点播流媒体(On-demand streaming)服务给了很多人剪掉有线电视线(cable cord)的借口，但再多的无底之友(Friends)剧集也无法填补电视直播报道(TV coverage)留下的空白。无论是即时新闻，还是重大体育赛事，对直播电视的需求仍然很大。
好消息是直播电视流媒体(TV streaming)的选择现在很多。我们收集了七种我们能找到的最好的直播电视流媒体(TV streaming)服务，它们最终可能会让你放弃昂贵的有线电视订阅(pricey cable subscription)。
注意：(Note:)这些服务中的大部分仅在美国可用(United) 。(States)虽然可以使用VPN 或智能 DNS(VPN or Smart DNS)服务来解决这些地理限制，但您将违反服务条款，我们强烈建议您反对这种做法。
Hulu是(Hulu)点播流媒体(on-demand streaming)服务的先驱之一。虽然其主要竞争对手Netflix已经走向全球，但Hulu一直留在美国境内。这可能是它提供如此强大的直播电视流媒体服务的原因之一。
每月只需 54.99 美元，您就可以访问其标准（广告支持）点播节目和电影库以及现场体育、新闻和娱乐节目(news and entertainment programs)。正如您在上图中所见，有大量频道可供选择，价格实惠。
您可以轻松找到要在其中观看的设备——Mac、PC、Android、iOS、Chromecast、游戏机、智能电视(TVs)，不胜枚举。标准套餐还提供 50GB 的基于云的录制空间，相当于大约 50 小时录制的电视节目。
吊带电视(Sling TV)(Sling TV)（各种价格）( (Various Prices))
Sling 是直播电视流媒体世界中的一项(TV streaming world)杰出服务(standout service)，因为它专门从事这种形式的数字娱乐。虽然其他服务通常是点播供应商，他们已经开启了直播电视，但 Sling 恰恰相反。
有两个包，橙色和蓝色(Orange and Blue)。两种套餐本身的成本相同（30 美元），并且不提供相同的频道或相同数量的频道。虽然它们之间有一些重叠。最便宜的选择是组合套餐，其中包括 Sling 提供的所有频道。
还有额外的附加包，你可以多花几美元就可以安装。如果您绝对想要所有东西，价格真的可以飞涨，但它仍然远不及典型的电缆包装(cable package)。
实际体验有点像传统电缆。您可以在受支持的设备上使用该应用程序之间切换一些重磅付费频道。有一些点播内容，但这不是任何人注册Sling的原因。
如果您想要的只是实时新闻，那么您可能根本不需要支付任何费用。在撰写本文时，该服务正在免费提供多个新闻频道，这也让您有机会在花钱之前试用该应用程序和服务。(app and service)
一个问题是目前硬件支持(hardware support)相当有限。AirTV、Roku、Amazon Fire TV、Apple TV、LG webOS和 Xbox One 是该网站上唯一列出的平台。
弄清楚哪个YouTube 订阅(YouTube subscription)服务是哪个可能有点令人困惑。YouTube Music是Apple Music的竞争对手，YouTube Premium是无广告点播服务，现在YouTube TV是直播电视流媒体服务(TV streaming offer)。
虽然该服务目前仅限美国，但它还提供不同的内容，具体取决于您在美国(USA)的居住地。您将获得当地体育和新闻以及 70 多个频道，包括ESPN、ABC、NBC和迪斯尼频道(Disney Channel)。
您可以获得三个同步流和无限的云DVR 空间(DVR space)。因此，您可以随心所欲地录制。
如您所料，设备支持很广泛。据我们所知，几乎所有可以运行标准YouTube 应用程序(YouTube app)的设备都可以在这里运行。这包括主要的智能电视品牌、机顶盒和移动设备。您也可以通过浏览器观看。
亚马逊 Prime(Amazon Prime)(Amazon Prime) Live Channels ($5.99/mo + Live TV Addons)
亚马逊(Amazon)的Prime Video 订阅(Prime Video subscription)是 Netflix 的按需点播竞争对手(Netflix competitor)，它仍在追赶，但最近开始提供优质的原创内容。然而，基本的Prime Video 订阅(Prime Video subscription)只是一个开始。亚马逊(Amazon)还为订阅者提供了在服务中添加频道的选项，但需额外付费。
