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In this article:

• Top live TV streaming services compared
• Live TV streaming services we also tested

• How to shop for cord-cutting live TV services

• What streaming TV services won’t give you

• Don’t care about live TV? More cord-cutter staples

• Is an indoor or outdoor antenna a viable option?

• Conclusion: Try it yourself

Cutting the cable cord is a popular way to save money, but you may find you need to augment your Netflix or Disney Plus with live broadcasts as well. Enter live TV streaming services. These cancel-anytime live TV bundles give you the ability to watch local and national news as well as live sports and events. All you need is a streaming device or smart TV.

Unlike on-demand platforms, live TV streaming services offer you a live channel lineup, and they also don’t need a contract like cable does. The best services start at $40 a month, which can help save you money on a cable subscription, while the more expensive services such as YouTube TV are closer to $70. Whichever you choose, you can stream live channels such as CNN, NBC, ESPN and Fox on a host of different devices, including set-top boxes and mobile devices. It’s easy to get started — you don’t even need a technician to stop by your home.

Read more: Cable vs. Streaming Services: Which Is Cheaper? We Do the Math

What’s the downside? Pricing and channel availability are two things that are still in a state of flux. For instance, Sling TV went up by $5 in November. In addition, sometimes less popular services, such as AT&T TV Watch TV, TVision or PlayStation Vue, are simply phased out.

Welcome to the brave new world of live TV streaming over the internet. If you need help deciding on the best streaming service or streaming bundle, read on. We’ll continue to update this best streaming service list periodically as things change (which they frequently do).

Top live TV streaming services compared

	DirecTV Stream	FuboTV	Hulu Plus Live TV	Sling TV	YouTube TV
Base price	$70 per month for 65-plus channels	$70 per month for 100-plus channels	$70 per month for 70-plus channels	$40 per month for 30-plus (Orange) or 40-plus (Blue) channels	$65 per month for 85-plus channels
Free trial	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels	Yes, in many markets	Yes, in many markets	Yes, in many markets	Fox and NBC only in select cities (Blue only)	Yes, in many markets
Simultaneous streams per account	20 (in home, 3 outside of it)	3	2 ($15 option for unlimited)	1 (Orange), 3 (Blue)	3 ($20 adds unlimited and 4K streams)
Family member/user profiles	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Cloud DVR	Yes (20 hours, unlimited for $10 a month)	Yes (250 hours, 1,000 hours for $17 a month	Yes (unlimited)	Yes (50 hours, 200 hours for $5 a month)	Yes (unlimited)
Fast-forward through or skip commercials with cloud DVR	No (Yes with $15 option)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Live TV streaming services we also tested

• Philo: A cheap live TV streaming service with a variety of channels, but it lacks sports channels, local stations and big-name news networks — although Cheddar and BBC news are available. Philo offers bread-and-butter cable staples like AMC, Comedy Channel, Nickelodeon and Magnolia Network (formerly DIY), and specializes in lifestyle and reality programming. It also includes a cloud DVR and optional add-ons from Epix and Starz. We think most people are better off paying another $15 for Sling TV’s superior service, but if Philo has every channel you want, it’s a decent deal. Read our Philo review.

• FuboTV: There’s a lot to like about FuboTV — it offers a wide selection of channels and its sports focus makes it especially attractive to soccer fans or NBA, NHL and MLB fans who live in an area served by one of FuboTV’s RSNs. It’s also a great choice for NFL fans since it’s one of three services, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, with NFL Network and optional RedZone. The biggest hole in Fubo’s lineup is the lack of Turner networks, including CNN, TNT and TBS — especially since the latter two carry a lot of sports content, in particular NBA, NHL and MLB. Those missing channels, and the similar $70 price tag, makes it less attractive than YouTube TV for most viewers. Read our FuboTV review.

