Philo Review

58 Channels

18 of 35 Top Cable

0 of 28 Sports

Philo is a live TV streaming service designed for entertainment lovers which includes 58 channels for $20 per month.

You’ll get major channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery/Scripps, Hallmark, and Viacom. These include A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, HGTV, MTV, and Nickelodeon.

They recently consolidated their plans into a single $20 plan, so now you get channels like Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, LOGO, and Nicktoons.

While it doesn’t include any local or sports channels like ESPN, Fox Sports 1, or NBC Sports Network, it is the cheapest option for live entertainment-only TV.

More Info:

Start Free Trial

7-Day Free Trial

Philo offers a 7-day free trial. Your subscription is month-to-month and you can cancel at any time.

Review

We tested Philo and other live TV streaming services for more than 100 hours. Philo is compatible with Roku, Android Phone/Tablet, iPhone/iPad, Web Browsers, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.

Features

Unlimited Cloud DVR

Philo has Unlimited DVR storage, but you can only keep shows for 30 days. You can only record an entire series, not a single episode.

If you start recording after you tune into a channel, the recording will start from the beginning of the program.

While it’s still recording, you can watch from the beginning but you won’t be able to fast forward through commercials.

Up to 3 Devices

Philo allows you to stream on up to 3 devices simultaneously.

33 TV Everywhere Apps

Philo gives you access to 33 different TV Everywhere apps.

List of Compatible Apps

On Demand

There is a variety of on demand content to stream within the Philo app.

No Parental Controls

There are no parental controls for Philo.

Only AT&T TV NOW, Hulu Live TV, and Sling TV have parental control features.

72-hour Rewind Feature

This feature allows you to watch shows that you didn’t record, for up to three days after it aired. This feature adds a lot of additional shows that aren’t normally available on demand.

Compatible Devices

Philo is compatible with these devices:

Philo is not compatible with Google Chromecast, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO Smart TV, or LG Smart TV.

iOS 9.3+
7.0+

Phone & Tablet Apps

Philo has an iPhone app, but does not currently offer an iPad app (you can use the iPhone app on iPad though). The look and feel mimics their other apps, but there is no standard channel guide.

While on Android, there is not a native app, you can play using Chrome on Android 7.0+. The interface looks similar to a native platform, but feels more sluggish.

TV App

Philo has support for Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. They don’t support Android TV, Chromecast, or AirPlay. While they have a alphabetical grid of currently live shows, they don’t have a standard channel guide.

Computer

You can watch Philo on Mac and Windows computers using most major browsers. It is the only platform that includes a standard channel guide.

Screenshots

Channels

Local Channels

Philo doesn’t offer any local channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, The CW, or Univision.

Philo

~~ABC~~
~~CBS~~
~~Fox~~
~~NBC~~
~~Telemundo~~
~~The CW~~
~~Univision~~

Top Cable Channels

Philo offers top cable channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, Scripps Networks, and Viacom.

You get 18 of the top 35 cable channels.

The top 35 cable channels are listed below. For a list of all channels, look at Philo’s full channel lineup.

Philo

Sports Channels

In order to keep monthly pricing low, Philo doesn’t include access to any national sports channels, regional sports networks, or college or pro networks.

National Sports Channels

Philo

~~ESPN~~
~~ESPN2~~
~~Fox Sports 1~~
~~Fox Sports 2~~
~~NBC Sports Network~~
~~TBS~~
~~TNT~~

Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)

Philo doesn’t include access to regional sports networks (RSNs) as part of their service.

Philo

~~Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)~~

RSNs in Other Markets

Philo

Pro Sports

Philo

College Sports

Philo

Other Sports Channels

Philo

Premium Channels

Philo doesn’t currently offer the ability to add premium channels.

Philo

~~Cinemax~~
~~EPIX~~
~~HBO~~
~~Showtime~~
~~Starz~~

Tech Specs

The service currently offers 720p / 30 fps across all channels.
Limited buffering or playback issues in our testing.
Changing channels only takes 4.5 seconds, which was slower than most services.

1080p

720p

720p HD

Most live streams are broadcast in 720p HD.

30 FPS

60 FPS

30 FPS

Live TV streams are broadcast in 30 fps.

Stereo Sound

Stereo Sound

Live content has stereo audio.

Streaming Reliability

On Demand Reliability

Reliability

Philo was generally stable for both live and on demand content. We had no issues when streaming content.

Philo recommends at least 5 Mbps for each HD stream.

25 sec
Live Delay

Live Delay

Live content is about 25 seconds behind cable TV, which is similar to the other services.

4.5 sec
Channel Switching

Channel Switching

It takes about 4.5 seconds to switch between channels, which is slower than most of the other services.

User Experience

Simple and consistent design across apps to switch from Home, Live, & Saved.
Channel guide is informative, but feels odd because it lists channels horizontally. Unfortunately, it’s not available on mobile.
Search works well and offers quick access to both live and on demand content.

Home Screen

The Philo app’s home screen gives personalized suggestions of shows to keep watching, those you’ve saved, and top shows on Philo.

TV Guide

On most platforms, Philo channel guide lists all available channels alphabetically in a grid, but does not include a standard channel guide.

Search

The Philo search interface is very intuitive. Series, episodes, and people appear as you type.

Show Details

The show details page displays episodes currently live, on demand, and upcoming on a future date. You can automatically record future airings by clicking “Save”.

Playback

When you tune into a live channel, Philo takes you to the beginning of the show. You can skip ahead to live, but you may be shown commercials if it’s also available on demand.