US Live TV Services With Indian Add-On Packs, Compared

Short answer: of the big US live TV services, only a handful sell Indian channel packs at all. Sling is the one streaming service with a real Desi lineup, and you don't need its English plans to buy it. DISH and Xfinity sell Hindi add-ons on top of a regular TV package. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV don't offer Indian packs, so if you're on one of those, you'll be adding a second service rather than an add-on.

Who sells Indian packs, and who doesn't

From provider pages and an authorised DISH dealer listing, checked October 2026. "None found" means we couldn't find an Indian add-on on the service's own pages; lineups do change.

Sling: the streaming option

Sling is the only mainstream streaming live TV service that treats South Asian viewers as a core market. Its Desi packs work two ways: as an add-on to Sling Orange or Blue, or bought on their own with no English-language plan at all. For most Indian households, that second option is the point.

The packs on Sling's 2025 pages:

• Desi Binge Plus, $15 a month: SonyLIV, Hotstar Specials, Star India On Demand, MX One and Willow HD. Mostly on demand, with cricket live.
• Dakshin Flex, $10 a month: Star Vijay, Star Maa, Asianet, Simply South, plus Star on-demand content and Willow.

A 2023 Sling listing also showed a live Hindi pack at $30 (Star Plus, Sony Entertainment, Aapka Colors, Star Bharat, Willow) and Dakshin Mega at $25 with Sun TV, Gemini and Colors Kannada. Check what's on sale now; Sling reshuffles these when deals renew.

Two practical notes. Sling's DVR and the number of screens you can watch on differ between its plans, so check them if several people will watch at once. And Sling has advertised a three-day free trial on its Desi pages, which is enough to test the specific channels before paying. Our Sling TV explainer covers how its plans work in general.

DISH: the most live channels

DISH has carried Indian channels for decades; Zee TV launched in the US on DISH in 1998. It still has the deepest live lineup, sold in tiers. Prices below are from an authorised DISH dealer's listings:

The catch: every one sits on top of an America's Top or DISHLatino base package. The dealer listing mentioned a $10-a-month discount for 24 months when you combine Hindi Mega or Elite with a qualifying base package. DISH usually involves a contract and an installation, which is a lot of commitment for a visiting parent's six-month stay. It suits households that want a full English and Hindi lineup in one guide for years.

Xfinity: à la carte Hindi

Comcast's Xfinity takes the opposite approach: small packs and single channels. Its international page lists:

• Zee TV HD, SET HD or ABP News on their own, $14.99 a month each
• Hindi 2 Pack, $24.99: Zee TV HD and SET HD
• Hindi Pack, $26.99: adds TV Asia HD
• Hindi Plus Pack, $39.99: adds Willow HD On Demand

All need an X1 TV package. What's missing is any Star or Colors channel, so a Star Plus household on Xfinity still ends up adding Sling. If you already have Xfinity TV for other reasons and want Zee and Sony live, though, $24.99 for both is fair.

Fios, Spectrum and smaller cable companies

Verizon Fios has listed a Hindi Plus pack (TV Asia, Sony, Aapka Colors, Zee TV, Zee News, Willow) at around $34 a month in past listings. Spectrum inherited Hindi passes from Time Warner Cable, and some regional cable companies such as RCN have offered South Asian tiers. Availability depends heavily on your address and changes more often than on the national services, so ask the provider directly for the current channel list and the base package it requires. Ask too whether the Hindi channels play in the provider's streaming app, because that decides whether a second TV needs its own rented box.

If your service has no Indian add-on

YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and Philo don't sell Indian channel packs, and DIRECTV's international page lists none either. That doesn't mean switching. The cheaper fix is usually to keep your main service and add something alongside it:

• Sling Desi Binge Plus ($15) for SonyLIV, Star shows and Willow
• ZEE5 (about $60 a year) for Zee shows and its live channels
• YuppTV for regional-language live channels
• Willow alone ($9.99 a month) if cricket is all you need

On a streaming device these simply sit as separate apps next to YouTube TV or Hulu. Our channel-by-channel map shows which one carries the channel you're after.

What the add-on really costs

The sticker price of a Hindi pack is misleading when a base package is required. On DISH and Xfinity, you're paying for an English-language package first, then the Hindi add-on, then equipment and fees. If you'd keep that base package anyway, the add-on is reasonable. If you'd only be taking cable to get the Hindi pack, Sling's standalone Desi packs or broadcaster apps will almost always cost less.

A rough rule: if the household watches mostly Indian TV, go streaming-only and keep your English channels on whatever cheap service you already like. If it watches a mix and wants one remote and one guide, DISH's Hindi Mega on top of a base package is the most complete single setup available. Our IPTV vs cable comparison covers the wider trade-off, and the Indian subscription price comparison lines up every option.

Before adding any pack, get answers to five questions, ideally in writing or from the provider's own channel page:

• Which exact channels are live, and which are only on demand?
• What base package is required, and what does it cost after the promotional period ends?
• Is there a contract or an early termination fee?
• Can the Indian channels be watched in the provider's app on other TVs and phones, or only on the main box?
• Can the pack be dropped month to month if a parent's visit ends?

The last one matters more than people expect. Streaming packs stop with a click; satellite add-ons sometimes carry their own commitment terms.

One thing not to do: buy an "Indian IPTV" box or code to fill the gap. Sellers advertising 15,000 channels with every Star, Zee and Sony feed for $15 a month have no rights to them, as our Indian TV in the USA guide explains.

Quick answers

Does YouTube TV have Indian channels? No. YouTube TV doesn't sell an Indian channel add-on. Most YouTube TV households add Sling's Desi packs or broadcaster apps separately.

Can I get Sling's Desi packs without Sling Orange or Blue? Yes. Sling sells its Desi packs on their own as well as add-ons to its English plans.

Which US TV provider has the most Indian channels? DISH, whose Hindi Mega pack lists 40-plus channels, but it requires an America's Top or DISHLatino base package.

Does Xfinity have Star Plus? Xfinity's international page lists Zee TV, Sony (SET), ABP News and TV Asia, but no Star or Colors channels.

Does DIRECTV have a Hindi package? DIRECTV's international page doesn't list any South Asian packages as of October 2026.

Is Willow included in Indian add-on packs? Often. It's listed in Sling's Desi Binge Plus and Dakshin packs, DISH's Hindi Mega and, on demand, in Xfinity's Hindi Plus Pack.

Add-on packs, base package rules and prices change with carriage deals and promotions, and cable offers vary by address. Confirm the channel list and the full monthly total before signing up. Checked October 2026.