How to shop for cord-cutting live TV services

Each of the TV streaming services above offers a different mix of channels, so your first step should be choosing one that carries your “can’t miss” cable channels and shows. And some of the most important channels are locals, namely ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Not every service offers all of them in every area, but the best streaming service for you will include the majority of what you love to watch, so it is worth shopping around. The live TV streaming service lineups are in constant flux as networks scramble to secure access to popular channels (ones with highly watched original shows and regional sports networks are especially in demand). There’s also the chance that a certain cable channel could disappear from a certain service after a network contract expires, which is what happened in 2020 with the regional sports networks.

These negotiations lead to other changes, too. Over the past few years, Sling TV, Hulu (multiple times), Philo and the newly renamed DirecTV Stream have all raised their prices. Google and Roku resolved a contract dispute which prevented users from downloading the YouTube TV app, while users lost the use of Disney channels for two days due to a different dispute.

Broadly, each of these streaming services can be broken down into two main groups: Budget, with prices ranging between $25 and $40 and few or no local channels; and Premium, with prices from $65 and up including local channels and supercharged cloud DVRs. That’s right, all of the services allow you to record and play back shows, just like a traditional cable or satellite DVR, but they often come with restrictions.

Read more: Top 100 Channels Compared Across Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, DirecTV Streamand Philo

Next, there’s the multistream question. If you want to watch more than one program at the same time — for example, on your living room TV and on a bedroom TV, or the main TV and a tablet or other devices — you’ll want to make sure the video streaming service you’re watching has enough simultaneous streams. Sling Orange only allows one stream at a time, and if you try to watch a second, it’s blocked. Other services have higher simultaneous stream limits.

Keep in mind that, especially if you do have more than one person watching at once on supported devices, you need to make sure you have fast, reliable broadband internet. A 100Mbps download service will cost around $50 to $60 a month, and sadly that’s where the savings of cutting cable can get swallowed up.

Here’s a live TV streaming shopping list to consider:

• Does the service offer your “must-have” channels? See CNET’s comparison of the top 100 channels here.
• Does it offer local channels in your area?
• How good is the cloud DVR?
• Does the interface make it easy to browse for shows?
• Are there enough simultaneous streams for you and your family?
• Is your internet connection up to snuff? See CNET’s guide to improving streaming quality here.

What streaming TV services won’t give you

Streaming TV services are great, but there are some things they can’t do compared with a traditional cable box.

First, it’s worth looking at the channels that you can’t get with any of these live TV streaming services. For example, only two of the services are able to offer PBS: YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.

With sports returning in force from the pandemic-enforced hiatus, fans will want to make sure they can find the sports channels to follow their teams. Most services carry ESPN and local channels for NFL football, but if you follow a professional baseball or basketball team, you might need its specific channel — called a regional sports network or RSN — to watch regular season games. RSN coverage varies widely for each service. Sometimes, even if you live in the right area, you may be mistakenly blacked out due to an IP address error. If this is the case, you can fix this by signing up for a sports-friendly VPN.

Every live TV service’s video streaming is a few seconds to a minute or more behindthe “live” stream you’ll get from your local cable TV or satellite provider. That means you could get a preview of scores or big plays from Twitter, phone alerts or phone calls from friends slightly before you see the action on screen.

If you’re used to 5.1-channel surround offered by cable or even OTA, then you may be disappointed that YouTube is the only service to offer surround sound on live broadcasts. The other services include stereo sound only on live channels, though 5.1 audio is available on some on-demand material.

Don’t care about live TV? More cord-cutter staples

In 2022, streaming fans have more choices than ever, including NBC/Comcast’s Peacock, AT&T’s HBO Max, Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus. While Peacock differs in that it has live news the other services lack traditional live channels — focusing instead on back catalogs and new original programming — but they can still eat into your entertainment budget.

Netflix: One of the first streaming TV services, Netflix is so popular that it’s become a generic term for streaming in the same way as “Magic Marker” or even “Coke” in the South. And then there’s the ever-popular “Netflix and chill.” Ad-supported plans now start at $7 a month, and the service offers thousands of TV shows and movies, including original TV series like The Crown and Stranger Things (be aware you may need to trade up to the $9 plan to watch some content). Then there are Netflix original movies like Oscar winners Roma and The Power of the Dog.

