Philo is one of The Streamable’s favorite live TV streaming platforms because it fills a need that no other service provides. Philo offers top cable entertainment channels like A&E and Lifetime in its lineup of more than 70 total networks, for a price of just $25 per month. It gives customers who don’t want to pay for channels they don’t watch a great place to enjoy their favorite content, and company CEO Andrew McCollum revealed at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that the service now has more than 1 million subscribers.

• Philo’s 1M subscribers place it behind services like Fubo, but not by much.
• Crossing the 1M mark shows conclusively there is a place in the market for an entertainment-focused streamer like Philo.
• McCollum promises more free ad-supported channels are coming to Philo, along with a potential free service that won’t require a subscription.

How Did Philo Reach 1 Million Subscribers?

Philo offers a smaller bundle of cable channels with no live sports channels — like ESPN and FS1 — or news networks such as CNN. This allows it to keep subscription costs low; Philo has only raised prices once in its history, and customers who signed up before that price increase have been allowed to stay at the subscription rate that they signed up at.

One way that Philo has been able to supplement its channel offerings is via free ad-supported stream TV (FAST) channels, which deliver content 24 hours a day but also do not carry higher-cost items like live news and sports. Integrating these into the Philo lineup has allowed subscribers to enjoy more content without having to pay more for it.

This has created a dedicated subscriber base for Philo. It’s close to Fubo’s last reported subscriber total of 1.48M customers, and also not that far from Sling TV’s total of 2.12M viewers. It’s not particularly close to YouTube TV’s 6.5 million subscribers, but it has undeniably carved out a niche for itself in the live TV streaming market nonetheless.

Taking the family-friendly, skinny bundle approach to streaming likely will always keep Philo’s subscriber base smaller than the largest handful of services in the space, but by keeping costs down — both for customers and the company — the streamer appears to be threading the needle of being the perfect size for consumers who don’t need to have every channel available to them at all times.

What’s Next for Philo?

In the wake of CES, Philo’s CEO Andrew McCollum sat down with Light Reading senior analyst Jeff Baumgartner to talk about the success of Philo and its future. He indicated that one of the company’s big goals for 2024 is to add more FAST channels and potentially create a free ad-supported streaming platform as well.

“You’ll see a lot of changeover this year in terms of us continuing to add FAST content, and continuing to find more ways to make it available to people,” McCollum told Baumgartner. “Maybe there’s a way to get access to the content without having to be a subscriber, possibly without having to make an account.”

McCollum also hinted that Philo may seek out carriage deals similar to the one recently agreed to by Disney and Charter which sees Spectrum TV customers granted access to Disney+ Basic at no extra charge. The Philo CEO hailed the deal as a good one for the future of the industry, and while he did not point to any streamers that his service could potentially bundle with, McCollum has made no secret of his fondness for bundling in the past.

Philo is an excellent way for TV audiences to get some of their favorite cable entertainment channels without having to worry about paying for sports and news channels they never watch. The streamer costs just $25 per month, and features over 70 channels as well as unlimited DVR that will keep your recordings for a year.

7-Day Trial

philo.com

Philo

Philo is a live TV streaming service designed for entertainment lovers, offering flexible ways to watch without the high price of traditional TV bundles. The service now features two paid plans — Essential and Bundle+ — alongside its existing free streaming offering, giving customers a range of options depending on how much live and premium content they want.

…

The Essential plan costs $25 per month and includes 70+ live TV channels focused on entertainment and lifestyle programming, such as AMC, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Nickelodeon, and Food Network. Subscribers also get access to 120+ free streaming channels, more than 80,000 movies and shows on demand, and unlimited DVR with one-year storage. Essential also includes a 7-day free trial for new customers.

For viewers who want more premium content, Philo offers the Bundle+ plan for $33 per month (formerly the Philo Core plan). Bundle+ includes everything in Essential, plus ad-supported AMC+ and access to the HBO Max (Basic with Ads) app. Users can also access discovery+ content directly within the Philo app. While Bundle+ adds a full premium streaming bundle for just $8 more per month, it does not include a free trial.

The service is available on most major devices, including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, smart TVs, mobile devices, and web browsers. In addition to its paid plans, Philo also offers a free ad-supported streaming experience, allowing users to explore content before deciding whether to upgrade to a live TV subscription.

While it doesn’t include local broadcast stations or sports networks like ESPN, FS1 or NBC Sports Network, Philo remains one of the most affordable live TV streaming options for entertainment-focused viewers. With a simple lineup, generous DVR storage, and a clear path from free streaming to live TV and premium bundles, Philo is an appealing choice for cord-cutters who want to keep costs down while still enjoying a wide range of popular programming.

7-Day Trial

$25+ / month

philo.com