其中一些“频道”只有更多的点播内容，但有些也有直播。如果您为其中任何一项付费，则会在应用程序的内容选择中添加一个标有“On Now”的新行。
对于那些已经订阅基本服务(base service)并且只想要一两个添加的人来说，这是一个很好的解决方案。但是，注册大量插件很快就会使服务负担不起，因此请谨慎选择。
Pluto TV是此列表中唯一免费提供直播电视流媒体的服务。甚至没有任何类型的付费订阅选项。该服务提供点播和直播内容的混合，内容不完全来自优质稳定的频道。话虽如此，有一些知名品牌可供选择。
例如，您会发现彭博和 MSNBC(Bloomberg and MSNBC)等新闻媒体的网络流。但 240-ish 频道大多是不拘一格的或陈旧的。然而，这并不是一件坏事，它不会花费任何时间来挖掘并找到一些宝石。目前这是一项美国服务(US service)，但您可以在此处(here)查看它是否在您所在的地区播放。
支持 iOS、Android、Apple TV、Roku、Chromecast、PS4和一些智能电视型号。至少你现在可以在浏览器中加载Pluto并自己看看。
人们难以切断电源线的最大原因之一归结为现场体育报道。有线电视网络知道这一点，因此他们努力保持对优质体育内容的专有权。然后，他们将其与非可选的低质量内容(low-quality content)捆绑在一起。这意味着您对出色体育报道的需求最终会补贴您不关心(t care)的内容。
现在有针对特定大牌体育赛事或赛季的按次付费选项，但这可能会很快变得昂贵，并且无法提供与直播体育频道相同的广泛覆盖范围。
进入富博电视(Enter Fubo TV)。该频道最初是一个专门的足球报道服务，但已迅速发展成为一个庞大的产品，在(soccer coverage service)基本计划(base plan)中拥有 100 多个频道。该计划包括 30 小时的云存储和两个流。多花 5 美元，您可以获得 500 小时和三个流，作为家庭计划(Family Plan)的一部分。
然后是Ultra 计划(Ultra plan)，它附带家庭计划(Family Plan)、Fubo Extra 和 Sports Plus(Fubo Extra and Sports Plus)。您还可以零碎地将精选的付费频道添加到服务中。例如，Sports Plus包括NFL Red Zone 和 NBA TV(NFL Red Zone and NBA TV)，需额外支付 10.99 美元。
如果你对现场体育不感兴趣，这里有更好的娱乐选择，但对于想要切断电源的体育迷来说，富博(Fubo)似乎应该是你名单上的第一站。
在这里提供的付费服务中，Philo是最便宜的选择。尽管如此，它仍然拥有令人印象深刻的优质频道选择，包括AMC、Comedy Central、BBC America 和 MTV(BBC America and MTV)等。这是一种非常均衡的内容类型传播，包括直播和点播内容(streams and on-demand content)。DVR 优惠(DVR offer)也是无限的，在这个价位上这是一个惊人的交易(price point)。
虽然Sling的蓝色和橙色套餐通常接近或等于Philo，但在我们看来， Philo上的频道数量和混合(channel count and mix)更好，当然，使用Sling你只能获得 50 小时的(Sling)DVR。
三个流是Philo的标准配置，并且支持智能手机、 (Philo)Apple TV(Apple TVs)、Roku 和Amazon Fire TV(Amazon Fire TVs)等常见设备。一个大问题是目前不支持游戏机，主要的智能电视(TVs)或谷歌 Chromecast(Google Chromecast)也不支持。Philo说他们正在努力扩展到这些其他设备，但如果您还没有合适的机顶盒，那么增加的费用可能会使Philo成为一个没有吸引力的选择。
最重要的是，我们看到很多人抱怨该应用程序使用起来有点笨拙，这表明 Philo 的软件开发团队(software development team)的预算可能与服务的价格标签(price tag)所暗示的一样。
哪种直播电视流媒体服务适合您？(Which Live TV Streaming Service Is Right For You?)
