Consumer Reports: Streaming live TV services

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Tired of paying a lot for TV but not ready to cut the cord entirely? Some cable companies now offer skinny TV packages, but there's also internet streaming services.

Consumer Reports says some of the newest players offer lots of channels for less money.

YouTube has come a long way from cats and dancing "Gangnam Style" PSY.

Soon, YouTube TV will launch in major cities, offering 40 streaming cable channels, including Disney, ESPN, FOX News, even some regional sports networks, for $35 dollars per month.

"That's a great price, but remember there are channel trade-offs with these slimmer streaming services. So if you can't live without a certain channel, make sure it's offered before you sign up," said Jim Willcox from Consumer Reports.

For example, right now YouTube TV doesn't offer Comedy Central, CNN, HBO, HGTV and a few other channels, though you can pay extra to get Showtime.

Sling TV starts at $20/month, but its $40 dollar "All Channels" package includes 50 channels. Add-ons for local broadcast, sports, movies and premium channels range from five to $15 dollars a month.

Direct TV Now has a promotional price of 35-dollars a month for sixty channels, or 60-dollars a month for over a hundred channels.

"One thing to remember: All these streaming services require a smart TV or streaming media player, and a decent broadband connection. If your Internet service isn't fast enough, they might not be the best choice," said Willcox.

And if you have a lot of TVs, you might have to limit how many people are watching at the same time since each service limits the number of simultaneous streams.

Hulu is also expected to launch a streaming TV service called Hulu Live.

CobbleCord is an easy-to-use website that can help your viewers pick the TV service that's best for their personal viewing preferences.

To read the full report from Consumer Reports, CLICK HERE.

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