Short answer: a licensed live TV subscription service in the US costs anywhere from $8.99 a month (Frndly TV's basic tier) to $159.99 (DirecTV's Premier package). The full-replacement services that carry locals, ESPN and most cable channels cluster between $83 and $100. The catch is that the price on the landing page is often an introductory rate: Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV both advertise a first-month or first-quarter price that's $30 or more below what you'll pay from month two.
At a glance
US live TV subscriptions, October 2026
| Cheapest | Frndly TV, $8.99 (SD, one screen) |
| Cheapest with locals + ESPN | YouTube TV, $82.99 |
| Most screens | DirecTV (unlimited at home) |
| Watch for | Intro prices, RSN fees, sales tax |
| Contracts | None on any service below |
The full monthly price table
Every figure below was taken from the service's own sign-up or plans page in the first week of October 2026, except where marked. These are regular monthly rates before tax. Sorted cheapest first.
| Service and plan | Per month | Screens | Locals? | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frndly TV Basic | $8.99 | 1 (SD only) | No | 7 days |
| Frndly TV Classic | $10.99 | 2 | No | 7 days |
| Frndly TV Premium | $12.99 | 4 | No | 7 days |
| Fox One | $19.99 | Several (no fixed number stated) | Fox station only | 3 days |
| Sling Essentials or Select | from $19.99 | 1 or 3 | No | Varies |
| Philo Essential | $25 | 3 | No | 7 days |
| ESPN Unlimited | $31.99 | Per ESPN terms | No (ABC not live) | None advertised |
| Sling Essentials + Select | from $34.99 | 4 | No | Varies |
| ESPN + Fox One bundle | $39.99 | Per each app | Fox only | Fox side: 3 days |
| Sling Orange or Blue | $45.99 | 1 (Orange) / 3 (Blue) | Blue: some markets | Varies |
| Sling Orange + Blue | $60.99 | 4 | Some markets | Varies |
| DirecTV MySports | $64.99 ($44.99 for 6 months) | Unlimited at home | Yes | 5 days |
| Fubo Pro* | about $74-$85 + RSN fee | Up to 10 at home | Yes, most markets | Usually yes |
| YouTube TV Base | $82.99 | 3 | Yes | 21 days (new users) |
| DirecTV Entertainment | $89.99 ($59.99 for 3 months) | Unlimited at home | Yes | 5 days |
| DirecTV Choice | $94.99 | Unlimited at home | Yes, plus RSNs | 5 days |
| Hulu + Live TV (with ads) | $99.99 ($49.99 first month) | 2 | Yes | Intro price instead |
| Hulu + Live TV (no ads) | $109.99 | 2 | Yes | No |
| DirecTV Ultimate | $129.99 | Unlimited at home | Yes, plus RSNs | 5 days |
| DirecTV Premier | $159.99 | Unlimited at home | Yes, plus RSNs | 5 days |
*Fubo's plans page didn't render for us to read directly; the range is from third-party trackers dated October 2026 and Fubo has run lower introductory rates. Check fubo.tv before relying on it.
Two things jump out. First, there's a big empty band between $35 and $60 where you get a decent cable-channel lineup but no local stations. Second, once locals and ESPN are both in the package, nobody is meaningfully cheaper than YouTube TV at $82.99. For a longer look at how those totals were reached over the past few years, see our IPTV subscription price explainer.
Intro price vs the price you'll actually pay
Several of the big services now lead with a discounted first period. That's fine, as long as you budget for month two.
| Plan | Intro | Then | First-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV (ads) | $49.99 x 1 | $99.99 | about $1,150 |
| DirecTV Entertainment | $59.99 x 3 | $89.99 | about $990 |
| DirecTV MySports | $44.99 x 6 | $64.99 | about $660 |
| YouTube TV | 21-day trial | $82.99 | about $940 |
Before tax. Over twelve months the gap between the headline numbers mostly closes, which is why the first-month price is a poor way to choose. If you only want one season, though, DirecTV MySports' six-month rate is genuinely good value for a football fan.
Fees that aren't on the headline
Regional sports network fees. Fubo adds a separate charge in markets where it carries a local RSN; third-party trackers put it anywhere from about $4 to $17 a month depending on ZIP code. DirecTV folds RSNs into Choice and above instead, which is why Choice costs $5 more than Entertainment.