尽管我们已将直播电视流媒体(TV streaming)产品范围缩小到只有七种选择，但您可能仍无法确定您的具体需求。我们认为，对于某些类型的观众来说，其中一些直播电视流媒体(TV streaming)服务是最佳选择。因此，让我们找出最适合您的选择。
Fubo TV是需要现场体育报道(live sports coverage)的剪线钳的明智选择。可选的附加组件涵盖了大多数主流运动需求，并且仍然比按次付费或有线电视(pay-per-view or cable)便宜。话虽如此，这是最昂贵的直播电视流媒体(TV streaming)选项之一，因此您确实需要成为体育迷。
YouTube TV是一个不错的整体选择，但我们认为它特别适合关注本地内容的观众(viewers who care about local content)。YouTube 努力根据您的居住地提供内容，这是一项独特的服务，很可能成为您选择在哪里花钱的关键。
Sling TV是(Sling TV )有线(a cable-like )体验的最佳选择。如果您购买组合包装尤其如此，这应该会使剪线体验不那么迷失方向，
Philo是物超所值的(bang for buck)选择。假设您已经拥有受支持的设备，并且不必专门为该服务购买一台。尽管软件笨重，但提供的实际内容是物超所值的。
所以你觉得剪断绳子更舒服吗？我们很乐意在评论中听到您自己的剪线经验和建议(experience and advice)。
7 Best Live TV Streaming Services To Drop Cable For Good
On-demand streaming services have given plenty of people the excuse to cut the cable cord, but no amount of bottomless Friends episodes can fill the gap left by live TV coverage. Whether it’s the news as it happens, or a major sports event, there’s still a huge demand for live TV.
The good news is that the options for live TV streaming are now numerous. We’ve rounded up seven of the best live TV streaming services we could find that may finally make you drop that pricey cable subscription.
Note: Most of these services are only available in the United States. While it may be possible to work around these geographical restrictions using a VPN or Smart DNS service, you’ll be violating the terms of service and we strongly recommend against this practice.
Hulu is one of the pioneers of on-demand streaming services. While its main rival, Netflix, has gone global, Hulu has stayed within the borders of the US. This is probably one of the reasons it offers such a strong live TV streaming service.
For $54.99 per month, you get access to its standard (ad-supported) on-demand library of shows and movies as well as live sports, news and entertainment programs. As you can see in the graphic above, there’s a huge selection of channels on offer for the price.
You won’t have any issue finding a device to watch on either – Mac, PC, Android, iOS, Chromecast, game consoles, smart TVs, the list goes on. The standard package also offers 50GB of cloud-based recording space, which equates to about 50 hours of recorded TV.
Sling TV (Various Prices)
Sling is a standout service in the live TV streaming world because it’s specialized in this form of digital entertainment. While other services are generally on-demand providers who have bolted live TV on, Sling is the reverse.
There are two packages, Orange and Blue. Both packages cost the same on their own ($30) and don’t offer the same channels or the same number of channels. Though there is some overlap between them. The cheapest option is to go for the combined package, which includes all the channels Sling offers.
There are also additional add-on packages you can bolt on for a few dollars more. If you want absolutely everything, the price can really balloon, but it’s still nowhere near the typical cable package.
The actual experience is quite a bit like traditional cable. There are some heavy-hitting premium channels that you can flick between using the app on a supported device. There is some on-demand content, but that’s not why anyone signs up for Sling.
If all you want is live news, then you may not have to pay anything at all. At the time of writing the service is offering several news channels for free, which also gives you a chance to try the app and service out before spending money.
One catch is that hardware support is rather limited right now. AirTV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, LG webOS and Xbox One are the only listed platforms on the site.
YouTube TV ($49.99/mo + 14-day Trial)
It can be a little confusing to figure out which YouTube subscription service is which. YouTube Music is the Apple Music competitor, YouTube Premium is the ad-free on-demand service and now YouTube TV is the live TV streaming offer.
While the service is US-only at this point, it also offers different content depending on where in the USA you live. You’ll get local sports and news along with over 70 channels that include ESPN, ABC, NBC and the Disney Channel.
You get three simultaneous streams and unlimited cloud DVR space. So you can record as much as you’d like.
As you’d expect, device support is wide. As far as we can tell, almost every device that can run the standard YouTube app will work here. This includes major smart TV brands, set top boxes and mobile devices. You can also watch from a browser.
Amazon Prime Live Channels ($5.99/mo + Live TV Addons)
Amazon’s Prime Video subscription is an on-demand Netflix competitor that’s still playing catch-up but has recently started delivering quality original content. However, the basic Prime Video subscription is just the start. Amazon also offers the option for subscribers to add channels onto the service for an additional fee.
