The Best Streaming Services of 2024

Free trial: Yes | Monthly price: $73/mo | live TV broadcast: Yes | Local channel: Yes

YouTube TV is a great option for cord-cutters who still want to watch live TV without signing up. It carries over 85 different channels, so if you switch, you likely won’t miss out on your cable or satellite subscription. YouTube TV can even stream PBS channels from your region, a rarity among most live TV streaming services.

Where YouTube TV really shines is in its live sports section. It offers not only sports broadcast channels such as CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, TBS and TNT, but also sports-specific coverage networks such as MLB Network, NBA TV and NFL Network. If you want specific sports channels like NFL RedZone, FOX College Sports, GOLTV, FOX Soccer Plus, MAVTV Motorsports Network, TVG, and Stadium, you can even opt for the Sports Plus package for an additional $11 per month. But unfortunately, YouTube TV recently lost the rights to broadcast the Bally Sports regional network, which means you won’t be able to watch region-specific channels like Bally Sports Detroit or Bally Sports Southwest.

A particularly strong selling point for sports fans is that instead of always remembering to record a specific game, you can choose to “follow” a specific team and the DVR will automatically record all of its games. Plus, if you happen to start a match very late, there’s also a Catch Up feature that lets you watch all the highlights leading up to that moment to keep up.

YouTube TV is on the expensive side, at $73 per month, which is probably not much more than your basic cable package. If you want to add 4K viewing (currently only available through certain sports) and unlimited streaming, you’ll have to pay an additional $20 per month. But a standard subscription includes channels like BBC, BET, Comedy Central, Food Network, MTV, Nickelodeon, USA, and more.

It currently offers one of the best cloud DVRs. YouTube TV’s DVR has unlimited storage, and you have up to nine months to watch recorded content before it expires. There’s no DVR surcharge here, either; by default, you can fast forward or forward recordings at will. We should note, however, that on-demand content on YouTube TV does contain ads that cannot be fast forwarded.

You can also add a host of premium channels like Showtime, Max, Starz, Cinemax, and EPIX for as little as $3 per month. You can also subscribe to the Entertainment Plus bundle that includes Max, Showtime and Starz for $30 per month. Other niche add-ons include CuriosityStream, AMC Premiere, Shudder, Sundance Now, Urban Movie Channel and Acorn TV. – Netherlands