Forget the presents under the Christmas tree, it’s time to rest and take in the best of sport over the Christmas period. Here’s what’s live and the best sports documentaries and movies to watch. Read...

Live TV streaming services are a natural starting point when you’re cutting the cord. These services offer many of the same channels you had with cable or satellite TV, but deliver them over the internet to your smart TV or streaming device. They include cloud-based DVRs so you can record your favorite shows—and skip through the commercials—in many cases, they’re the only way to watch specific pay TV channels. Still, the cost of live TV streaming services can get quite high, and in some ways they won’t be exactly like what you had with cable. Our top picks will help you avoid overpaying and get the TV features you most care about. Why you should trust us As TechHive’s resident cord-cutting expert, I’ve been reviewing live TV streaming services ever since the launch of Sling TV back in 2015, and I’ve been a cord-cutter myself since 2008. Beyond just product reviews, I write a weekly column about streaming and over-the-air TV for TechHive, and my Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 readers. Updated December 20, 2024: We’ve updated this story with the most recent price changes (or should we say price increases) and performed a general refresh of this story. The TV streaming services we recommend YouTube TV — Best TV streaming service overall Pros Simple interface makes live TV easy to navigate Unlimited DVR allows for a huge on-demand library (with skippable ads) Broad selection of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels Cons Can’t delete recordings or mark them as watched on TV devices One-off recordings only work for live sporting events Menu doesn’t clearly separate DVR and on-demand video (with unskippable ads) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price YouTube TV $82.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $82.99 at YouTube TV Why we like YouTube TV YouTube TV is the best drop-in replacement for cable or satellite TV. It’s not exactly cheap at $83 per month, but it offers a broad mix of the local stations, live news, national sports, and entertainment channels you’d get with a typical pay TV package, almost certainly at a lower price. Its interface is easy to comprehend, its cloud DVR lets you record an unlimited number of programs for up to nine months, and you even can bundle NFL Sunday Ticket at a discount. Who should get YouTube TV If you want to cut the cable cord without overthinking it, this is the easiest starting point to recommend. Still, other services may offer a better value—either by bundling other services or omitting popular channels—or by delivering more regional sports coverage. Read our full YouTube TV review Hulu + Live TV — Best TV streaming service, runner-up Pros Excellent value for Disney bundle subscribers Expansive on-demand catalog Recommendations and staff picks make the app fun to explore Cons Live TV can be inefficient to navigate Hard to figure out which programs allow ad skipping Can’t watch on TV devices while traveling Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Hulu.com $82.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $82.99 at Hulu.com Why we like Hulu + Live TV The main thing that distinguishes Hulu + Live TV from YouTube TV is its inclusion of the full Disney bundle, so you get Hulu’s on-demand catalog, Disney+ (with ads, unless you were grandfathered in), and ESPN+ in the $83-per-month base package. Hulu’s cloud DVR service lets you save an unlimited number of shows for up to nine months, and while the interface can be busy, it ties everything together in a way that encourages discovery. Who should get Hulu + Live TV Hulu’s live TV package makes a lot of sense if you’re paying for any of Disney’s other streaming services. Disney+ and Hulu each cost $10 per month on their own (or $11 per month together), while ESPN+ is even pricier at $12 per month (also available with Disney+ and Hulu for $17 per month). With Hulu + Live TV, you get all those services at no extra cost. Read our full Hulu + Live TV review DirecTV Stream — Best TV streaming service for sports fans Pros Excellent grid guide with useful sorting options More sports (at least in its $100-per-month tier) than other streaming services DVR is easy to navigate and has its own dedicated menu section Cons No visual preview when fast forwarding on Fire TV and Android TV Sluggish performance on some lower-end streaming devices Some national sports channels are pushed out to more-expensive packages Best Prices Today: Retailer Price DirecTV Stream $101.98 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $101.98 at DirecTV Stream Why we like DirecTV Stream DirecTV Stream’s starting price is $101.98 per month, but the main attraction is its $115-per-month “Choice” package, which includes more sports coverage than other live TV streaming services. In some markets, it’s the only way to stream certain regional sports channels that remain tied to pay TV bundles. The cloud DVR and grid guide are highlights as well, with an interface that will make cable or satellite converts feel at home. Who should get DirecTV Stream YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV only offer patchy regional sports coverage, and standalone streaming options are still limited. Sports fans who can’t stream their local baseball, basketball, or hockey teams any other way would be wise to consider DirecTV Stream despite its steep price. Read our full DirecTV Stream review Sling TV — Best budget-priced TV streaming service Pros Lower entry price than any other streaming bundle Simple menu system with easy access to