Sales tax. A growing number of states and cities tax streaming. It's small per month, but on a $90 plan in a high-tax city you can be paying $5-$10 extra.
Price rises mid-year. None of these services lock your price. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling have each raised prices at least once in most recent years, usually with 30 days' notice by email. Our YouTube TV price history shows the pattern.
For the full arithmetic, including hardware and internet, we keep a separate real monthly total breakdown.
Cost per screen
If several people in the house watch at once, the screen limit matters as much as the sticker price. Divide the monthly price by the number of simultaneous streams included:
- Frndly Premium: $12.99 / 4 = about $3.25 per screen
- Philo: $25 / 3 = about $8.33
- Sling Orange + Blue: $60.99 / 4 = about $15.25
- YouTube TV: $82.99 / 3 = about $27.66 (or unlimited at home for $9.99 more with 4K Plus)
- Hulu + Live TV: $99.99 / 2 = about $50 per screen before the Unlimited Screens add-on
- DirecTV: unlimited at home on every package
Hulu's two-screen default is the one that catches families out. If three people want to watch different channels on a Sunday, you'll need its add-on or a different service.
Add-ons that change the math
The base plan is rarely the final number. The common upgrades as of October 2026:
- YouTube TV 4K Plus: $9.99 a month, adds 4K on select live events, unlimited home streams and offline DVR.
- Sling Sports Extra: $11-$15 depending on base plan; News Extra $6.
- Fubo 4K Plus: listed by trackers at about $4.99, or included with Elite.
- Premium movie channels: usually $10-$20 each across all services.
A household that adds 4K and a sports tier to YouTube TV is past $100 quickly. That's not a reason to avoid it, just a reason to price the plan you'll really keep.
Which tier fits which budget
Under $15: Frndly TV. Family, lifestyle and classic channels; no news, no sports, no locals. Pair with an antenna and it's a surprisingly complete setup for some households.
$20-$35: Philo for entertainment, or Sling's new Essentials/Select tiers. Fox One alone if you mostly want Fox sports and news.
$40-$65: Sling Orange/Blue for cable channels, or the ESPN + Fox One bundle at $39.99 for a sports-first household that gets other locals from an antenna. DirecTV MySports if you want a proper package with locals and a six-month promo.
$80-$100: YouTube TV is the default here. DirecTV Entertainment if you want unlimited home screens. Hulu + Live TV makes sense mainly if you'd otherwise pay for Disney+ and Hulu separately.
$100+: DirecTV Choice and up, chiefly for RSNs. Worth it only if your local team's games matter to you. We cover the cheaper end in more depth in cheap IPTV that's actually legal.
Why the $15 "subscriptions" aren't in this table
Search "IPTV subscription service" and most results are sellers offering thousands of channels, every sports network and pay-per-view for $10-$15 a month, often with a five-year plan for under $200 and a discount for paying in crypto. They aren't here because none of them shows a licence to retransmit those channels, and the networks themselves charge distributors more per subscriber than those sellers charge you.
Practically, that means no refund protection, service that can vanish after a raid or court order, and payment details handed to an anonymous operator. Our guide to spotting an IPTV scam lists the tells. A licensed service's price looks high next to theirs; it's also the price of something that will still be there next month.
Quick answers
What's the cheapest IPTV subscription service with local channels? DirecTV MySports at $44.99 for the first six months, then $64.99. At regular prices, YouTube TV at $82.99 is the cheapest full package with locals and ESPN.
Do any of these require a contract? No. All are month to month and can be cancelled online.
Which has the longest free trial? YouTube TV advertises 21 days for new users as of October 2026. Frndly and Philo offer 7 days; DirecTV 5; Fox One 3.
Is there an annual plan that saves money? Not for the big live TV bundles. Some single-network apps (ESPN, Fox One, Peacock) offer annual billing; check each before assuming.
Why is Hulu + Live TV more expensive than YouTube TV? It includes Disney+, Hulu's on-demand library and ESPN Select. If you'd pay for those anyway, the gap shrinks.
Do prices include tax? No. Expect local sales or streaming taxes on top, and RSN fees on Fubo in some areas.
How often do these prices change? Most services have raised prices roughly once a year recently. Treat any figure here as a snapshot.
Prices, intro offers and trial lengths change often and can vary by ZIP code and by whether you've subscribed before. Fubo's figures come from third-party trackers; everything else from official sign-up pages on October 4, 2026. Checked October 2026.