STREAMING LIVE TV

We dug into the fine print to help you see how PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, and Hulu's eventual live-TV service will compare. Everyone in the tech industry wants your eyeballs. More specifically, an increasing number of tech companies want to attract the millions of people who have ditched cable for services that stream live TV channels over the internet. Alphabet's YouTube is the latest to jump into the fray, building on its uber-popular video site with a new YouTube TV service. The streaming player Hulu is about to roll out its competitor, too, while Sony, Dish Network, and AT&T are already fighting it out. But because this is the TV industry in America, figuring out what's what can be complicated. So to help you see which, if any, make sense for you, we've broken down the three existing live TV services (PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, DirecTV Now) and what we know about the two that are coming (YouTube TV, Hulu). We'll update if any more shake-ups arise. Let's dig into the fine print: But first, a quick note on what these services are not. As Business Insider has noted before, none of the three existing live-TV services are solving the cord-cutter's conundrum — that is, getting the channels and shows you want, on time, whenever and wherever you want, without paying more than you have to for channels you'll never watch. They still look a lot like cable packages, in other words — they're just smaller cable packages, delivered over the internet, with slightly cheaper starting prices. There are other issues beyond that. The on-demand selection is similar in every service and almost exactly like what you'd get with a cable subscription. On-demand and live content still feel stuck in separate silos. (Hulu and YouTube could change this, though.) They all have gaps in their channel selections. (This excellent CNET list has a full breakdown.) And most significantly, they've all had bugs and technical issues. As it stands now, if you're looking for cable, you should just buy cable. It's reliable. That said, here's what these services do offer. While none of these services stream perfectly, they're not unusable. All of their interfaces are clean and easy enough to navigate. When they work, they provide value to those who can't quit the cord. They cover gaps that a hodgepodge of Netflix, Hulu, and insular streaming services can't — most notably with sports, and, you know, watching popular shows as they air. And they are more affordable. As more people cut the cord, these services will make more sense and improve, even if they don't take a wrecking ball to the TV industry's current power structure. They already seem to be increasing their subscriber bases, and that's expected to pick up as the market shifts. Sling TV 1. How much does it cost? $20 a month for the base Sling Orange package, or $25 a month for a Sling Blue package with more channels. For $40 a month, you can buy the Orange and Blue packages together — the two do not totally overlap in terms of channel selection. (More in a sec.) From there, you can tack on a bunch of smaller specialized bundles of channels for between $5 and $15 a month per bundle. We recommend looking through those on Sling's service page because there are way too many to list here. 2. How many channels does it have? Sling Orange has 30 channels. Sling Blue has about 40 channels depending on where you live, but its lineup doesn't include everything in Sling Orange. The add-on bundles can incorporate a few dozen more channels, but those vary wildly in terms of popularity. 3. Which major channels are not included? CBS is absent. ABC is there, but only in a handful of markets, and only for an extra $5 a month. There's no option to add Showtime either — and for the kids, there's no main Nickelodeon channel. It's also worth noting that while Sling carries Fox and NBC, they're included only in the Sling Blue package, and they aren't available in every market. Check that you're covered before you buy. 4. Does it include ESPN? Yes, but only in Sling Orange. There, you get ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 by default. This is the main thing that prevents the Orange and Blue packages from overlapping. 5. What about local sports and non-ESPN sports networks? This is a bit of a mess. While Sling Blue doesn't have ESPN, it includes Fox's regional sports channels, although they can vary by region. (A bunch are included, so check Dish's FAQs for specifics.) Dish recently announced that Sling Blue would add NBC's regional sports networks by early April, but only in the California, the Bay Area, Chicago, and mid-Atlantic markets to start. As for other national sports channels, only Sling Blue includes Fox Sports 1, NFL Network, and NBC Sports Network. Alongside Sling Blue, you can add a Sports Extra package that includes the NFL's RedZone channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, and others for $10 a month. If you have Sling Orange, though, that Sports Extra package costs $5 a month, doesn't include RedZone, and throws in a few more deep-in-the-weeds sports channels. Again, that's in addition to the main ESPN networks, which Sling Blue does not have. Did we mention these services still feel like cable subscriptions much of the time? 6. What about HBO? HBO is available only as an add-on to one of the core bundles. It costs $15 a month on its own, the same as HBO's standalone HBO Now streaming service. 7. What devices does it support? You can check Sling's support page for the full list, but the big no-show is Sony's PlayStation 4. Otherwise, Roku, Apple TV (2015), Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android, Android TV, Windows, macOS, Xbox One, and the like are all aboard. 8. Does it have DVR so I can record shows I missed? Yes, but it's in beta, and as of this writing a handful of beta customers can use it on Roku, Android, and Amazon devices. It also maxes you out at 100 hours of recording time. And some channels can't be recorded for the time being. 9. Can I pause and rewind live TV? Yes, technically, but a good chunk of channels — including ESPN, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, and AMC — do not support the feature and can only be watched live. 10. How many people can use it at once? With Sling Orange, you can have only one active stream going at a time. With Sling Blue, that's bumped up to three concurrent streams. With the $40-a-month Orange and Blue combo package, it becomes four concurrent streams. 11. Any other extras I should know about? Sling is particularly stacked with Spanish-language channels, albeit through a $5 add-on. PlayStation Vue 1. How much does it cost? It depends. In most markets, Vue's entry-level package costs $30 a month. Tiered packages with more channels are then $35, $45, and $65 a month. Around some major cities, though, Vue starts at $40 a month, with those higher tiers at $45, $55, and $75 a month. There's a catch to all of this, which we'll get into below. In any case, beyond the base tiers, there are a handful of add-on channels that range from $2 to $15 a month.***prbxselfnetwork***