Philo Edu allows you to watch live television on your own terms – on laptops and other devices anywhere on campus. With a premium channel lineup, the ability to pause and rewind live TV, and 20 hours of your own DVR space, Philo gives you the flexibility and control you need to stay up-to-date on sports, current events, and the shows that. Philo bundles several entertainment, and educational channels together, without the high cost of news or sports channels for one low price. While Roku is the first tv streaming device to carry Philo, not all Roku devices are supported at this time.
Cut out the sports, news and local channels, and suddenly live TV is cheaper than ever.
A new multichannel live TV streaming service called Philo launches today, and it's just $16 per month. That's the least-expensive of its kind yet, undercutting former lowball champ Sling TV, which starts at $20. Philo is less than half as much as DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.
And Philo has more channels -- 35 -- than you might expect for such a low price. Sling TV has about 28 live channels, for example, and YouTube TV has about 40.
With those headline features, you might already be reaching for your wallet or dialing up your current TV service to cancel. But for many people, the devil is in the channel details.
Cheap(er) channels: No sports or locals, very little news
Philo bills its selection of channels as 'entertainment, lifestyle and knowledge-focused programming,' which is a cute way to say 'No ESPN, Fox News or CBS.'
Those channels, and many others that focus on sports and news including CNN, MSNBC, Fox Sports and NFL Network, aren't available on Philo. It does have financial news network Cheddar and BBC World News, but that's it.
The service also lacks access to your local ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC station, as well as first-run shows from those networks (full disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS). Cord-cutters who use an antenna for locals might not mind the omission, but others might not want to do without NFL football, local news or prime-time network shows.
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So what channels does Philo have? The programming groups A+E, AMC, Discovery, Scripps and Viacom invested a total of $25 million to launch the service, and many of their channels are on board. They include AMC, Comedy Central, HGTV, TLC, A+E, Food Network and Discovery Channel. See the bottom of this post for the full lineup.
In addition to the base package you can also pony up another $4 per month to get nine more channels, including Cooking Channel and MTV Live.
Available on Chrome, iOS and Roku, complete with cloud DVR
Just like competitors Sling TV, YouTube TV and the rest, Philo streams live over the internet, no cable box required. You can cancel or re-up anytime, without having to sign a contract, and there's a free seven-day trial. With Philo's trial there's no need to enter a bunch of info, just your phone number. One subscription allows you to stream to up to three devices simultaneously.
You'll use the Roku app to stream to a TV. You can also stream via Chromecast or other TV-connected Google Cast device from a Chrome browser on your computer. At launch Philo doesn't support any other TV devices, although the company says more are planned, including AirPlay support for Apple TV.
Beyond the TV you can stream to Apple phones and tablets using the Philo iOS app, available now. People with Android phones will have to use the Chrome mobile browser, although an Android app is in the works, too. You can also watch on a PC via browsers.
Philo has a cloud DVR included in the price, just like YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue. Storage capacity is unlimited but shows expire after 30 days. There's the ability to pause any live channel, start programs from the beginning, and watch programs that have aired in the past three days. Philo also has a library of shows available on-demand.
Simple interface, social coming soon
I gave the service a quick spin on a Roku and Chrome browsers via Android and a Mac computer, and it was mostly simple and well-executed.
On Roku responses were quick and satisfying. The Home page serves up last-viewed shows and ones you've saved to your cloud DVR. The Live page shows thumbnails of currently playing shows, while the Saved page gathers all of your DVRs shows in one place. There's also keyword search. When watching a show you can access the menu by clicking up and options by clicking down.
At times Philo's video quality did seem a bit softer than other services on the big screen via Roku, although the phone and PC-based images were fine.
The browser-based player adds a grid-style guide not available on Roku, but otherwise the two are similar. I was impressed by the web app on my Android phone. Yes a 'real' Android app would be better, but bring able to just use the browser is pretty cool.
Compared to Vue or YouTube TV Philo goes for simplicity, and it mostly works. I still like the numerous browsing and categorization options on those apps better, and YouTube in particular is great at wrangling a large collection of recordings. But for an early effort and a relatively niche product, Philo is phine.
In a demo given to me by Philo's representatives they showed off some of the social features coming soon to the service. For friends and family with Philo, you can see what shows they like and are watching. You can even synch viewing with friends so you can follow along together, or see how far they've watched so you can avoid spoilers. For people without Philo it's easy to send an invite.
The takeaway: Definitely not for everyone
Compared to 100-plus-channel cable packages any live TV streaming service has compromises. Philo just has more than any of the others, which makes it even more niche than Sling TV and company.
Not being able to tune to a live newscast or browse sporting events will be a deal-breaker for a lot of people. For those who don't care about the absent channels, a basic Hulu subscription offers enough 'entertainment, lifestyle and knowledge-focused programming' to make a lot of Philo redundant -- for half the price. Let's face it: beyond news and sports, watching something live isn't that important for a lot of people.
Philo is available starting today nationwide.