favorites DVR supports ad-skipping, partial recordings, and time-shifting Cons Price can quickly escalate to get certain channels Most channels top out at 30 frames per second Only supports one user profile Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Sling TV $40 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $40 at Sling TV Why we like Sling TV Sling TV’s starting price of $40 per month is a lot lower than most other bundles, which it accomplishes by splitting its channels into two base packages and omitting local broadcasts in many markets. The DVR feels a bit stingy—you get 50 recording hours, or 200 hours for an extra $5 per month—but it’s still the cheapest way to access certain cable channels without a big cable bundle. Who should get Sling TV Sling TV is an invaluable option for those who can skate by without a full range of local channels. It pairs especially well with an over-the-air antenna for local channels, and you can even use an AirTV device to feed those channels into Sling’s app. Read our full Sling TV review Philo — Best budget-priced TV streaming service, runner-up Pros DVR has helpful ad-skipping features Easy to find your favorites and recently-watched shows Integrates well with Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV devices Cons No sports, major cable news, or local broadcast channels Channel guide layout is disorienting No surround sound or adjustable streaming quality Why we like Philo For $28 per month, Philo offers lots of entertainment channels in an easy-to-navigate interface, and its cloud DVR even marks up commercial breaks to help you skip through them. Equally notable, however, is what’s missing: Philo doesn’t include any local channels, sports channels, or major cable news networks, which is a big part of why it’s much cheaper than other live TV streaming services. Who should get Philo Cord-cutters who favor reality shows, documentaries, and other forms of comfort food TV will find plenty to watch on Philo. Cheaper standalone services such as Max or Netflix might scratch a similar itch at lower prices, but they don’t have the same live TV and DVR features. Read our full Philo review How we test live TV streaming services Beyond just watching a lot of TV, we evaluate each service’s channel lineup to point out any important omissions, while also comparing basic features such as simulataneous streams and out-of-home viewing restrictions. We scrutinize each service’s DVR capabilities, including the ease with which you can access recordings, manage your storage, and skip through commercials. To evaluate video quality, we look for features such as 60-frames-per-second video support across a broad range of channels. We also examine every corner of each service’s interface, comparing features such as the grid guide, on-demand menu, and home screen. Our in-depth reviews include plenty of screenshots, so you can see for yourself what each service looks like. Other notable live TV streaming services we’ve reviewed Fubo prides itself on live sports and is only rivaled by DirecTV Stream on regional sports, but its lack of Warner-owned channels (including postseason sports staples TNT and TBS) leaves some serious gaps in its coverage. It costs $80 per month, including regional sports fees. Philo offers a terrific live TV streaming service for just $28 per month if you’re not interested in watching live sports. Frndly TV is the cheapest live TV streaming service by far, starting at $7 per month, with a channel lineup that leans heavily into classic TV reruns. It probably won’t fulfil many cord cutters’ needs on its own, but may be worth considering as a supplement to other services. Frequently asked questions about streaming live TV 1. How are live TV streaming services different from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video? On-demand video services such as Netflix (also known as SVOD (streaming video on demand) or direct-to-consumer services) offer original programming you can’t find on cable, along with catalogs of movies and shows licensed from Hollywood studios. Some of these streamers are dabbling in live sports—most notably, Max’s B/R Sports add-on offers every event that airs on its cable channels—but for the most part this coverage is different from what’s on cable. By comparison, live TV services carry the exact same channels you’d find in a cable or satellite package, including major networks such as ABC and CBS, news channels such MSNBC and Fox News, and sports channels such as ESPN. They have similar grid-style channels guides and DVR features as well. 2. How do I watch live TV streaming services? Each of these services offer their own apps, which you can install on your smart TV, streaming device, smartphone, or tablet. You can subscribe to these services through their own websites, or in some cases directly through the app. 3. What about DVR? All live TV streaming services include some form of cloud DVR, allowing you to record live programming and skip through the commercials. The recordings are stored online, rather than on a box in your home, so you can access them from any of your devices—even while traveling. 4. Can I watch live TV streaming services while traveling? Yes, though some services have restrictions on what you can watch and how you can watch it. This article has more details. 5. Are there equipment or activation fees? No, live TV streaming services do not charge activation fees, and you can log in to watch on as many devices as you want at no extra charge. You may hit a limit on how many devices can be actively streaming at the same time—usually it’s two or three, depending on the service—and some services allow you to pay for more simultaneous streams if you need them. Read...

