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The latest TV streaming service, Philo, will provide subscribers with a cost that undercuts the price of competing "over the top" services by excluding sports-related content (via Business Insider). This means Philo starts at $16/month for access to 37 entertainment networks, which you can watch on your iPhone, MacBook, connected TV, Roku, and soon the Apple TV.

philo-web-guide.jpg

Philo started by providing programming to college students on campuses across the United States, and is led by CEO Andrew McCollum, who was a founding member of Facebook. The company gained strategic investments totaling $25 million from five programming partners, including A+E, AMC, Discovery, Scripps, and Viacom. Every channel in the basic $16/month tier is listed below:

- A&E
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- Cheddar
- CMT
- Comedy Central
- Discovery Channel
- DIY
- Food Network
- FYI
- GSN
- HGTV
- History
- IFC
- ID
- Lifetime
- Lifetime Movies
- MTV
- MTV2
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- OWN
- Science
- Spike
- Sundance Channel
- TeenNick
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- TV Land
- Velocity
- VH1
- Viceland
- We TV

For $20/month you can watch everything listed above, with the following channels added:

- American Heroes Channel
- BET Her
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- Logo
- MTV Live
- Nicktoons

Because TV providers sell content in bundles, Philo's lack of sports programming also hinders some of its entertainment offerings, including any channels owned by Disney and Fox. There also won't be any content from CBS or NBCUniversal. Still, Philo comes in quite low when compared to starting prices of other services like Hulu Live TV ($40/month) and YouTube TV ($35/month), and is more competitive with Sling TV's low-tier offerings ($20/month).

In terms of features, Philo lets you watch any channel live or save an episode of any show onto a DVR with storage that lasts for 30 days. You can also stream in HD on up to three devices at once. Although not appearing at launch, Philo also plans to debut a "Social TV" aspect in the future, with subscribers able to see which episodes their friends are on in a TV show, see a friends list of users actively watching something, and synchronize viewing of an on-demand show with a friend. Social TV features are expected to launch in 2018.

More information on Philo can be found on the company's website here, including a seven day free trial.

Article Link: New Streaming TV Service 'Philo' Launches at $16/Month for Viewers Not Interested in Sports Content
 

AllergyDoc

macrumors 68000
Mar 17, 2013
1,985
8,961
Utah, USA
Hard most of the channels we watch. Add an HD antenna for local stations and Netflix (paid for by T-Mobile, Amazon (wife’s employers pays for) and we’re good to go, for about $20/month. Lost interest in professional sports; can’t identify with the players anymore.
 

TraceyS/FL

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2007
4,173
313
North Central Florida
We aren't a sports house, this will work for us. Cheaper than adding to the basic Comcast channels we get to keep our bundle price low. That gives us HBO so we keep it bundled.

I'm psyched, bring on the AppleTV app quickly though please!

And, they have a 7 day trial according to the website, not 48 hours.
 

cmwade77

macrumors 65816
Nov 18, 2008
1,071
1,200
Now if Disney would just hurry up with their streaming service, the two combined would be the best priced option out there. Given how few shows I actually watch on Disney Channel, I am thinking this is still cheaper, even if I need to buy a couple of series on Amazon.
 

gower2352

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2011
112
86
Hmmmm I like this! Just missing The Weather Channel and it needs more devices!!
 

OldSchoolMacGuy

Suspended
Jul 10, 2008
4,197
9,050
I want the opposite: Sports only streaming. I've got Netflix (like AllergyDoc, free through T-Mobile) and Amazon, and I don't care for the so-called reality TV programming that's taken over cable TV.

Does anything like that exist?

Nope. It's gonna be expensive. Sports content is by far the most expensive, with ESPN being far and away the most expensive channel in all cable subscriptions.
 

gower2352

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2011
112
86
I want the opposite: Sports only streaming. I've got Netflix (like AllergyDoc, free through T-Mobile) and Amazon, and I don't care for the so-called reality TV programming that's taken over cable TV.

Does anything like that exist?

FuboTV?
 

earthTOmitchel

Contributing Editor
Staff member
Mar 6, 2015
399
607
Louisiana
We aren't a sports house, this will work for us. Cheaper than adding to the basic Comcast channels we get to keep our bundle price low. That gives us HBO so we keep it bundled.

I'm psyched, bring on the AppleTV app quickly though please!

And, they have a 7 day trial according to the website, not 48 hours.
Ah I see, I missed the fine print, I signed up with my phone number: "You can continue with your trial for 7 days.
(After your first 48 hours, we’ll ask you to sign up and give us payment information, but we won’t charge you until after the trial is over.)
 
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mariusignorello

Suspended
Jun 9, 2013
2,092
3,168
We aren't a sports house, this will work for us. Cheaper than adding to the basic Comcast channels we get to keep our bundle price low. That gives us HBO so we keep it bundled.

I'm psyched, bring on the AppleTV app quickly though please!

And, they have a 7 day trial according to the website, not 48 hours.
48 hours without providing a credit card. If you want the full 7 days you’ll have to submit payment info.
 
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trusso

macrumors 6502a
Oct 4, 2003
749
2,219
Ghostbusters is on AMC now? ...Only a matter of time before it's on TCM.

Geez, where do the years go? :rolleyes:
 

Fall Under Cerulean Kites

macrumors 6502
May 12, 2016
272
852
I admire them for what they’re trying to do, but a more accurate summary would be “No sports channels and none of the major networks.”

If ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX won’t play nice, the service is a bit hobbled.

I realize not everyone has access to it, but an over the air antenna will give plenty of people local networks broadcast in quality superior to what any streaming service can offer. For free.
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
None of these services are cost effective for my house, given how few channels we need and how deeply Comcast cuts cable prices when bundled with internet. I think basic cable plus HBO is like $10 a month when added to the internet service.
 

Jeremy1026

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2007
2,215
1,029
None of these services are cost effective for my house, given how few channels we need and how deeply Comcast cuts cable prices when bundled with internet. I think basic cable plus HBO is like $10 a month when added to the internet service.

This is one thing so many people ignore. “It’s only $20 a month, I’m paying <tv provider> $150 a month!” Yes, that is a big difference, but how much of that is TV vs how much is Internet. And they discount on bundles, so just internet will cost you more than it does in the bundle anyway. End of the day, you’ll save a few dollars a month, but not the $130 they think they will comparing the raw numbers.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,961
13,939
I admire them for what they’re trying to do, but a more accurate summary would be “No sports channels and none of the major networks.”

If ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX won’t play nice, the service is a bit hobbled.

If you live within ~75 miles of a city, even a small one, there's a good chance you get those channels free over the air anyway.
 
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