Philo Review – The Cheapest Way To Stream Live TV

Low-cost live TV provider Philo TV is a really interesting streaming television service that offers many of your favorite cable channels streaming over the internet at an extremely affordable price.

I’ve already reviewed Sling TV, but Philo offers an even more affordable option starting at just $25 per month.

In this review, I’ll take a look at Philo’s list of channels, and pricing, and I’ll let you know how it performed when I tested it out for a week.

So, without further ado, let’s get to our Philo TV review!

In this review, I’ll cover…

1. What Is Philo TV?
2. Channel Packages and Cost
3. Equipment Needed To Use Philo TV
4. Is Philo TV Any Good?
5. Frequently Asked Questions

Philo TV Quick Summary

What Is Philo TV?

Philo TV is a new live TV streaming service that offers a large package of your favorite live TV channels for a killer price – starting at just $25 per month.

Why is Philo so cheap? Is it legit?

The reason why cable and many live TV streaming services are so expensive is that companies like Walt Disney, Time Warner, and NBCUniversal charge these companies a lot for the use of their channels. Philo did a great job of providing a streamlined set of channels from more affordable providers, which lets you watch some great channels without paying up for the expensive channels.

What Channels Are On Philo TV?

Philo’s channel lineup is made up of an interesting mix of channels, but the price is what really sets it apart.

Philo’s channel lineup includes 72 popular channels such as HGTV, Comedy Central, A&E, AMC, Food Network, and Nick/Nick Jr, all for just $25 per month.

Current Philo TV Channel List

Based purely on the number of channels you get for the money, Philo TV is one of the best values of all live TV streaming services on the market.

Does Philo Have Sports Channels?

You may have noticed that Philo TV doesn’t include a single live sports channel. So if you’re looking for ESPN, Fox Sports (FS1), MLB Network, or NFL Network, you can feel free to skip the rest of this review and head over to our Sling TV review or NFL RedZone discussion instead.

Does Philo Have Local Channels?

Philo does not offer local channels at this time, which surely helps keep their price low. If you do want to watch local channels you can usually do so using an HDTV antenna (in most areas) but it would not be part of the Philo app. For more information on watching local channels with an HD antenna see our post on how to cut the cord.

Does Philo Have DVR?

Philo TV’s packages include unlimited DVR that allows you to save as many shows as you want for up to 30 days. Shows are stored in the cloud so you don’t need any special equipment to use their DVR and you can access them from anywhere on a wide variety of supported devices.

Philo also lets you browse through older episodes of shows right through the channel guide.

Philo TV Supported Devices – What Equipment Do I Need?

You can use Philo TV on most streaming media devices such as Roku TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV, or watch on your computer through most major browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. You can also use the Philo TV app to watch it on your Apple iPhone and iPad, and on most Android devices through their new Android app.

Philo TV lets you use watch simultaneously on up to 3 devices at a time.

Our Review

I tested Philo over a period of 7 days (using their free trial) on a variety of devices including a pair of Roku boxes, an iPad, an iPhone, and an Android phone (Google Pixel).

I found Philo’s layout to be much more user-friendly and refined than that of many other live TV streaming services. The menus are simple and easy to use, the guide is easy to navigate and I was able to find what I was looking for quickly and easily.

Channels loaded quickly with very minimal buffering and the picture looked clear throughout. Other live TV streaming services have given me trouble with buffering after changing channels but channel changes on Philo loaded quickly and were very smooth.

I really liked that shows would start from the beginning when I pulled them up on the guide and being able to watch old episodes of a particular show was a nice touch as well.

Conclusion – Is Philo TV Worth It?

Philo TV is a good value for the money. Although the channel options are a bit limited – no live sports or local channels – you get a lot of popular channels for such a low price. During my testing, Philo worked very smoothly on both the streaming media devices and my phone/tablet. Channels loaded quickly with minimal delay and the apps have a much nicer user interface than some other live streaming services offer.

Overall Philo TV is a good streaming service that I’d be happy to recommend, as long as live sports isn’t a deal breaker for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Philo Have Live TV Channels? – Yes, Philo TV offers over 70 channels of live TV channels.
• Is PhiloTV Free? – Philo TV isn’t free, but at just $25 per month, it is one of the most affordable live TV streaming services available right now.
• Does Philo TV Have Sports Channels? – At this time Philo TV does not carry any sports channels like ESPN, FS1, or NFL Network. If you want to watch sports I suggest checking out Sling TV, YouTube TV or fubo.

• Does Philo TV carry local channels? – Philo TV does not broadcast local TV channels. You can watch local channels for free in most areas by using a digital HD antenna.

• Does Philo TV have DVR? – Yes, Philo TV includes unlimited DVR as part of their standard package.
• Does Philo Have TNT? – Philo does not carry TNT at this time. I do have a full post on How To Watch TNT that outlines other streaming networks that carry TNT in their plans.