Kiplinger’s Personal Finance — September 2017

09/2017 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE 67

SERVICE CONTENT COST PROS CONS STREAMING DEVICES

LIVE TV

CBS All Access Live CBS programming $6 to $10/month Access to live and on-demand programming No programming from other networks

Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast,

Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, mobile

devices from Apple and Android

DirecTV Now

Cheapest plan comes with 60+

channels; most expensive plan has

more than 120 channels, Starz

included. Both plans offer staples

such as ABC, AMC, CNN, Fox and

NBC. Pricier plans include niche

channels such as Fuse and MTV2.

$35 to $70/month

The $70 plan includes

more channels than any

other plan on the market;

a $10-a-month deal is

available to certain AT&T

customers.

No CBS and no DVR

capability; only two

simultaneous streams

allowed

Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast

(for Android only), Roku, mobile

devices from Apple and Android

FuboTV

Service includes 60+ channels that

focus on sports plus a few

nonsports channels.

$35/month

Great for niche sports

fans, especially soccer

aficionados who can't

watch many foreign

teams on regular TV.

No CBS or ESPN

Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast,

Roku, mobile devices from Apple and

Android

Hulu With

Live TV

Live and on-demand TV from 50+

channels, including the four major

networks, CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports 1

and HGTV

$40/month

Unlimited access to

Hulu's streaming library,

including Hulu original

programming.

Few add-ons available;

not yet compatible with

Roku or Amazon Fire

Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One,

mobile devices from Apple and Android

Sling TV

Orange package ($20) comes with

30 channels, including ESPN, CNN

and TBS; pay extra for HBO, Starz

or a variety of packages focused on

themes such as sports, comedy

and regional programming.

$20 to $40/month

Best a la carte service

available; 28 different

packages and add-ons,

each costing between $5

and $15 extra a month.

Limited on-demand

options; no CBS

programming. ABC

available only in

selected markets.

Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV,

Chromecast, Roku, Xbox One, mobile

devices from Apple and Android

ON-DEMAND TV AND MOVIES

Amazon

Instant Video

Movies and TV shows for rent or

sale a la carte; Amazon Prime

includes many movies and TV

shows free

$99 a year for a Prime

membership. Rentals

and purchases without

Prime vary; $2 to $6 to

rent, $8 to $15 to buy

With Prime membership,

free access to a slew of

HBO original series,

including The Sopranos

and The Wire.

The latest movies and

seasons of current shows

not produced by Amazon

aren’t free, even with a

Prime membership.

Amazon Fire, Roku, PlayStation 4,

Xbox One, mobile devices from Apple

and Android

Fandango

NOW

Movies and TV shows for rent or

sale a la carte

Rent or buy (varies by

title; $2 to $6 to rent,

$8 to $15 to buy)

Earn rewards points with

each rental or purchase

to be used for future

purchases.

Other than rewards

points, little different

from services offered by

iTunes and Amazon.

Chromecast, Roku, Xbox One, mobile

devices from Apple and Android

HBO Now On-demand access to programming on HBO channels $15/month

Includes recent episodes

of shows such as Game of

Thrones and Veep.

No live programming.

Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV,

Chromecast, Roku, PlayStation 4,

Xbox One, mobile devices from Apple

and Android

Hulu Movies, documentaries, popular TV shows and Hulu original series $8 to $12/month

Access new episodes of

popular TV shows (such

as Modern Family) shortly

after they air.

Cheaper plan includes

commercials throughout.

Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV,

Chromecast, Roku, PlayStation 4,

Xbox One, mobile devices from Apple

and Android

iTunes Movies and TV shows for rent or sale a la carte

Rent or buy (varies by

title; $1 to $6 to rent,

about $10 to $20 to buy)

Convenient for users of

Apple movie devices.

Not compatible with

many popular streaming

devices.

Apple TV, mobile devices from Apple

Netflix

Movies, documentaries and TV

shows, plus Netflix originals,

including House of Cards

$8 to $12/month

Ideal for binge watchers.

Netflix releases all the

episodes of its original

series simultaneously.

You can’t stream popular

new movies or the latest

episodes of current TV

shows.

Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast,

Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, mobile

devices from Apple and Android

Showtime

On-demand access to

programming on Showtime

channels

$11 a month Includes the most recent episodes of shows such as

Homeland and Shameless.

Programming not as

popular as HBO's.

Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV,

Chromecast, Roku, mobile devices from

Apple and Android

Streaming Services: What You Pay, What You Get

Cable Alternatives