speaking of UI, some streamers really bungle it. It's bad enough that each one is different — different icons, layout, menu options, etc. — but certain aspects seem almost user-hostile. For example, many apps insist on playing previews, with audio, while you're browsing content or just sitting at the home screen. Some seem to bury the all-important "continue watching" carousel or relocate it from one viewing session to the next (looking at you, Netflix).
On the whole I have to give the services a pass for these transgressions, because while they can be annoying, they're not deal-breakers; I'm not going to cancel my Apple TV subscription just because of its surprisingly bad UI. But you can bet I'm going to call out the worst offenders, even if they've earned a spot on the best list.
Streaming services FAQ
What's the deal with sports?
It's a mess. Different sports are shown on different networks and services, often within the same season. (Detroit Lions football, for example, hopped around to three or four places last year.) Some services will show every game except your hometown team's (looking at you, MLB.tv). So if you haven't planned your watching in advance, you could find yourself scrambling to watch a given game on a given day.
Thankfully, there are some new options available that might help. The new ESPN Unlimited, for example, serves up more or less all the ESPN channels that reside on cable, plus ABC to boot. That's a big improvement over its predecessor, ESPN+ (now called ESPN Select) — and it's fairly affordable at $30/month.
Meanwhile, Fubo Sports is a new "skinny" version of Fubo's live-TV service; for $55/month you get most of the important networks. See above to learn more.
Even with these options, this may be one area where a traditional cable-TV subscription beats streaming.
Do I really need a live-TV streaming service?
I understand the thinking: If you're ditching cable, you need a replacement — Fubo, Hulu, YouTube TV, etc. — so you can continue to watch live TV. But do you really? Those services are expensive, most starting at over $80 per month. I'll make the case that unless you're specifically looking for sports, you may want to rethink a live-TV streaming service.
Consider news, another key driver. Did you know that Pluto (see above) has over a dozen news channels, including CBS, CNN and NBC? The catch is that most of these are not the same channels you'd get on cable; instead, they're generally the same free streaming versions you'd find online at cbsnews.com or nbcnews.com, for example. In other cases, you're getting the same programming from, say, The Today Show, but on a time delay. (Does that matter? Remember, these are totally free services.) The Roku Channel offers free news channels as well, and lots of modern smart TVs have similar rosters available, many of which include your local nightly news broadcasts. All this is to say that if you like to stay informed or just keep the news on in the background throughout your day, you can do so for free.
But what about all your favorite shows? Don't you need a live-TV streaming service so you can record (i.e. DVR) them for later viewing? Actually, the vast majority of modern shows, including those that air on network and cable channels, are available on-demand. That means they don't need to be recorded; you just stream them whenever you want. And as an added bonus, on-demand viewing can mean commercial-free viewing as well (depending on your subscription).
Example: I'm a huge fan of Bob's Burgers, which airs Sundays on Fox. But I don't need Fubo or YouTube TV; I just watch new episodes on Hulu. Not Hulu with Live TV, by the way, but just "regular" (read: cheaper) Hulu. And because I pay extra for an ad-free subscription, I get to watch the show without commercial interruption. The only caveat is that you often need to wait until the day after the show airs before it becomes available on demand.
The challenge here, of course, is that different shows you like are probably spread out across different streaming services. So you may end up needing to subscribe to 3-4 of them, and it can get confusing to remember what's streaming where. At that point, it might be more cost-effective — and convenient — to go the live-TV route. But don't just assume that's the only option, or even the best one. I haven't used a live-TV service in years, and I still get to watch (nearly) everything I want.
One last thing: Depending on where you live, an inexpensive antenna can pull in many, if not most, local affiliate stations. You won't be able to pause or record live broadcasts (not without additional hardware, anyway), but except for the price of the antenna, this is a completely free solution. Here's a list of the best digital TV antennas you can buy right now.
Do any streaming services offer local channels?
Yes! But it's complicated. You won't find local channels on the likes of Netflix, Apple TV or Max. Paramount+ is operated by Paramount Skydance, which owns CBS and streams my local affiliate station — but only that one. NBC-owned Peacock, for its part, sometimes airs live NBC programming (such as sports), but doesn't carry my local affiliate.
If you want all (or at least most) local channels, you need a live-TV streaming service such as Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV or YouTube TV. Just take note that availability can vary in different areas, so be sure to check the local-channel offerings before subscribing to one of these services.
My advice: Investigate the aforementioned antenna option, which may be your best (and definitely cheapest) way to access local broadcast channels.
What are premium channels?
Back in the heyday of cable TV, extras like HBO, Showtime and Cinemax were referred to as "premium channels" — in part because of their commercial-free, often exclusive content and in part because they cost extra. But the term doesn't really apply to today's streaming options.
Does 4K make a difference when streaming?
Yes, but also kind of no. For starters, just because you have a 4K smart TV doesn't mean that everything you view will be at that resolution. Indeed, while most of the streaming services offer at least some of their content in 4K, there's quite a bit that's merely "Full HD," aka 1080p. (Netflix, for example, claims around 1,200 4K titles out of a library that's estimated at 18,000.) And guess what: You probably never noticed.
That's because 1080p is already pretty sharp to the human eye. Yes, 4K represents a substantial jump in resolution, but for casual viewing it's not as noticeable as you might think — especially on medium-size and smaller TVs.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of live TV content is currently streamed at either 720p or 1080p, not 4K. (Bet you didn't notice that, either.)
The more important spec here is HDR (high dynamic range), which comes in multiple flavors — notably Dolby Vision. That usually ensures the best possible balance of resolution, contrast and color saturation.
I have a smart TV — how do I watch all these services?
Your TV probably came with apps for most, if not all, the most popular streaming services already installed. If not, it's usually a simple matter to add the ones you want. But keep in mind that just because you have the apps doesn't mean you have the services; except in the case of freebies like Pluto and Tubi, you have to subscribe.
5 tips for surviving streaming services
Not that I was ever a fan of cable TV, but it certainly was easier: one monthly bill, one program guide, one stop for everything you wanted to watch. With so many different streaming services out there, modern TV life has grown a lot more complicated. Here are five ways you can minimize the madness:
Plan your binges: Is your favorite show coming back for a new season? Wait until all the episodes have dropped, then subscribe to that service for just a month or two — however long it takes you to binge it all. Then cancel the service. Obviously this can take some planning if you want to catch multiple shows across multiple services, but it can work. Might I suggest a spreadsheet?
Consider an annual option: Some services will cut you a deal if you subscribe for a year at a time rather than paying monthly. Disney+ Premium, for example, costs $14 per month, but it's $140 when paid annually. That amortizes out to $11.66 per month and represents a total savings of $28. Similarly, Apple TV offers a one-year subscription for $100 versus $10 for the month-to-month option. Prepayment savings: $20.
Bundle for the win: If you're interested in Disney+, Hulu and/or ESPN, don't pay for them separately; you can save big by bundling them together. See above to learn more.
Look to your phone carrier: Some offer free streaming subscriptions with certain plans. T-Mobile, for example, will cover the cost of a Netflix Basic subscription if you have one of its Go5G plans. Verizon Unlimited+ comes with a Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle. And if you have at least three unlimited lines with US Mobile, you'll get a service credit covering the cost of Apple TV, Max, Netflix or the aforementioned Disney bundle.
Learn what's streaming where: I'm a big fan of apps like JustWatch and ReelGood, which can quickly tell you where a movie or TV show is available to stream. If you primarily watch content on your phone or tablet, check out Younify, which puts all your active subscriptions under a single app roof so you can quickly return to what you're watching — without having to remember what service it's on.