Amazon Prime Video: The “other” major streaming service, which is included as part of a $139 annual Prime Membership or $15 a month. The interface isn’t as user-friendly as Netflix, but the service also offers shows not on its rival, including original content like The Rings of Power, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Expanse. Amazon Prime also has the ability to add premium channels (HBO and Showtime and more), making it a potential one-stop shop.

Disney Plus: One of the biggest streaming services to launch in some time, Disney has gathered a mix of movies, TV shows and exclusive content, including Loki, Andor and She-Hulk, for $8 a month (though it will increase in December). Read our Disney Plus review here.

Paramount Plus: Previously CBS All Access, Paramount Plus costs $5 a month or $10 monthly for ad-free streaming. The service offers live TV (in some cities), sports and on-demand content from CBS, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network, plus its Paramount Pictures movie studio. Paramount Plus also offers exclusive originals such as Star Trek: Discovery, Picard and the Good Fight.

Vudu and Movies Anywhere: Digital libraries (or lockers) that incorporate legacy UltraViolet content and streaming movies and TV that are only available for purchase, such as new releases.

Peacock: Now live nationwide, Peacock is NBC’s answer to Paramount Plus. Its main claim to fame is that its basic tier, with 7,500 hours of content, is free. Peacock Premium unlocks more content for $5 a month while an ad-lite version called Peacock Premium Plus is $10 monthly.

It’s also worth investigating free, ad-supported services such as Roku Channel, Amazon Freevee, Tubi, Pluto and Crackle, which offer a wealth of content. Read CNET’s roundup of free TV services here.

Is an indoor or outdoor antenna a viable option?

If you have a TV in your house — that is, a screen that incorporates a tuner — you’re part-way to cutting the cord already. An affordable indoor antenna hooked up to your TV will let you watch free TV over the air from any channel you receive in your local broadcast area. Antennas cost as little as $10. See our comparison of indoor antennas here.

You can also add a hardware DVR such as the Amazon Fire TV Recast or TiVo Edge for Antenna if you want. Then you can record those live TV antenna channels, play them back and skip commercials, just like on a standard cable TV DVR. Here’s CNET’s roundup of the best OTA DVRs for cord-cutters.

A solid, lower-cost alternative to live TV streaming services is the combination of an antenna for live local channels and an on-demand service such as Netflix or Hulu. That way you’ll still be able to watch live programming and also have a choice of on-demand content.

Conclusion: Try it yourself

Streaming live TV services are still in flux. Since launch, every service has increased its prices by at least $5 a month, TV channel selections and cities with local channel access are changing all the time, and reports persist about some services losing money, or even closing in the case of T-Mobile’s TVision. While streaming is undoubtedly the future, and cable the past, it will be some time before both prices and the services offered settle in.

That said, if you want a cable-like experience both at home and for on-the-go devices, without the dead weight that a cable subscription brings, a streaming service is worth a look. There’s no contract to sign, and if you don’t like the service you’re on, you can easily switch. So whether you’re looking for a basic package such as Sling TV or want to pay more for a deluxe experience from the likes of YouTube TV, there should be a streaming TV service to suit you.

More streaming advice

• Free Movies: 10 Netflix Alternatives That Will Keep You Entertained

• Best TV Shows to Watch on Hulu

• Best TV Antennas for Cord-Cutters
• Best TV for 2022
• Best Universal Remotes for 2022
• Best 75-inch TVs for 2022
• Best Streaming Device in 2022: Roku, Apple TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast and More
• Budget Hack: Replace Netflix and Other Pricey Subscriptions With These Free Versions

• Best TV Shows to Watch on Amazon Prime Video

If you’re on AT&T and have been debating getting a new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone this holiday season, you may find yourself with a better deal now even though we’re well past Black Friday. The carrier has upped its promotion for new and upgrading users from $800 off a new Apple or Samsung device to up to $1,000 off, so long as you’re trading in a phone.

You’ll also need to have an unlimited plan to be eligible for the discount, which will be dished out as bill credits over the course of a 36-month installment plan.

