Following the lead of other micro-bundles, like Frndly TV and Philo, Level News is trying to build a news-only streaming bundle for cord-cutters. While at launch the service doesn’t have any of the major news networks like CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC, Level News will launch with 10 news networks from both U.S. and International providers for $5.99 per month.
At the core of their bundle is CSPAN (as well as CSPAN 2 and CSPAN3), which is currently only available to stream on DIRECTV STREAM. CSPAN isn’t available on other live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, or Philo. The service also carries Nexstar-owned NewsNation and Bloomberg TV, which are both widely available.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| Bloomberg TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | |
| CSPAN | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Euronews | - | + $2.99 | - | - | + $6 | + $6 | - | |
| France 24 | - | - | - | - | + $6 | + $6 | - | |
| Law&Crime | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | - | |
| NewsNation | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
For international news junkies, the service carries carry NHK World Japan, France 24, and Euronews, which are currently only available as part of a number of add-ons on other streaming services. Level News will also carry Law&Crime and Bloomberg QuickTake, which are available on both paid and free services like The Roku Channel and Xumo. The company says that more news channels will be added soon.
Level News is currently supported on Roku, Fire TV, iOS, Android, and your web browser. On top of live news, while the service doesn’t yet offer a DVR, it does come equipped with 72-hour catch-up, along with the ability to “Start Over” from the beginning of a show. You can also stream Level News on three devices at the same time.
While other skinny bundles like Frndly TV have seen success, growing to nearly 500,000 subscribers for family-friendly content, there is a question whether that exists for news outside of the major networks.
In a 2021 report, MoffettNathanson said, “We believe the 18 million … pay-TV subscribers who are regular news viewers (but do not watch sports), and the 7 million who don’t watch sports or news are at risk for further cord-cutting.”
Level News told The Streamable that it doesn’t think that the failure of CNN+ speaks to a lack of desire for a news bundle amongst cord-cutters.
“CNN+ failed because its owners are fighting against the inevitable breakdown of the traditional pay-TV model,” company founder John Tantum said. “They want to force together the strange bedfellows of CNN, HBO, and Discovery channels. Level News offers a stand-alone, news-focused service with news coverage from multiple perspectives.”
With the recent price hikes for cable alternatives, one thing is for sure, customers won’t be upset by a new low-cost alternative for live content.