NEWS ALERT: AT&T WatchTV is no longer available to new customers as a standalone service, AT&T said on its website in June 2020.
The leading live TV streaming services charge around $50 a month, but Philo and AT&T WatchTV have come out with plans for less than half that price!
If you can do without local news or sports channels, these streaming services are worth a closer look.
Cutting the Cord? These Are the Best Live TV Streaming Plans for $20/Month or Less
While channel lineups for Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV include a little bit of everything, Philo and AT&T WatchTV stick mostly to entertainment networks.
Read on for a comparison of the two services and learn which one is best for you…
Price
AT&T WatchTV is cheaper than Philo by $5 a month. WatchTV costs $15 a month for more than 35 channels, while Philo charges $20 a month for nearly 60 channels. Its $16 a month plan has been discontinued.
If you have a qualifying AT&T unlimited cell phone plan, WatchTV may be included at no extra charge.
Unlike cable and satellite TV providers, these streaming services let you start and stop whenever you want. There are no contracts or cancellation penalties. Both have free 7-day trials.
Channel Lineups
Philo and AT&T WatchTV don’t have local news or sports channels, but they offer plenty of entertainment networks like A&E, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, History, Lifetime, TLC and more.
The biggest difference? AT&T’s service includes Turner networks (TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN, etc.) that Philo doesn’t.
RELATED: Which streaming service has the best channel lineup?
| Philo: $20/month | Frndly TV: $5.99 to $9.99/month |
|---|---|
| A&E | |
| AccuWeather | |
| AMC | |
| American Heroes Channel | |
| Animal Planet | |
| aspireTV | |
| AXS TV | |
| BabyFirst TV | |
| BBC America | |
| BBC World News | |
| BET | |
| BET Her | |
| Cheddar | |
| Cleo TV | |
| CMT | |
| Comedy Central | |
| Cooking Channel | |
| Crime+Investigation | |
| CuriosityStream | |
| Destination America | |
| Discovery Channel | |
| Discovery Family | |
| Discovery Life | |
| DIY Network | |
| Food Network | |
| FYI | |
| Game Show Network | Game Show Network |
| getTV | |
| Great American Country | |
| Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Channel |
| Hallmark Drama | Hallmark Drama |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries |
| HGTV | |
| History Channel | |
| IFC | |
| INSP | INSP |
| Investigation Discovery | |
| Law&Crime | |
| Lifetime | |
| Light TV | |
| LMN | |
| Logo | |
| MotorTrend | |
| MTV | |
| MTV Classic | |
| MTV Live | |
| MTV2 | |
| Newsy | |
| Nick Jr. | |
| Nickelodeon | |
| Nicktoons | |
| Outdoor Channel | |
| OWN | |
| Paramount Network | |
| PeopleTV | |
| PixL | |
| QVC | |
| REVOLT | |
| Science Channel | |
| Sportsman Channel | |
| Sundance TV | |
| Tastemade | |
| TeenNick | |
| The Weather Channel | |
| TLC | |
| Travel Channel | |
| TV Land | |
| TV One | |
| UPtv | UPtv |
| VH1 | |
| Vice | |
| WE tv | |
| World Fishing Network |
Multiple Streams
A Philo subscription allows three streams to be played simultaneously, which comes in handy if multiple people in your house want to use the service. AT&T WatchTV only allows streaming on one device at a time.
DVR
Philo lets its subscribers save anything currently airing or scheduled to air and makes it available for 30 days. Users can also fast forward and rewind through DVR recordings.
AT&T WatchTV doesn’t have a DVR, but it provides 15,000 on-demand movies and shows that can be bookmarked.
Supported Devices
With Philo and AT&T WatchTV, customers can stream on their phones, computers and on the big screen. However, not all devices are supported for streaming to a TV set.
Supported Devices for TV Streaming |
||
| Device | Philo | AT&T Watch TV |
| Amazon Fire TV | Yes | Yes |
| Apple TV | Yes | Yes |
| Chromecast | No | Yes |
| Roku | Yes | No |
My Review: Philo vs. AT&T WatchTV
Philo and AT&T WatchTV aren’t going to work for everyone, but the services are a good option for cord cutters who don’t feel the need for local news or sports channels.
I like AT&T WatchTV over Philo because of the channel lineup, but that’s just a personal preference.
If Philo’s channel list has more of what you like to watch, it’s probably a better choice. Philo has a DVR, allows for multiple streams and supports Roku devices — three things AT&T’s service doesn’t do.
As for the streaming experience, it’s a tie. I’ve had no buffering or freezing issues with either service.
If you’ve had cable before, you won’t have trouble with the navigation. Philo and AT&T WatchTV have traditional TV guides to browse content, but you can also use the search bar feature.
For less than $20 a month, these services are a great value. But if you add as little as $10 to your streaming TV budget, Sling TV becomes a contender — and you can get ESPN and Disney.