AT&T has dabbled with offering up to $1,000 off iPhones before. Most recently, it dangled the discount around the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 14 line before scaling it back down in recent weeks to up to $800 off. For the Galaxy S22 launch in February, AT&T offered up to $800 off the new models so long as you were trading in any older Galaxy S, Galaxy Note or Galaxy Z phone, including those that were broken.

To get $1,000 off a new iPhone, the device you are trading into AT&T would need to be valued by the carrier at a minimum of $230. This includes the iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12 line (except the 12 Mini) or iPhone 13 line; Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, S22 line, Z Fold 2 or Fold 3; Google’s Pixel 6 Pro and OnePlus’ 10 Pro.

If you have an iPhone XS Max, 11, 11 Pro or 12 Mini you could get up to $800 off. And if you’re trading in one of a variety of Android devices from Samsung (Galaxy S20 and S21 lines, Note 20 line, original Galaxy Fold or Fold 2 and the Z Flip 3 5G), Google (Pixel 5, 5A and 6) or other Android makers like OnePlus and Microsoft, you can also get up to $800 off a new phone so long as AT&T values the trade-in devices to be worth between $130 and $229.

Other devices including the iPhone 8 line, SE (second or third gen), X, XR and XS as well as a much wider range of Samsung, LG, Google, Motorola and OnePlus phones can get up to $350 off of a new phone so long as AT&T values those trade-ins to be between $35 and $129.

This deal works for the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max though the phone that you are trading in will need to be in “good working condition.” (Read the full terms here.)

For Galaxy phones like the S22 line, Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 the carrier is much more lenient. Any device that the carrier values at $35 or more could make you eligible for up to $1,000 off of one of Samsung’s latest handsets. The carrier’s terms for S22 and the Z Flip and Z Fold deals also don’t specify that the phone that you are trading in has to be in “good working condition.”

In either scenario, if you leave AT&T before the 36-month installment is up — or want to unlock your phone to use internationally — you’ll be on the hook for paying off the balance of what’s owed and you’ll forfeit any outstanding credits.

All that said, it still is a surprising post-Black Friday deal from the carrier as the wireless industry at large looks to lure in upgraders and switchers this holiday season.

Verizon has been pushing its recent holiday offer of up to $1,000 off a new phone with trade-in, though that deal requires you to switch to the carrier. If you’re already on Verizon, the company is offering up to $800 off with a trade-in, though for this deal you also would need to be on one of its pricier Play More, Do More, Get More or One Unlimited plans.

Verizon similarly requires you to stay for 36 months, though it will accept even broken or damaged phones so long as they don’t have battery damage.

If you’re on T-Mobile, the carrier is offering up to $800 off Samsung Galaxy phones with trade-in, but only if you’re on or are willing to upgrade to its pricier Magenta Max plan. Those on other plans could save up to $400 with a trade-in, not as generous as AT&T or Verizon’s offers. In fact, most of T-Mobile’s deals right now seem to require adding a new line, switching over from a different carrier or bumping up to Magenta Max.

On the plus side, T-Mobile’s credits are generally over a 24-month period instead of 36 months like AT&T and Verizon so you are not tied to the carrier or a device for three years.

This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet.

Usually when I spot faces on Mars, it’s because the local rock formations resemble them. A new face on Mars, however, is the work of NASA’s Perseverance rover. The accidental artistic masterpiece is the result of two sample collection holes combined with a wheel scuff mark. Move over, Mona Lisa.

There’s a scientific explanation for what turned out to be a serendipitously goofy portrait. The two holes are where the rover picked up samples of sandy regolith — crushed up rock and dust — as part of its growing rock collection. Percy used a special drill bit to gather and stash the samples in hopes of sending them back to Earth for future study.

The wheel scuff came from a little earlier in the mission. The rover team commanded Percy to make the mark to get a look at the regolith below the surface. They liked what they saw and returned to the spot to collect the samples.

I’m not the only person who saw a face in the Martian ground after Percy got done with the sampling site. Rover engineer Daniel Zayas had a delightful interpretation, likening the shape to a Yip Yip from Sesame Street. If you need a refresher, Yip Yips are big-mouthed, googly-eyed aliens from Mars, so it couldn’t be more perfect.

