Philo provides access to more than 65 live TV channels for just $25 per month, making it a good option for those looking for an affordable way to stream live TV over the internet. Considering services like Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV cost more than twice as much, it is worth checking Philo out as an alternative. Before signing up, however, it is also worth taking a closer look at the full channel list, and making sure it has the right channels.
Technically, the list of channels totals more than 70 as the channel lineup is also bolstered by a small number of free channels. The list below includes all of the channels a subscriber pays for with the $25 Philo base plan.
Philo channels list: Oct. 2022
- A&E
- AccuWeather Network
- AMC
- American Heroes Channel
- Animal Planet
- aspireTV
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- BET Her
- CLEO TV
- CMT
- Comedy Central
- Cooking Channel
- Crime + Investigation
- Decades
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- Food Network
- FYI
- G4
- Game Show Network
- getTV
- Great American Family
- Great American Living
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- Heroes & Icons
- HGTV
- History
- IFC
- INSP
- Investigation Discovery
- Law&Crime
- Lifetime
- LMN
- Logo
- Magnolia Network
- MeTV
- Motor Trend
- MTV
- MTV Classic
- MTV Live
- MTV2
- Nick Jr.
- Nickelodeon
- Nicktoons
- Oprah Winfrey Network
- Paramount Network
- PeopleTV
- REVOLT
- Science Channel
- Start TV
- Story Television
- Sundance TV
- Tastemade
- TeenNick
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- TV Land
- TV One
- UPtv
- VH1
- Vice
- WE tv
Philo also offers access to the following selection of free channels:
- Bloomberg Television
- Cheddar News
- Crackle
- Gusto TV
- Kin
- PlayersTV
- pocket.watch
- RetroCrush
- Revry
- Ryan and Friends
Philo offers a good, but incomplete channel selection
Overall, Philo offers a good selection of entertainment, reality TV, and kids channels. While the price might sound right, and actually signing up for a subscription is super easy through the Philo website, there are some notable channels missing from the lineup, including locals. Weighing up which channels are included and which are missing should be something that’s taken into consideration before signing up, and especially before paying the monthly price.
Another area where some subscribers are likely to run into problems is if they are in need of news or sports channels. In particular, sports is an issue with Philo and that’s something to be aware of before signing up. Essentially, subscribers will need to make additional arrangements if they want to watch live sports.
Philo does also offer a number of premium channels which can be added to the base plan at an additional cost each month, but they only further build on the channels already available and won’t plug any of the channel gaps. For example, greater access to movies through the Movies & More add-on, or popular premium networks like Epix and Starz.
Not much room for customization
Since the very beginning, Philo has been designed as an affordable solution. Philo only offers one plan and the benefit of this approach is that there are no confusing tiers or choices to be made. Everyone gets access to the same channels and features, and at the same low price. The downside, however, is there’s little choice or ability when it comes to customization.
The channel selection is pretty much the selection and it will either work or not work for an individual household. For those that are looking for a greater choice of channels then Sling TV and its à la carte approach may prove to be a better choice.
For reference, the general lack of customization not only applies to channels, but also to features as well. Aspects like the number of simultaneous streams, the variety of supported devices, the cloud DVR, and the selection of on-demand videos are all non-negotiable. As there are no options to upgrade any of these elements, subscribers may need to also take these limitations into account before signing up.
Philo channels summary
It Philo has the right channels for an individual or household then it is probably going to be worth a subscription. Overall, the service provides access to more than 70 channels with a small number of these being free channels. The live TV channel selection that consumers are actually paying for does contain a good variety of entertainment channels. At the same time, the lineup does suffer in the news and sports departments. If news or sports is important, Philo is unlikely to be the right live TV solution.
For what it’s worth, Philo doesn’t really have any directly comparable alternatives. Arguably, the closest service to Philo in terms of price is Sling TV, and its channel lineup might be a better option for some households. However, Sling TV does cost a minimum of $35 per month, making it a more expensive option. While Philo’s channel lineup won’t suit everyone, if it does offer the channels an individual subscriber or household wants access to, there’s very little reason to look elsewhere, or pay more each month for live TV.
Updated: October 2022