Full channel lineup on Philo ($16/month):
- A&E
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- Cheddar
- CMT
- Comedy Central
- Discovery Channel
- DIY
- Food Network
- FYI
- GSN
- HGTV
- History
- IFC
- ID
- Lifetime
- Lifetime Movies
- MTV
- MTV2
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- OWN
- Science
- Spike
- Sundance Channel
- TeenNick
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- TV Land
- Velocity
- VH1
- Viceland
- We TV
Additional channels for another $4 per month:
- American Heroes Channel
- BET Her
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- Logo
- MTV Live
- Nicktoons
![Channels Channels](/uploads/1/2/4/9/124948538/778665380.jpg)
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- Philo has discontinued its $16/month plan for new subscribers as of May 6, 2019. A single package is offered for $20/month.
- The live TV streaming service features plenty of entertainment networks, but sports and local stations aren’t offered. The $20 a month skinny bundle includes nearly 60 channels.
- Unlimited cloud DVR is included with a Philo subscription, and recordings can be saved for up to 30 days.
- Philo is compatible with Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV devices, but Google Chromecast isn’t supported.
- Only a mobile phone number is required to start a free trial of Philo. You’ll be asked to enter payment information after two days to extend the trial to a full week.
If you thought AT&T WatchTV was the only live TV streaming service available for around $20 a month, think again!
Philo is a cable and satellite TV alternative that caters to cord cutters who are serious about keeping their costs down with a plan that offers 58 channels for $20 per month.
It includes favorites like AMC, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, OWN, Nickelodeon and now Hallmark!
RELATED: Which live TV streaming service has the best channel lineup?
Philo live TV streaming service: Everything you need to know
Team Clark signed up for a free trial and quickly discovered what makes Philo different from competitors like YouTube TV, DirecTV Now and PlayStation Vue.
Here are five things you need to know before you sign up!
Philo review: Table of contents
1. How much does Philo cost?
Most of the leading live TV streaming services have starter packages that cost around $40 per month, but Philo is half that price.
Philo discontinued its $16 per month plan in early May 2019, leaving a single $20 package for new subscribers. Those who signed up before May 6 can continue with the cheaper plan.
Here’s how Philo CEO Andrew McCollum explained the decision:
“At Philo, we care deeply about creating the best TV experience possible at an affordable price. Since we launched 18 months ago, most of the other companies in our space have raised their prices, in some cases multiple times. We didn’t want to do that. Still, when we looked at all of the costs of operating Philo—which increase over time—consolidating into a single $20 package was the best way for us to maintain the same offering we have today without raising prices for everyone, or having to cut back in places we strive to excel, like our customer support.”
Philo offers a two-day free trial that only requires a cell phone number to sign up — no credit card — but you can extend the trial to a week by adding payment information.
You can cancel your subscription at any time. There are no long-term commitments.
2. What channels do you get with Philo?
Philo’s lineup is unlike its competitors because it doesn’t include any local or sports channels. However, you will find plenty of reality TV shows, children’s programming, documentaries and movies while browsing Philo’s channels.
Philo: $20/month plan |
---|
A&E |
AMC |
American Heroes Channel |
Animal Planet |
aspireTV |
AXS TV |
BBC America |
BBC World News |
BET |
BET Her |
Cheddar Business |
Cheddar News |
Cleo TV |
CMT |
Comedy Central |
Cooking Channel |
Destination America |
Discovery Channel |
Discovery Family |
Discovery Life |
DIY Network |
Food Network |
FYI |
Game Show Network |
Hallmark Channel |
Hallmark Drama |
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries |
HGTV |
History Channel |
IFC |
Investigation Discovery |
Law&Crime |
Lifetime |
Lifetime Movies |
Logo |
MotorTrend |
MTV |
MTV Classic |
MTV2 |
MTV Live |
Nick Jr. |
Nickelodeon |
Nicktoons |
OWN |
Paramount Network |
PeopleTV |
REVOLT |
Science Channel |
Sundance TV |
Tastemade |
TeenNick |
TLC |
Travel Channel |
TV Land |
UPtv |
VH1 |
Viceland |
WE tv |
3. Does Philo come with DVR capabilities?
If Philo has the channels that you like, you’ll be glad to know that it includes unlimited DVR. Save any shows you want and they’ll be available to view for 30 days — with the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
In addition, Philo says it lets users replay just about everything that’s aired within the last 72 hours.
4. How do you stream Philo on your TV?
Like all live TV streaming services, you must have a high-speed internet connection and a supported device. Philo is available on Mac and PC on a web browser, Apple iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets — plus Roku.
In July 2018, Philo made the service available to users who have Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. See all supported devices here.
5. Does Philo allow for multiple streams?
If you have multiple people in your house who want to use Philo, a subscription allows three different streams to be played at the same time. The oldest stream will stop working at four streams.
Final thought
I had no trouble using Philo during my free trial period. Its interface took a few minutes to get used to, but I found the TV guide function pretty user-friendly once I played around with it. I also had no issues with buffering.
Philo is priced below the competition, but the absence of ESPN, Bravo, CNN and Disney will be deal-breakers for many households.
Philo: Pros and cons |
|
Pros | Cons |
Lots of entertainment networks for a very low price | Google Chromecast not supported |
Unlimited DVR included | No local or sports channels |
Three streams at a time allowed |
If you’re willing to spend $40 per month, some of the other live TV streaming services offer bundles with channel lineups that will more closely resemble a traditional cable or satellite TV package.