Most of Percy’s samples up to this point have been drilled out of rock, so the regolith is special. Scientists would love to get a closer look at the material in a lab. “If we have a more permanent presence on Mars, we need to know how the dust and regolith will interact with our spacecraft and habitats,” Perseverance team member Erin Gibbons said in a NASA statement this week.

Gibbons had also noted the resemblance to a face, sharing another rover shot with a close-up of the “eyes” on Twitter.

The face is an excellent example of pareidolia, the human tendency to see familiar objects in random shapes. It happens all the time on Mars, with recent examples of a duck rock and a loaf-shaped cat. It’s all in good fun. We have no evidence of aliens hanging out carving Earth-shaped things into the local rocks on Mars.

While Percy’s artwork is sublime, the rover probably shouldn’t quit its day job as a mobile robotic laboratory.

BitCoinPay Trade traffic in November 2022 exceeded 500 thousand visitors. Internal statistics indicate a positive trend in the growth of web traffic with the cryptocurrency of the exchange.

Compared to September 2022, the volume of crypto exchange traffic has grown by more than 16%. The last time such a jump in traffic to the trading platform was recorded in June 2022.

Statistics take into account the traffic of both new and regular customers. Over 21% of the traffic came from new BitCoinPay Trade visitors. In second place, with a share of 25%, are visitors registered on the trading platform more than a year ago.

BitCoinPay Trade is a reliable, easy to use crypto exchange. The free BitCoinPay Trade app allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies for fiat money, and also provides services for storing cryptoassets.

Cryptocurrency exchange BitCoinPay Trade occupies a fairly confident position in the market. Experts talk about a fairly powerful potential and active development of the project. The platform offers powerful functionality, a user-friendly interface, a simple verification system, a wide list of supported cryptocurrencies, convenient ways to deposit and withdraw fiat money.

The app is available on iOS and Android platforms. 

Cryptocurrency data aggregator Nomics has added the BitCoinPay Trade crypto exchange to the list of analyzed trading platforms.

Now all relevant information about the trading platform is available in one place. According to Nomics data, daily trading volumes on BitCoinPay Trade exceed four million dollars. Of all the pairs available to clients, the most popular are BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT and LTC/USDT. The VERUM/USDT pair – with a daily trading volume of $376,019 – is the most promising and attractive for clients, showing the maximum growth in liquidity.

Nomics is a cryptocurrency market data provider, including exchange and crypto asset ratings. The service was launched in 2018, having received financial backing from a number of well-known investors, including Coinbase Ventures and Digital Currency Group. It is primarily aimed at large investors and traders who want to see the true picture in the markets.

BitCoinPay Trade is a reliable, easy to use crypto exchange. The free BitCoinPay Trade app provides its clients with a wide range of supported cryptocurrencies and trading pairs, crypto assets storage services, and convenient ways to deposit and withdraw fiat money.

Verum Coin developers have launched the Verum Chain native network. Soon, any miner will be able to mine Verum Coin on-chain using the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm. In the meantime, mining has been launched in closed access.

Despite the limited access to Verum Coin mining, 6230 blocks have already been mined to date. And the current total power of all miners is 3000 MH/s.

In addition to mining, Verum Coin can be bought on regular cryptocurrency exchanges. Some of these exchanges, such as BitCoinPay Trade, allow you to buy Verum Coin with fiat currency.

The big advantage of Verum Coin is that its total supply is limited to 84 million coins, which guarantees a scarcity level that will be maintained for a long time. Analysts note that this will potentially have a positive impact on Verum Coin price growth, similar to BTC, caused by increased demand.

The Verum Coin token is one of the digital currencies that use the mechanism of increased transaction confidentiality. Analysts note that Verum Coin is a cryptocurrency focused on consistent growth in the long term and therefore worth having in your portfolio.