Having a good gaming PC is only half the battle–you also need a screen that makes the action visible. Many people find it difficult to decide on the right dimensions. Gaming monitors are now available in such huge sizes that you might think that bigger is always better. However, other factors are just as important and large monitors can have disadvantages. We take a closer look at what is important when choosing a size and how you can find the right monitor for your purposes. Further reading: 2025 will be the best year to buy a monitor, ever. Here’s why Consider the available space When buying a monitor, you should of course also consider how much space you have available. A huge monitor doesn’t look good on a relatively small desk and you should always leave enough space for a keyboard, mouse, and speakers. You should also make sure there’s enough space between you and the monitor. A depth of around 60 centimeters should be sufficient. For which genre? You should consider what types of games you’re going to play on this monitor, as it plays a significant role in how large the display surface should be. If you’re into cinematic, story-driven games that showcase characters with all their facets and emotions, then it would simply be inappropriate to display the action on a tiny monitor. It destroys the immersion. It’s also not a bad idea to use models with as few edges as possible, preferably with a slight curvature. This draws them more into the action. 27- to 32-inch monitors are recommended in this case, preferably in ultra-wide format. our favorite gaming monitor under $200 Dell G2724D Read our review Best Prices Today: $149.99 at Dell Home | $194 at Amazon | $299.99 at Dell For shooters, especially multiplayer titles, the motto “bigger is better” applies. This is because the changed dimensions also give you a larger field of view. A lot can happen at the sides of the screen, so an ultra-wide format is more suitable here. The situation is completely different for e-sports titles, especially with games like Starcraft or MOBAs. You’ll often see monitors that are almost square in shape or boast a 4:3 format. These screens aren’t very large, either. A 24-inch monitor is sufficient here. Pay attention to resolution and refresh rate In addition to the target size, the resolution also plays an important role. For maximum detail and sharpness, you should opt for 4K resolution. However, as already mentioned, UHD and WQHD monitors are also suitable for many games. The refresh rate is important as well. If your monitor can only handle 60Hz, but you need fast reactions, then a larger screen won’t help. For shooters and demanding games, 144Hz is a must. Really only for gaming? You should also consider if you’re going to use the monitor for other tasks like streaming, watching movies, or web browsing. Even if you use the screen more often for work, you may still want to go a little bigger, especially when multitasking with several windows. However, it may also be a good idea to use a second screen. Conclusion When it comes to monitors, there’s no one size fits all. However, the most affordable ones fall in the 27-inch range. A larger model with a higher resolution can make a noticeable difference, but so can upgrading to an expensive CPU or GPU. Further reading: The best gaming monitors we’ve tested Read...

