Explore the 60-plus channels included in a Philo streaming package.
Philo is a live TV streaming service that allows you to watch many of your favorite TV shows and channels without your traditional cable plan. While it's just one of many options, it really stands out with its large selection of entertainment and lifestyle content, as well as its affordable price. Keep reading to learn more about Philo, the channels available, and how it compares to other live TV streaming services.
Philo started as an internet TV company founded in 2010. However, the company launched its current live TV streaming service platform in 2017. Philo is an entertainment-based streaming service, meaning it's designed to let you watch all of your favorite entertainment and lifestyle content. It features live TV channels, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and an on-demand library with thousands of movies and television episodes.
Unlike many live TV streaming services, Philo has just one plan to choose from. Customers pay $25/mo. and get access to more than 60 live channels, in addition to on-demand content. Outside of the content available, Philo offers competitive features like a seven-day free trial and unlimited DVR storage -- which is difficult to find elsewhere.
Philo has one of the best starting prices for any live TV streaming service. But you can also expand your package with one of three add-ons available. The Starz and Epix add-ons give you access to popular movies and original series. These add-ons are priced for just $9/mo. and $6/mo., respectively, while Philo also offers a "Movies & More" add-on for just $3/mo. -- which offers four different unique movie channels.
Philo | |
Monthly price | $25/mo. |
Number of channels | 60+ |
Access to on-demand content? | Yes |
As we mentioned, your Philo subscription comes with more than 60 channels, mostly focused on lifestyle and entertainment content. Here's a full list of the channels currently included with Philo:
A&E
AMC
Accuweather
Animal Planet
American Heroes Channel
Aspire
AXS TV
BBC America
BBC World News
BET
BET Her
Bloomberg Television
CMT
Cheddar News
Cleo
Comedy Central
Cooking Channel
Crackle
Crime + Investigation
Destination America
Discovery Family
Discovery Life
FYI
Food Network
G4
GAC Family
GAC Living
Game Show Network
GetTV
Gusto TV
HGTV
Hallmark Drama
Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
History Channel
IFC
INSP
Investigation Discovery
Law & Crime
Lifetime
Logo
MTV
MTV 2
MTV Classic
MTV Live
Magnolia Network
MotorTrend
Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon
Nicktoons
OWN
Paramount Network
PeopleTV
Players TV
Pocket Watch
Revolt
Revry
Ryan and Friends
Science
Starz Kids & Family
Sundance TV
TLC
Tastemade
TeenNick
Travel Channel
TV Land
TV One
UpTV
VH1
Vice
WE TV
One obvious thing missing from the Philo lineup is any sports channels. Unfortunately, this probably isn't the right live TV streaming service for sports fans. Not only are there no sports channels included with the subscription, but there are also no sports add-ons to access them in your plan.
Just as there are no sports channels included with your Philo subscription, there are also no local channels. If you regularly stream your local networks, you'll have to either find another way to access them or simply choose a different streaming service that offers them.
Philo is just one of many live TV streaming services. Other popular services include YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, and DirecTV Stream. So how does Philo compare to the other streaming services?
As we mentioned previously, entertainment and lifestyle content is where Philo really shines. In fact, the service was designed with that purpose in mind. When you compare Philo's entertainment line-up to other streaming services, you'll find that it's among the best.
First, Philo has a range of drama and sitcom channels that include AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Hallmark, Lifetime, Paramount Network, and others. Next, its reality TV selection includes MTV, VH1, CMT, PeopleTV, TLC, and much more.
For discovery channels, Philo offers Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, and more. In terms of cooking and home shows, the selection includes Food Network, HGTV, and more. Outside of these categories, Philo offers more than a dozen other channels to fit every interest.
As we mentioned above, Philo is noticeably missing any sports channels. So which live TV streaming service is the best for sports fans? FuboTV is widely regarded as the best for sports, thanks to access to a wide range of sports channels, such as ESPN, FS1, Golf Channel, Big Ten Network, and many more.
In fact, it was created for that very purpose. Between the channels included with a fuboTV subscription and the sports add-ons available, there are more than 50 sports channels on the roster. True sports fans will find that fuboTV is a better fit than Philo.
News is another area where Philo is lacking. Sure, Philo has a couple of news channels such as BBC America and BBC World News. But that's pretty much where the news content ends. If you're looking for news channels, streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV might be a better fit.
First, these services both offer access to local channels, meaning you can enjoy all of your favorite local news programming. They also both offer the top national news networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.
Philo offers several channels with your kids in mind. Some of the best kids' programming on the streaming service includes Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, Starz Kids & Family, and more. It's worth noting that Philo doesn't have quite as much kids' programming as some of the other streamers. It's noticeably missing all of the Disney channels that many families enjoy. The focus of this network is on lifestyle and entertainment content for adults.
As far as value for the price, Philo is hard to beat. After all, it's the cheapest of the major live TV streaming services, yet still offers an impressive list of channels. In fact, it offers more channels than even some more expensive services like Sling TV. It also has impressive features like unlimited DVR storage, the ability to create ten user accounts, and three simultaneous streams.
Whether Philo has a good value for its price really depends on the type of television programming you watch. If you primarily stream lifestyle and entertainment content, then you'll probably think Philo has great value.
After all, you get all of the channels you want, while saving money by skipping the channels you don't care about. But if sports, local channels, or news are important to you, then Philo may not be worth the affordable price, since you'll have to pay to get that content elsewhere.
So does Philo's channel list beat out the competitors? In terms of the number of channels, Philo is a bit below average. Most of the live TV streaming services have more channels available. Whether it beats out the competition when it comes to the quality of channels, it really comes down to what type of content you're looking for.
For lifestyle and entertainment fans, we think Philo is one of the best. But for anyone else, it's probably not the right choice. The good news is that thanks to Philo's seven-day free trial, you can test it out and decide if it works for you before paying for your first month.