Try these live TV streaming alternatives
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Try these live TV streaming alternatives

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

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‘Tis the season for price hikes for streaming services, and YouTube TV is one of the latest services to announce a significant increase in monthly live TV subscriptions. The app, best known for its variety of channels and sports offerings, is increasing its basic plan by $10 per month. If you’re thinking about canceling your plan, or considering a subscription but no longer want it, there are a few popular alternatives that might do the trick.

On December 12, YouTube TV announced that its base monthly subscription prices would increase to $82.99 starting January 13, 2025 for existing subscribers and immediately for new subscribers. This is a $10 increase from the current $72.99 per month charged to subscribers since March 2023. This is one of the bigger jumps we’ve seen from a live TV streaming service, with price increases across the board in 2024. In October, DirecTV Stream increased its cheapest plan from $79.99 per month to $86.99 per month. That same month, Hulu + Live TV increased its cheapest plan from $76.99 per month to $82.99 per month. In December, Sling TV increased its basic plans from $40 to $45.99 per month (and its combo plan increased from $55 to $60.99).

Our top recommendations for YouTube TV replacements are Sling TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream. Each offers something different, including different price points and channel offerings. All three options offer monthly subscriptions like YouTube TV, so you can cancel at any time without being locked into a long-term contract like cable.

We’ll break down their benefits, prices, and drawbacks below. If you can’t decide between two options, you can check out our Sling vs. Fubo and Sling Orange vs. Blue guides for a comprehensive comparison of the different live TV streaming services and plans.

Sling TV

If YouTube TV’s old price was already a little out of budget and the new price is just icing on the cancellation cake, Sling TV could be the right choice. Sling is one of the cheapest live TV streaming services on the market, even after recent price hikes, and is by far the cheapest service carrying the most popular cable channels. Sling has two basic plans, each costing $46 per month. However, if you’re looking for something on par with YouTube TV, we recommend subscribing to the shared Sling Orange + Blue plan to get the maximum number of channels at a discount.

Sling Orange + Blue costs $61 per month and includes about 46 live channels, including popular options like CNN, TNT, FX, MSNBC, and the ESPN family of channels. New users can get half off their first month of service. Sling does offer local channels — including NBC, ABC, and FOX (CBS is not available on any plan) — but availability varies from region to region, so consider taking advantage of Sling’s free HD antenna offer instead if you pay upfront for a few months.

Sling TV package in orange and blue

Sling TV Orange + Blue

Sling TV offers some of the best cable channels for $61 or less. There are three different tiers to choose from, as well as several sports and entertainment-specific add-ons, but the Orange + Blue combination is the best way to receive most major sports channels. Plus, you typically get about half off the first month.

Fubo

A key appeal of YouTube TV is its sports offerings. The live TV service offers all the channels you need to watch the national broadcasts of your favorite sports team. Fubo offers similar sports benefits that were originally designed for sports streaming and have expanded to other news, entertainment and lifestyle channels over the years. Subscriptions start at $79.99 per month and include more than 185 live channels, but new customers can get a seven-day free trial and up to $35 off the first month of service.

The cheapest Essential plan doesn’t include regional sports networks, but you can upgrade to the Pro plan and pay additional fees each month to take advantage of regional games, making it an especially great option for MLB and NHL fans. The only thing to keep in mind about Fubo is that it’s missing some key channels, including Warner Bros. networks. So you’ll have to find an alternative (e.g. a Max subscription) if you want to watch CNN, TNT, etc. or TBS programming.

Logo fubo included

Fubo Essential

Fubo’s main tier offers most of the same offerings as its Pro plan (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, etc.), but lacks regional sports networks that show NBA, NHL and MLB games. This will remove any applicable additional RSN fees from your monthly bill.

DirecTV stream

By far the best part of YouTube TV is its channel selection, making it one of the live TV streaming services most similar to cable. Enter DirecTV Stream, a similar streaming service that costs just $4 per month more than the new YouTube TV plan. DirecTV Stream’s cheapest plan is the Entertainment subscription, which offers more than 90 live channels, including everything you’d find on basic cable, for $86.99 per month.

The service offers access to local networks, popular cable channels, and access to pretty much everything you can find in the depths of cable TV via add-ons or higher-tier plans. The service includes a five-day free trial for new subscribers and some savings in the first two months if you add the sports package.

DirecTV Stream logo

DirecTV stream

DirecTV Stream, formerly known as AT&T TV, offers streaming access to a wide range of live channels, including most of the major networks typically found in traditional cable packages.

Looking for more home entertainment and live sports options? Check out our selection best streaming services And best sports streaming services.

Author Lillian Brown

Lillian Brown

Co-publisher of Streaming

Lillian Brown is an associate editor of streaming on Business Insider’s reviews team. A lifelong entertainment and media fanatic, she specializes in helping you figure out how to watch your favorite shows, movies, and sporting events.ExperienceLillian has been writing about entertainment, sports, television and film for over six years and began her career in the Living/Arts department of The Boston Globe. She then wrote entertainment features and summaries and conducted celebrity interviews for publications such as vulture, TV guide, esquire, TimeAnd The Daily Beast before joining Business Insider as a streaming specialist. In her current role, she writes about everything from finding the right VPN to watch football matches abroad to choosing between the endless number of streaming services. When she’s not writing, she’s editing stories from freelancers or other members of the reviews team. Lillian is also an expert at finding bargains. She loves the thrill of sharing a great discount with readers, whether it’s on her favorite streaming services or products she knows our team loves and recommends. She plays an active role in writing about sales and proposals for the valuation team.Why you can trust LillianWhether she’s testing streaming platform interfaces or actively comparing channel offerings from different services, Lillian always has her finger on the pulse of what’s new in the entertainment industry. She has tested almost every streaming service and is an expert when it comes to VPNs. She’s the first to know when a streaming service has changed its price and whether it’s still worth paying for. As a sports fan, she also knows exactly where the next big playoff game will be streamed, when it starts and where it takes place. expertise

  • Streaming services
  • How to watch your favorite movies, TV shows and sports
  • VPN services for legal streaming
  • Offers

Outside of workMost of the time, Lillian can be found watching a horror movie, a WNBA game (Go Liberty!), or a long-distance run. It is located in Boston.