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If YouTube TV’s forthcoming price hike feels like a breaking point to you, you’re not alone. Over the last week, I’ve heard from a bunch of folks who say the rate hike—from $73 per month to $83 per month, starting January 13, 2025—is the last straw. They’re now seeking alternatives to YouTube TV that will provide comparable channel coverage for less. Unfortunately, that sort of easy escape hatch doesn’t exist. Like every other live TV service (including satellite and cable), YouTube TV keeps raising prices because TV programmers keep demanding more money for their channels. Unless the entire industry embraces cheaper, more flexible bundles, the bill for all of these services will keep going up. This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best live TV streaming services. The only alternative is to ditch your big pay TV package entirely. While this approach does involve sacrifice, the savings can be significant. Here are your options: Consider an antenna With an inexpensive over-the-air antenna and good-enough reception, you can watch the big four broadcast channels—ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC—for free, along with PBS and a smattering of rerun-centric subchannels. An antenna won’t entirely replace a bigger bundle, but it’ll give you a big head start. You can even set up an over-the-air DVR to record shows for later. Antennas won’t work for everyone. Roughly speaking, you’ll want to be within at most 30 miles of local broadcast stations to use an indoor antenna, and within 60 miles for an outdoor model. Even then, obstructions and topography can impact the signal. Use the Antennaweb site to look up nearby stations for a sense of what you need, and be prepared for some trial and error. If you’re ready to experiment, we have a list of the best indoor and outdoor antennas available. Stream (some) local stations If an antenna isn’t feasible, you can stream some local stations instead, but it’ll cost you: Paramount+ with Showtime ($13 per month) includes a live feed of your nearest CBS station, including NFL coverage, along with on-demand access to primetime CBS shows. The cheaper Paramount+ Essential tier with ads ($8 per month) does not include CBS, but does offer the NFL games. You can often get Paramount+ for free in one-month increments. Peacock Premium Plus ($14 per month) includes a feed of your nearest NBC station, including Sunday Night Football, plus on-demand access to primetime NBC shows. The cheaper Premium tier with ads ($8 per month) does not include a local NBC feed, but does carry NFL games. The PBS app includes live feeds of local PBS stations for free, along with on-demand PBS programming. An optional $5-per-month “Passport” donation unlocks additional content. You can also use the free NBC and ABC apps to watch some network TV shows without a subscription, while the Paramount+ app offers some CBS programs for free as well. Unfortunately, live feeds of ABC and Fox are unavailable without a large pay TV package, but you can watch primetime shows from both networks on Hulu, which starts at $10 per month. Look for live news The major cable news networks—CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC—are not available without a big pay TV package, but you can access some of their content in alternative ways: Max offers an alternative CNN live feed with much of the same programming, but not in the same order as CNN proper. MSNBC’s website and mobile app offer live audio of the cable network for free. Some primetime Fox News shows are available on-demand via Fox Nation, but there’s no live feed. In lieu of cable news channels, consider the many free options available for streaming the news instead: Local news: Many local stations offer their newscasts for free if you know where to look. Check out NewsOn, Zeam, Local Now, Haystack News, or your local station’s own website. You’ll also find local news via Tubi, the Roku Channel, Amazon’s Fire TV News app, and the free channels on Google TV devices. National and international news: Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Xumo, and Sling TV Freestream, all offer round-the-clock streaming news channels, even from major networks such as CBS and NBC. That may scratch the background TV itch you’d otherwise get from cable news. Find favorite shows elsewhere Outside of news and sports, it’s rare for cable channels to carry exclusive new shows that aren’t available on standalone streaming services. If there’s a show you like on YouTube TV (or cable), sites like Reelgood or MyBundle can tell you where else to find them. And if by chance a show is only on cable—like Yellowstone, whose final season was exclusive to Paramount Network—you can always buy that show individually through stores like Amazon Video, Fandango, or Apple TV. Sort through sports streaming options Sports are where replacing a service like YouTube TV gets tricky. Currently, there’s no way to watch ABC or Fox without a big TV package or an antenna. ESPN isn’t available on a standalone basis either—although that will change in 2025—nor are FS1, FS2, or college conference channels such as SEC Network and Big Ten Network. So what can you get without a service like YouTube TV? Some options: As I mentioned earlier, the ad-free tiers of Paramount+ and Peacock include live feeds of CBS and NBC respectively, including all sports coverage. Max streams all sports coverage from TNT, TBS, and TruTV. This will eventually cost an extra $10 per month on top of a standard Max subscription, but is included at no extra charge for now. Many regional sports networks are now available on a standalone basis. I’ve compiled the options for NBA and NHL teams. MLB TV and NBA League Pass offer games that are not broadcast in your local market. ESPN+ offers the same service for NHL games. NFL+ offers local and nationally-televised football games, but only on a phone or tablet. Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and even Netflix are picking up more sports programming as well, but their offerings are fairly scattershot. I’ve also compiled some additional tools to help sort through the sports streaming options, particularly if you’re trying to follow a specific team or league. Not ready to unbundle? Some other options: For now, the most complete live TV streaming service that’s markedly cheaper than YouTube TV is Sling TV. It offers a smaller bundle of pay TV channels, but still carries major sports channels, with three available base packages: Sling TV Orange ($46 per month) is currently the cheapest way to access ESPN and other ESPN-owned channels, such as SEC Network. Sling TV Blue ($46 per month) is the cheapest way to access FS1 and FS2. It also includes live access to NBC and ABC in some markets, and on-demand programming from all three channels everywhere. Sling Orange + Blue ($61 per month) combines both of the above packages. Unfortunately, Sling’s local channel coverage is lacking, with ABC, Fox, and NBC available only in select markets, and no CBS anywhere. For that reason, it pairs best with an over-the-air antenna. Hulu + Live TV is also worth a look. While it’s no cheaper than what YouTube TV will soon cost at $83 month, it includes the full Disney bundle (Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu’s on-demand catalog) at no extra charge. If you subscribe to any of those services on their own, you’ll save money by switching from YouTube TV to Hulu + Live TV instead. Lastly, you might take a look at some TV packages that don’t include sports or local channels. Because they omit the most expensive content on cable, their prices are significantly lower: Frndly TV ($7 per month) offers Hallmark Channel and a smattering of other largely rerun-centric channels. Philo ($28 per month) offers entertainment channels with a big emphasis on reality TV, but no sports, broadcast, or major cable news channels. Comcast’s NowTV is a $20-per-month bundle of entertainment channels and Peacock, with an option to add Netflix (with ads) and Apple TV+ for $10 per month extra. It’s available to customers with Xfinity home internet or Comcast’s cheaper Now Internet plans. Spectrum TV Stream is a $40 bundle of entertainment channels that also includes CNN and Fox News, available to Spectrum home internet customers. Just let go If you’re thinking that the cost of a la carte streaming adds up to more than YouTube TV or even cable, you’d be right. This has been the case for years, is not an original thought, and entirely misses the point. Unbundling your TV options does not automatically save you money, but it does let you decide what’s truly worth paying for. For that reason, standalone services are also highly incentivized to offer seasonal sales, comeback deals, and other discounts. These can considerably defray the cost of having a bunch of services at the same time. When you drop a live TV streaming service such as YouTube TV, you’re adopting a different mindset, in which you make peace with not having everything. The sooner you realize you weren’t going to watch it all anyway, the easier unbundling becomes. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...

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Football and TV commercials go together like eggs and bacon, but NFL RedZone is — usually, at least — a weekly oasis from the relentless car, beer, and insurance ads. But this past Sunday, the NFL had a little surprise for RedZone streamers.  Instead of seven hours of uninterrupted coverage of NFL teams making their way into scoring position, RedZone viewers found themselves sitting through four “short” commercial breaks, with the ads presented side-by-side with the gridiron while the football audio was muted.   NFL fans were unsurprisingly furious, with a few eagle-eyed viewers noting that RedZone host Scott Hanson had replaced his traditional “Welcome to seven hours of commercial-free football” greeting with simply “It’s seven hours of football.” Hmmm… An NFL source told sports site Sportico that the commercial breaks during last Sunday’s RedZone coverage were merely a “test,” and that the league “does not currently have plans” to run more RedZone ads.  Of course, “currently” is the key word, with the Sportico informant adding that “any permanent change would only be considered for the 2025 season, at the earliest.” To be fair, the whole “seven hours of commercial-free football” thing is more of an informal RedZone slogan than an iron-clad guarantee, and the NFL RedZone site makes no mention of commercial-free coverage.  NFL RedZone is a popular choice for cord-cutting football fans because it’s a relatively inexpensive way to follow Sunday afternoon matchups. This season, you can stream NFL RedZone for just $15 per month, or $100 for a year, with an NFL+ Premium subscription. (Yes, the monthly option is cheaper given the four-month regular season.) You can also add NFL RedZone to Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or another live streaming TV provider if you sign up for the right sports add-on. Any of those options is way cheaper than NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, which costs a whopping $479 for the full 2024 season, or $379 per month for YouTube TV subscribers. (You can get a steep discount on NFL Sunday Ticket now as the season is winding down.) But as far as commercial-free RedZone goes, well… enjoy it while it lasts. Read...

Keely Hodgkinson says she has the 800m world record in her sights after the Olympic champion was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Read...

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