The Best Streaming Service for Live TV, According to Viewers

There’s a dizzying number of streaming services now, with more than enough content to satisfy the viewing habits of even folks who are willing to pay a cable company for the works.

Not only that, people save money by streaming even when they are paying extra for live TV. And they’re happier with it too, according to the findings of J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study.

J.D. Power found the average cost for cable and satellite TV is $110 per month compared with the $68 per month people who stream live TV pay. But what if you want to spend less than $68 per month without sacrificing live TV: Who does it best?

Here’s a look at how several major streaming services ranked in J.D. Power’s study.

How TV services were evaluated

J.D. Power surveyed more than 23,000 customers to see how satisfied they were with their current TV provider when it came to these factors:

• Performance and reliability
• Cost of service
• Programming
• Communications and promotions
• Billing and payment
• Features and functionality
• Customer care

Here’s how TV providers stacked up overall.

1. FuboTV

This provider’s overall customer satisfaction score: 789 out of 1,000 possible points

Fubo TV is a sports-focused streaming service known for offering professional football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, golf and tennis games, plus boxing, NASCAR races, college sports and Olympics coverage. It also carries many traditional networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, HGTV, Food Network and Discovery Channel.

Its plans range in price from $33 per month to $99.99 per month, with various add-ons available.

2. Sling TV

This provider’s overall customer satisfaction score: 786 out of 1,000 possible points

Sling TV, owned by Dish Network, offers packages tailored to NFL fans, NCAA fans and people who want both. Each of these plans includes other networks such as TBS, TNT, AMC, Cartoon Network and Lifetime, although offerings vary and add-ons are available.

The plans range in price from $35 per month to $50 per month, with a current promotion offering half off your first month for all plan types. Sling also offers a free plan, which offers a selection of more than 150 live TV channels plus movies and TV on demand.

3. YouTube TV

This provider’s overall customer satisfaction score: 779 out of 1,000 possible points

YouTube TV offers more than 100 live channels, including NFL, NBA and MLB networks as well as PBS, AMC, FX, Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. Also, local ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox network affiliates are included in most markets.

Usually $64.99 per month, a current promotion offers new customers a rate of $54.99 per month for the first three months. There’s also a Spanish-only plan featuring live sports and telenovelas on more than two dozen channels for $34.99 per month, with a promotion that knocks off $10 for the first six months.

4. Hulu + Live TV

This provider’s overall customer satisfaction score: 775 out of 1,000 possible points

Hulu with Live TV, which also includes Disney+ and ESPN+, offers live games from the NFL, NCAA, NBA and NHL on more than 75 channels including CW, National Geographic, VH1, FX and Animal Planet.

It costs $69.99 per month, although without Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+, Hulu’s ad-supported plan is available for $7.99 per month.

5. DirecTV Stream

This provider’s overall customer satisfaction score: 751 out of 1,000 possible points

DirecTV Stream offers packages with 75 or more channels, including ESPN, TNT, HGTV and Nickolodeon. MLB, NBA, NHL and college games are available, and regional sports networks are included at no extra cost on most plans.

Packages start at $69.99 per month and go up to $149.99 per month, although a current deal offers $10 off for five months on most packages.

Traditional TV providers

J.D. Power’s survey also included national cable and satellite TV providers — but they all ranked more poorly than the streaming services we’ve mentioned. Their overall satisfaction customer satisfaction scores were:

• Dish: 720
• Xfinity: 706
• DirecTV: 699
• Spectrum: 686
• Cox Communications: 679

Yes, even though DirecTV Stream was the lowest-ranked streaming service, it still outperformed its traditional counterpart from the same company by 52 points. Meanwhile, Dish ranked No. 1 among cable and satellite TV brands for the fifth consecutive year.