Some of these “Channels” only have more on-demand content, but some do have livestreams as well. If you’re paying for any of these, a new row labeled “On Now” will be added to the app’s selection of content.
This is a good solution for those who are already subscribed to the base service and only want one or two additions. However signing up for a significant number of addons quickly makes the service unaffordable, so choose them with care.
Pluto TV is the only service on this list that offers live TV streaming for no money at all. There isn’t even an option for any sort of paid subscription. The service offers a mix of on-demand and live content with content that’s not exactly from the premium stable of channels. That being said, there are some well-known brands on offer.
You’ll find the web-streams of news outlets such as Bloomberg and MSNBC for example. But the 240-ish channels are mostly eclectic or plain old. That’s not a bad thing however and it won’t cost anything but time to dig around and find a few gems. Right now this is a US service, but you can check if it’s streaming in your region here.
There’s support for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, PS4 and some smart TV models. At the very least you can load Pluto up in a browser right now and have a look yourself.
One of the biggest reasons people have a hard time cutting the cord comes down to live sports coverage. Cable networks know this, so they work hard to keep exclusive rights to premium sports content. They then bundle it together with non-optional low-quality content. This means your need for great sports coverage ends up subsidizing content you don’t care about.
There are now pay-per-view options open for specific big-name sports events or seasons, but this can get expensive quickly and doesn’t provide the same sort of broad coverage live sports channels do.
Enter Fubo TV. This channel began as a dedicated soccer coverage service but has ballooned into a massive offering with over 100 channels in the base plan. That plan includes 30 hours of cloud storage and two streams. For about $5 more, you can get 500 hours and three streams, as part of the Family Plan.
Then there’s the Ultra plan, which comes with the Family Plan, Fubo Extra and Sports Plus. You can also add a selection of premium channels to the service on a piecemeal basis. For example, Sports Plus includes NFL Red Zone and NBA TV for an extra $10.99.
If you aren’t interested in live sports, there are better entertainment options here, but for sports fans who want to cut the cord, Fubo seems like it should be the first stop on your list.
Of the paid services on offer here, Philo has the distinction of being the cheapest option. Despite this, it has an impressive selection of premium channels, including the likes of AMC, Comedy Central, BBC America and MTV. It’s a very well-balanced spread of content types and includes both live streams and on-demand content. The DVR offer is also unlimited, which is an amazing deal at this price point.
Although Slings’ Blue and Orange Packages are often close or equal to Philo, the channel count and mix on Philo is better in our opinion and, of course, you only get 50 hours of DVR with Sling.
Three streams are standard with Philo and common devices such as smartphones, Apple TVs, Roku’s, and Amazon Fire TVs are supported. One big issue is that game consoles are not currently supported, nor are major smart TVs or the Google Chromecast. Philo say that they are working on expanding to these other devices, but if you don’t have the right set-top box already, the added expense might make Philo an unattractive choice.
On top of this, we’ve seen many people complain that the app is a bit clunky to use, which suggests that Philo’s software development team might be as budget as the service’s price tag suggests.
Which Live TV Streaming Service Is Right For You?
Although we’ve narrowed down the live TV streaming offerings to just seven choices, you may still be undecided when it comes to your specific needs. We think that, for certain types of viewers, some of these live TV streaming services stand out as the best choice. So let’s figure out which one is the best choice for you.
Fubo TV is the clear choice for cord cutters who need live sports coverage. The optional add-ons cover most mainstream sports needs and it’s still cheaper than either pay-per-view or cable. That being said, this is one of the most expensive live TV streaming options, so you really need to be a big sports fan.
YouTube TV is a great overall choice, but we think it’s especially good for viewers who care about local content. YouTube’s efforts to offer content based on where you live is a unique service that could very well be the clincher for you when choosing where to spend your money.
Sling TV is the best choice for a cable-like experience. This is especially true if you buy the combined package, which should make the cord-cutting experience much less disorienting,
Philo is the clear bang for buck choice. Assuming you already have a supported device and don’t have to specially buy one for the service. Despite clunky software, the actual content on offer can’t be beaten for the money.
So are you feeling more comfortable about cutting the cord? We’d love to hear your own cord-cutting experience and advice down in the comments.
