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YouTube TV vs. DirecTV Stream vs. Hulu Live and More: A Look at the Best Channel Lineups

Cable alternatives are having a moment again, even as the costs of watching TV continue to go up. We now have streaming partnerships like Fubo and Hulu, skinny cord-free bundles from Comcast and DirecTV, and live TV streaming services. If you’re interested in live NFL games, news and network TV, the option of a live TV streamer may sound like a good choice. They offer a variety of channels, streaming on multiple devices and no contracts. You can stream sports and more, and these platforms not only give you more channel options than antennas but also let you watch on your computer or phone.

Pricing and regional sports networks may make it hard to choose, but there are six major services to pick from (we’re not including smaller ones): YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Philo. 

What really counts is the variety of channels these platforms offer, right? We’ve looked at who carries the top 100 channels in their main channel lineups to help you decide which one could be the best for your household.

Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2025

The Big Chart: Top 100 channels compared (updated March 2025)

The main difference between the services is their channel selection. All of them offer different lineups of channels for various prices. 

Below you’ll find a chart that shows the top 100 channels across all six services, but note that not every service has a worthy 100. There are actually seven listed because Sling TV has two different “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And if you’re wondering, I chose which “top” channels made the cut. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Universal HD.

YouTube TV is now $83 a month, and Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Hulu Plus Live TV’s plans all cost more now, affecting the value of these services based on their channel lineups. We’ll also note Fubo’s big loss of Warner Bros. Discovery channels such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, TLC, Magnolia Network and Cartoon Network may make it less appealing.

But if you want to get rid of cable, there are numerous live TV streaming choices available. Sling TV’s basic monthly packages are $40 in most cities. But costs continue to go up. Hulu with Live TV shot up to $83 per month for its base package, Fubo’s price for its basic plan is $85, which is more than Hulu and YouTube TV’s base plans. Those changes are reflected in the chart below where applicable. 

Some more stuff to know about the chart: 

  • Yes = The channel is available on the cheapest pricing tier. That price is listed next to the service’s name.
  • No = The channel isn’t available at all on that service. 
  • $ = The channel is available for an extra fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
  • Regional sports networks — local channels devoted to showing regular-season games of particular pro baseball, basketball and hockey teams — are not listed. DirecTV Stream’s $130 tier has the most RSNs by far, but a few are available on other services. You can also check out its MySports package for $70 and Xfinity’s sports and news offering.
  • Local ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and The CW networks are not available in every city. Since availability of these channels varies, you’ll want to check the service’s website to verify that it carries your local network.
  • Local PBS stations are only currently available on YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream and Hulu Live. Again, you’ll want to check local availability.
  • Sling Blue subscribers in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco must now pay $45 per month, but have access to local ABC, Fox and NBC channels. Customers in Houston; Fresno, California; and Raleigh, North Carolina, now have both ABC and Fox on their Blue or Orange-and-Blue subscriptions at no extra charge. This is not reflected in the chart. Check Sling’s site to see which local channels are available in your area.
  • Fubo subscribers may find that the ACC Network and SEC Network are included with their package at no extra cost. Check availability for your state.
  • The chart columns are arranged in order of price, so if you can’t see everything you want, try scrolling right.
  • Overwhelmed? An easier-to-understand Google Spreadsheet is here.

Philo vs. Sling TV vs. Fubo vs. YouTube TV vs. DirecTV Stream vs. Hulu: Top 100 channels compared

Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) Fubo ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) Total channels: 42 24 35 78 75 46 55 ABC No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes CBS No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Fox No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes NBC No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes PBS No No No Yes Yes No Yes CW No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes (limited) MyNetworkTV No No No Yes Yes No Yes Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) Fubo ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) A&E Yes Yes Yes No Yes No $ ACC Network No $ No Yes Yes Yes $ Accuweather Yes No No No No Yes Yes AMC Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Animal Planet Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes BBC America Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes BBC World News Yes $ $ Yes No No $ BET Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Big Ten Network No No $ Yes Yes Yes $ Bloomberg TV No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Boomerang No $ $ No $ No Yes Bravo No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) Fubo ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) Cartoon Network No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes CBS Sports Network No No No Yes Yes Yes $ Cheddar Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Cinemax No No No $ $ No $ CMT Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes CNBC No No $ Yes Yes Yes Yes CNN No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Comedy Central Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Cooking Channel Yes $ $ No $ $ $ Destination America Yes $ $ No $ $ $ Discovery Channel Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Disney Channel No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Disney Junior No $ No Yes Yes Yes Yes Disney XD No $ No Yes Yes Yes Yes E! No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ESPN No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes ESPN 2 No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes ESPNEWS No $ No Yes Yes $ $ ESPNU No $ No Yes Yes $ $ Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) Fubo ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) Food Network Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Fox Business No No $ Yes Yes Yes Yes Fox News No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes FS1 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes FS2 No No $ Yes Yes Yes $ Freeform No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes FX No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes FX Movies No No $ Yes Yes $ $ FXX No No $ Yes Yes Yes Yes FYI Yes $ $ No Yes No $ Golf Channel No No $ Yes Yes Yes $ Hallmark Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes HBO/Max No No No $ $ No $ HGTV Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes History Yes Yes Yes No Yes No $ HLN No $ Yes Yes Yes No Yes IFC Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Investigation Discovery Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Lifetime Yes Yes Yes No Yes No $ Lifetime Movie Network Yes $ $ No Yes No $ Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) FuboTV ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) Magnolia Network Yes $ $ Yes Yes No $ MGM+ $ $ $ $ No No $ MLB Network No $ $ No Yes $ $ Motor Trend Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes MSNBC No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MTV Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes MTV2 Yes $ $ Yes $ $ Yes National Geographic No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Nat Geo Wild No No $ Yes Yes $ $ NBA TV No $ $ Yes No $ $ NFL Network No No Yes Yes Yes Yes $ NFL Red Zone No No $ $ $ $ No NHL Network No $ $ No No $ $ Nickelodeon Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Nick Jr. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes $ Nicktoons Yes $ $ Yes $ $ $ OWN Yes No No Yes Yes No $ Oxygen No No $ Yes Yes Yes $ Paramount Network Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes Science Yes $ $ No $ $ $ Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) FuboTV ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87) SEC Network No $ No Yes Yes $ $ Showtime No $ $ $ $ $ $ Smithsonian Yes No No Yes Yes Yes $ Starz $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Sundance TV Yes $ $ Yes No No Yes Syfy No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Tastemade Yes $ $ Yes No Yes $ TBS No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes TCM No $ $ Yes Yes No $ TeenNick Yes $ $ Yes $ $ Yes Telemundo No No No Yes Yes Yes $ Tennis Channel No $ $ No No $ $ TLC Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes TNT No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Travel Channel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No $ TruTV No $ Yes Yes Yes No $ TV Land Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes USA Network No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes VH1 Yes $ $ Yes Yes Yes Yes Vice Yes Yes Yes No Yes No $ WE tv Yes $ $ Yes No No Yes Channel Philo ($28) Sling Orange ($40) Sling Blue ($40) YouTube TV ($83) Hulu with Live TV ($83) FuboTV ($85) DirecTV Stream ($87)

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