Kiplinger\'s Personal Finance - 10.2019

10/2019 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE 65

SERVICE CONTENT COST STREAMING DEVICES

LIVE TV

AT&T TV Now

(formerly

DirecTV Now)

Cheapest plan comes with 45+ channels; most expensive plan

includes 60+ channels. Both plans offer ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, HBO

and NBC. Pricier plan now features Cinemax and TV Land. Cloud

DVR with 20 hours of storage is also included.

$50 to $70/month 2

Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV,

Google Chromecast, Roku,

Samsung Smart TV

Hulu +

Live TV

Comes with 60+ channels, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN

and HGTV. Premium channels, including HBO, Showtime, Cinemax

and Starz, available for an additional fee.

$45/month 2

Android and iOS mobile devices,

Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Fire

Stick, Chromecast, Nintendo Switch,

Roku, Xbox One and Xbox 360

Sling TV

Orange package ($25) comes with 33 channels, including AMC, CNN,

Comedy Central, ESPN and HGTV; add cloud DVR ($5/month) and

select additional channels (starting at $3/month). Blue ($25) offers

47 channels, including E! and NBCSN, but not ESPN or Disney.

$25 to $40/month

1 (orange

package),

3 (blue

package)

Amazon Fire devices, Android

phone, tablet or TV, Apple TV and

devices, Chromecast, LG TV, Roku,

Samsung and Xbox One

YouTube TV

Service includes 70+ channels from the four major networks plus

ESPN, FX, HGTV and MLB Network. Premium channels such as

Showtime and Starz are available for an additional fee. Unlimited

DVR storage is included.

$50/month 3

Chromecast; Roku; Xbox One;

Apple and Android mobile devices;

plus Android, Apple, LG, Samsung,

Sharp and Vizio smart TVs

ON-DEMAND TV AND MOVIES

Acorn TV

Mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries from Britain,

Ireland, Australia and more. Original content includes Agatha

Raisin, Loch Ness, Striking Out and Detectorists.

$6/month

or $60/year N/A

Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Apple

and Android mobile devices,

Chromecast and Roku

Amazon

Prime Video

Unlimited streaming for thousands of popular movies and

TV shows, including Amazon originals such as Good Omens,

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Man in the High Castle.

Some movies and current shows not produced by Amazon

aren’t free with membership.

$119 a year for a Prime

membership or $9 a

month for a video-only

subscription. À la carte

rentals and purchases

without Prime are also

available.

3, no more

than 2 can

stream the

same video

at the same

time

Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick;

Apple and Android mobile devices;

PlayStation, Roku and Xbox; LG and

Samsung smart TVs; Echo devices

HBO Now

On-demand access to HBO’s original series, plus movies and

documentaries. Service includes access to episodes of shows

such as Big Little Lies, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and

The Wire.

$15/month not specifiedLimited, but

Amazon Fire TV and tablets,

Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast,

PlayStation 4, Roku, Samsung

smart TV and Xbox One

Hoopla and

Kanopy

You may be able to access Hoopla and Kanopy through your public

library. Hoopla offers access to movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks

and e-books. Kanopy focuses on indie flicks and educational titles.

Unlike most free streaming services, neither shows ads.

Free —

Both services work on Amazon

Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Apple TV,

Chromecast and Roku

Hulu

Watch current shows and past seasons, plus popular movies and

Hulu originals. Premium channels, including HBO, Showtime,

Cinemax and Starz available for an additional fee. Cheaper plan

includes commercials throughout.

$6 to $12 /month 2

Android and iOS mobile devices,

Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Fire

Stick, Chromecast, Nintendo Switch,

Roku, Xbox One, and Xbox 360

Netflix

Watch a wide variety of movies, documentaries and TV shows, plus

Netflix originals including The Crown, Orange Is the New Black and

Stranger Things.

$9 to $16/month depending 1, 2 or 4,

on plan

Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chrome-

cast, PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku,

Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Apple,

Android and Windows devices

Sony Crackle,

IMDb TV, Pluto

TV and Tubi

These free streaming services don’t have expansive content

libraries with the most current picks, and you’ll generally have

to watch commercials along the way, but they can fill gaps in

your streaming line-up.

Free — Varies

Streaming Services: What You Pay, What You Get

Cable Alternatives

SIMULTANEOUS

STREAMS

N/A Information not available. —Not applicable.