Public access to mining will be opened in the near future. It will be announced on Verum Coin social networks. Verum Coin also plans to open its own blockchain explorer and mining pool. The pool will include not only Verum Coin, but also other popular coins – BTC, LTC and ETC, developers announce.

Verum Messenger has significantly increased the security of their customers’ data. Now personal correspondence is even more protected.

After installing the latest update (Version 1.8.8), you can not worry that the interlocutor will record from the phone screen. Now, when you activate the screen recording function built into iOS, all information inside the application will be automatically hidden and will not be recorded.

From now Verum Messenger protects the privacy of your correspondence even more!

After activating the screen recording iOS function, all information inside the application will be automatically hidden and will not be recorded.#VerumMessenger pic.twitter.com/AeJaufXKZO

— 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐔𝐌 𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 (@VerumMessenger) November 11, 2022

Recall that, while maintaining the secrecy of correspondence, Verum Messenger warns the interlocutor about taking screenshots, copying, forwarding messages and files in chats, as well as saving files to the device.

The updates also affected the creation of group chats. Now, with one click of a button, you can add all contacts to the group at once. And also it became possible to remove notifications about missed calls from the chat.

Verum Messenger is designed for maximum security and anonymity. To use the messenger, you do not need a phone number, since the application is not tied to it. Even if the phone falls into the hands of third parties, they will not be able to enter the application – on Verum you can set a passcode for each entrance, as well as protect Touch ID or Face ID data.

Verum uses end-to-end encryption for all chats without exception, does not store correspondence and files in the cloud, and does not collect user data. And, as a nice bonus, the app has a built-in VPN.

Forbes has placed Verum Coin in the section dedicated to cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The Forbes Digital Assets project was launched earlier this year. According to Money Editorial Director Mike Ayers, the topic of digital assets has become one of the “most read” topics in the magazine since last year.

Therefore, the employees of the department are in constant search for new and promising crypto assets. This week, the Verum Coin has its own Forbes page.

“BitCoinPay Trade and Verum Messenger launched their Verum Coin (VERUM). Verum Coin is one of the digital currencies that use the mechanism of increased transaction confidentiality,” says the official page of Verum Coin in Forbes Digital Assets.

Analysts note that Verum Coin is a cryptocurrency focused on consistent growth in the long term and therefore worth having in your portfolio.

Verum Chain native network will be launched soon. Soon any miner will be able to mine Verum Coin in a chain based on the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm.

The founding principle of Verum Messenger is privacy. The development team is tirelessly working on new ways to protect user privacy and believe that communication in the application should be as secure and private as in person. Therefore, the messenger is equipped with the most modern functions and protection tools.

Some examples of such tools are “disappearing messages” for automatically deleting conversations, “recovery key” for restoring all chats after logging out or changing devices, and a “quick account cleanup” feature that allows you to clear your messenger with one click. And personal calls and messages in Verum Messenger are protected by end-to-end encryption by default, so that other than your interlocutor, he could not listen or read them.

So that new users can easily understand all the elements of ensuring the privacy of the messenger, the developers launched the Verum Messenger Help Center. The site reveals the principles of the messenger and the subtleties of each element of protection.

The Verum Messenger team hopes that you will enjoy using the application, using various means to ensure the safety of your information and not worry about its safety.

The developers have announced a large-scale update of Verum Coin. Verum Chain network will be launched soon. It will be possible to mine Verum Coin in a chain based on the Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm (PoW).

Verum Chain is designed to allow more people to mine a cryptoasset – anyone with computing hardware can become a miner.

Also a big advantage of Verum Coin is that its total supply is limited to 84 million coins, which means that the scarcity level will be maintained for a long time. Analysts note that this will potentially have a positive impact on Verum Coin price growth, caused by increased demand.

In addition to mining, you can get Verum Coin by buying it on regular cryptocurrency exchanges. Some of these exchanges, such as BitCoinPay Trade, allow you to buy Verum Coin.

The Verum Coin token is one of the digital currencies that use the mechanism of increased transaction confidentiality. Analysts note that Verum Coin is a cryptocurrency focused on consistent growth in the long term and therefore worth having in your portfolio.