As you navigate through the plethora of free TV options available on your smart TV, tablet, or phone, you might find that while free content is great, it doesn’t quite offer the channels and variety you crave. If you are considering a TV streaming subscription to fill that gap, you’re in luck. With no contracts to tie you down, signing up is straightforward. Let’s dive into what each of these five leading contenders has to offer and help you find the streaming service that’s right for you. </p>

Two things to know: (1) Specific channel lists can vary based on location; and, (2) licensing deals can hit snags at renewal time and so there is no guarantee that a particular channel you love will always be on that service. With that said, let’s dive in.

PACKAGES AND PRICING (rates can increase at any time)
- DIRECTV (Choice Package) $99.99/month
- fuboTV (Pro Package) $79.99/month
- Hulu + Live TV $75.99/month (discounted from $97.98)
- Sling Orange + Blue $55.00/month
- YouTube TV $72.99/month

CHANNEL AVAILABILITY
- DIRECTV offers 105+ channels and claims no missing cable channels from the Nielsen Top 10 list.
- fuboTV offers 186 channels focusing on sports.
- Hulu + Live TV provides 110 channels.
- Sling offers 46 channels and YouTube TV more than 100.


CHANNEL AVAILABILITY
- DIRECTV offers 105+ channels and claims no missing cable channels from the Nielsen Top 10 list.
- fuboTV offers 186 channels focusing on sports.
- Hulu + Live TV provides 110 channels.
- Sling offers 46 channels.

- YouTube TV offers 100+.

STREAMING AND DVR FEATURES
- DIRECTV and YouTube TV offer unlimited cloud DVR storage.
- fuboTV offers 1000 hours of DVR.
- Hulu + Live TV also offers unlimited DVR.
- Sling includes 50 hours of DVR storage.

SIMULTANEOUS STREAMS
- DIRECTV allows unlimited streams at home and 3 outside.
- fuboTV allows 10 streams at home and 2 outside.
- Hulu allows 2 at home and 2 outside.
- Sling offers 4 streams at home and 4 outside.
- YouTube TV allows 3 streams both at home and outside.

CONTENT AVAILABILITY
- DIRECTV offers 70,000+ on-demand titles.
- fuboTV has 10,000+ supported TV shows and movies.
- Hulu advertises 80K+ titles.
- Sling offers 50K+ titles, including video on demand (VOD) with free streaming.
- YouTube TV provides access to many thousands of on-demand titles.


Standout Strengths

Each service has unique strengths, like DIRECTV's unlimited DVR and home streaming or fuboTV's extensive sports programming. Choosing the right one would depend on one's priority in terms of channels, price, DVR needs, and streaming flexibility. The good news is that you have a lot of good choices that did not exist even a decade ago.