Short answer: every licensed live-TV service advertises a big channel number, from about 40 to more than 200, but those totals mostly count filler. What decides whether a service suits you is whether it carries a small set of must-have channels: your local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations, ESPN, TNT and TBS, CNN or Fox News, and your regional sports network. No single service is complete, and the gaps are specific: Fubo has no TNT or CNN, Sling Orange has no local stations, and the budget services have almost no sport.
At a glance
Channels at a glance
| Most complete | YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV |
| No TNT or CNN | Fubo |
| No locals | Sling Orange, Philo, Frndly TV |
| Little or no sport | Philo, Frndly TV |
| Free channels | Hundreds on FAST apps, no live sport |
Why channel counts mislead
A service that advertises 100+ channels and one that advertises 200+ can be almost identical for your household, because the extra hundred are often niche networks, duplicates in HD and SD, regional feeds or free channels bundled in to lift the number.
Start from what you watch. Write down the ten channels that account for most of your viewing. Almost everyone's list includes local stations and one or two sports or news networks. Those are the channels whose absence you'll notice on day one.
Then check the gaps. Channel lineups are set by carriage deals, and each service has a few networks it doesn't carry. Those gaps are more useful to compare than totals.
The must-have channels, service by service
The table below shows where the most-asked-for channels sit on the main US services as of September 2026. "Some markets" means availability depends on your ZIP code.
| Service (base plan) | Locals | ESPN | TNT/TBS | CNN | Fox News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hulu + Live TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DirecTV (Entertainment) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fubo (Pro) | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Sling Orange | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sling Blue | Some markets | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Philo | No | No | No | No | No |
| Frndly TV | No | No | No | No | No |
Carriage disputes can remove a channel temporarily, as happened on YouTube TV in late 2025 before a new deal restored Disney's networks. Always check the service's own channel lookup with your ZIP code before subscribing.
Local channels: the gap people miss
Local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations carry most NFL games, network news and the biggest entertainment shows. They're also the channels most often missing.
Full services carry them. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and Fubo carry local stations in most US markets.
Sling is partial. Sling Blue includes Fox and NBC in a limited number of markets; Sling Orange includes neither.
Budget services leave them out. Philo and Frndly TV don't carry local network affiliates.
An aerial fills the gap for free. In most metro areas an indoor or roof antenna picks up every major network in HD at no monthly cost. Our guide to local channels without cable covers antennas, network apps and the NextGen TV transition.
Sports channels: split across many services
Sport is where lineups diverge most, because rights are sold league by league.
ESPN is on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Fubo and Sling Orange, and also sold directly: ESPN Unlimited rose to $32 a month on 17 September 2026.
TNT and TBS carry NHL, MLB, college basketball and NASCAR coverage. They're on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and Sling, but not on Fubo.
Fox Sports (FS1 and your local Fox station) is also sold directly through Fox One.
Regional sports networks are the hardest. DirecTV and Fubo carry more of them than most; many teams now also sell their own streaming service. See our regional sports network guide.
Streaming-only games on Prime Video, Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV and Paramount+ aren't on any live-TV service's guide at all.
News channels
If one news network matters to you, check it specifically.
CNN is on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and Sling, and not on Fubo, which lost its Warner Bros. Discovery channels.
Fox News is on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Fubo and Sling Blue.
MSNBC and CNBC follow a similar pattern to the NBCUniversal channels on each service.
Free options exist. ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, NBC News Now and many local news streams are free in their own apps and on FAST platforms.
What budget services include (and don't)
The cheapest licensed services are built around entertainment and lifestyle channels rather than sport and news.
Philo costs $25 a month for its Essential plan as of August 2026, with around 70 live channels, including A&E, AMC, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, Hallmark and Paramount networks, plus unlimited DVR. A $33 tier adds HBO Max, Discovery+ and AMC+.
Frndly TV runs from $8.99 to $12.99 a month, with around 50 family and faith-focused channels, including Hallmark, Game Show Network and several classic-TV networks.
Neither carries local stations, ESPN or CNN. Paired with an aerial for locals, though, either makes a very inexpensive lineup. Our cheapest way to watch live TV guide ranks combinations by viewing habit.
Premium and international channels
Premium networks and foreign-language packages sit outside the base lineups and are priced separately.
Premium networks such as HBO (through HBO Max), Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz and MGM+ are sold as add-ons on most live-TV services, or directly as their own apps. Buying direct is often the same price or cheaper, and the app usually offers more of the catalogue.
Spanish-language TV is well served: Fubo Latino is $19.99 a month, Sling offers Spanish packs, and Univision, Telemundo and their sister networks appear on the bigger services.
Other languages are more patchy. Sling's international add-ons and dedicated licensed services cover Arabic, South Asian, Chinese and many European languages. Our guides to Spanish-language TV in the USA cover the options in detail.
As with sport, beware of international packages that promise every channel from a country for a few dollars; broadcasters license their channels abroad through a small number of named partners.
Free channels: FAST services
Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services such as Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Plex offer hundreds of free linear channels.
They're mostly themed channels built from older series and films, plus news, some sport highlights and a growing number of live news feeds. They rarely carry live major-league games or the premium cable networks.
They're a genuinely useful supplement, especially on a second TV, and cost nothing. Our FAST channels explainer goes through what each platform offers.
How to check a lineup before paying
Use the ZIP code checker. YouTube TV, Hulu, DirecTV, Fubo and Sling all have a lineup tool on their websites. It shows your actual local stations and regional networks.
Look for asterisks. Some channels come only with an add-on or a higher tier, and sports networks are the most common example.
Use the free trial for the channels, not the content. During a trial, open each must-have channel and confirm it plays on the device you'll actually use.
Check blackouts. Carrying a channel doesn't guarantee every game on it. Local blackouts still apply to some league broadcasts, particularly regional MLB and NHL games.
Be wary of lineups that look too big. Offers of every premium, sports and international channel for a few dollars a month aren't licensed, and the channel list is usually the first thing to disappear. Our guide to spotting an IPTV scam explains why.
Quick answers
Which live TV service has the most channels? Fubo and DirecTV advertise the largest totals, over 200 on their bigger plans. The raw count matters less than whether a service carries your specific must-have channels.
Which streaming services include local channels? YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV and Fubo carry local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox stations in most US markets. Sling Blue carries some in selected markets; Philo and Frndly TV do not.
Does Fubo have TNT and CNN? No. Fubo no longer carries Warner Bros. Discovery channels, which include TNT, TBS and CNN.
Which service has ESPN? YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Fubo and Sling Orange carry ESPN. It is also sold directly as ESPN Unlimited, which costs $32 a month from 17 September 2026.
What channels does Philo have? Around 70 entertainment and lifestyle channels, such as A&E, AMC, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and Hallmark. It has no local stations, ESPN or major sports networks.
Can I get channels for free? Yes. FAST services such as Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel and Samsung TV Plus offer hundreds of free channels, and an aerial picks up local stations free in most areas.
Why did a channel disappear from my service? Usually a carriage dispute between the service and the channel's owner. Most are resolved, but the channel can be missing for days or weeks in the meantime.
Channel lineups change with carriage deals and disputes, and local and regional channels vary by ZIP code. Prices quoted are US list prices before tax. Always check the service's own channel lookup. Checked September 2026.