Philo Streaming Service Review 2020: Cost, Channels & More

The Philo Streaming service is named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the Philo Live streaming service is somewhat revolutionary in its own way, it’s lean, cheap, and free of sports. Philo doesn’t follow the rules of other streaming services and makes sure to keep it light and breezy. It doesn’t keep on adding channels and prices. The service is a bit weird but it can be great for some users, it offers Zero sports or local channels, the service focuses more on the entertainment side with channels like Comedy Central, Paramount Network & AMC. Lifestyle channels like A&E, HGTV, and Cooking Channel networks. 

You get 60 channels for just $20 per month. Add unlimited Cloud DVR Space (30 days limit), and Philo appears to be more than a bare bone live streaming platform. If you are a hardcore sports fan then this Philo streaming service review is not for you. If that doesn’t bother you, then keep on reading ahead.

Philo Plans & Prices

if you don’t wish to pay upfront for the streaming service, Philo gives you a 7-day free trial to take make sure you like the services before paying for them every month. Here is the breakdown of the Philo TV packages.

ison with other streaming services, then it is pretty cheap. If you’re wondering how Philo can provide the channels that other services can’t? Well, it’s basically a four-way partnership between AMC Networks, A+E Networks, Discovery Inc, and Viacom. 

Most users don’t care about these details, to simplify, Live streaming TV services like Hulu + Live TV don’t have channels from Viacom. Channels such as MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central or A+E networks like Lifetime, History, and VICE. Philo carries all these channels and carries it for cheap.

Philo offers great value, but as a supplemental service, it works really great. Almost all the Live streaming TV reviews consider Philo as a low priced service that you can combine with other services to get the complete channel lineup. The combo of Philo and other live streaming services still is cheaper than top cable packages and satellite plan bills.

Philo Channels & Shows

We have mentioned it before and we will do it again, Philo doesn’t carry any sports channels. We just want you to know upfront about what you are paying for. You can find pro wrestling on AXS TV as well as the RuPaul’s Drag Race on VH1.

Philo is completely focused on entertainment with a few news channels like BBC News and Cheddar news to keep you up to date with the headlines. For well-rounded people who like to watch cooking, lifestyle, traveling, cute puppies, and unsolved murders, Philo has enough channels that can keep these users content.

Most TV shows and movies on Philo’s channels are available on-demand after the first live airing. If you miss some channels then the on-demand titles can help you watch the content you missed or wish to watch.

Here’s a Partial List of Philo Channel Lineup:

Original Shows & Movies

Even though it carries a lot of channels, Philo is still a small service with just 1 plan and zero original programming of its own. Its counterparts such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu + Live TV, Netflix, HBO Max, and even Spectrum are putting out new original content almost every day. We don’t think we need more streaming services putting out original content so Philo’s lack of original programming is excused.

Philo Live Sports Coverage

As stated multiple times in this Philo TV review, there are absolutely zero live sports channels. The limited cost of Philo doesn’t allow it to provide live sports channels. Sports channels are the most expensive channels when it comes to live streaming services. If you absolutely need the sports coverage then you need to get fuboTV or ESPN+ for unlimited sports coverage.

Combine Philo With Another Streaming Service

There are a lot of streaming platforms out there that can fill the gap of the Philo streaming platform. If you combine services based on what you like to watch, you’ll probably save money compared to cable to satellite TV packages. 

• YouTube TV: 85+ entertainment, sports, and local channels + YouTube originals. ($64.99/mo)
• ESPN +: Exclusive sports coverage, commentary, and documentaries. ($5.99/mo)
• fuboTV: Soccer, niche sports & extra live streaming entertainment and lifestyle channels. ($64.99/mo)

These are the top streaming platforms that you can combine with the Philo Live Streaming service. Once you combine Philo with these services, you can watch all the channels you need. Check out the list of channels these streaming services offer on their official website.

Philo Specs & Features

You can’t decide on which streaming service to choose without knowing all the specifications and features of the said streaming platform. 

1. Cloud DVR

No live streaming service is complete without the DVR service. Mobile applications can’t offer physical DVR so service providers offer cloud-based DVR service. With Philo TV, you get unlimited storage to record your favorite shows and movies but your recordings will be deleted after 30 days. That’s almost as same as other streaming services out there. The best part is that you can skip commercials on your recordings. The feature works mostly like the 10 seconds skip[ on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. 

Philo’s display of the recorded content definitely needs some more work. There’s a lot of confusion as to which show and which episode is actually in front of you. A lot of closing and opening of shows will be required to get to the show you wish to watch.

2. Multiple Streams

Three simultaneous streams are allowed with Philo, which is the average for streaming TV services. There are limited platforms like ESPN+ and much more that offers five and more simultaneous streaming. Philo application login is enabled for up to 32 devices, which seems a bit more excessive, as Philo isn’t compatible with all that many streaming gadgets.

3. Compatible Streaming Devices

Now that we are on the topic of compatible streaming devices. Philo works on limited devices. If your streaming device is a Google Chromecast, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, or any of the Smart TV brand then we are sorry, Philo only works on seven platforms right now. 

• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• Roku
• Android TV
• iPhone, iPad
• Android phone, Tablet (Browser only)
• PC, Mac web browsers.

Final Take: Philo Streaming Review

Philo offers straight-up entertainment with loads of popular channels and cloud DVR included. Philo is the cheapest streaming service available right now, no streaming platform comes even close, Sling TV with the most basic package comes close with just half channels. But if you want sports and local channels, then you will need to combine Philo with other streaming services. 

If it’s entertainment that you need, then there’s no better streaming service than Philo.