One of the main reasons people drop cable TV is to save money. Philo understands that and put together a streaming package with several popular entertainment TV channels for a very low price.
What This Article Covers:
- What is Philo
- Philo Price
- Philo TV Channel List
- Philo On-Demand
- Philo DVR
- How Many Can Watch Philo
- Philo FAQ
What Is Philo?
Philo is a live TV streaming service that allows you to watch TV channels typically found on satellite and cable TV. (channels like AMC, A&E, and Discovery) Philo differentiates itself from other live streaming services by focusing on entertainment channels instead of news and sports channels. You can watch these channels live as they air through the Philo app on supported streaming and smart devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, and more.
How Much does Philo Cost?
Philo is an affordable $20 per month for 59 Live TV Channels, a cloud DVR to record your favorite shows, on-demand, and more. Philo keeps costs low by not carrying expensive news and sports channels.
Philo also offers a free trial without having to provide a credit card. Combining Philo with a cheap internet plan can save you a lot of money on cable.
Philo TV Channels
Philo doesn’t offer add-on packages. Philo offers a single subscription plan for $20 (they provide a 1-week free trial). Below are all the channels you receive with that subscription.
- A&E
- AMC
- American Heroes Channel
- Animal Planet
- Aspire TV
- 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
- Great American Country
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- HGTV
- History
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery
- Law & Crime
- Lifetime
- Lifetime Movies
- Logo
- MotorTrend
- MTV
- MTV2
- MTV Classic
- MTV Live
- Nick Jr.
- Nickelodeon
- Nicktoons
- Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)
- Paramount Network
- PeopleTV
- REVOLT
- Science Channel
- Sundance TV
- Tastemade
- TeenNick
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- TV Land
- UPtv
- VH1
- Vice
- WE tv
What Channels Are Not on Philo
Philo keeps it’s price low by not carrying expensive sports and news channels. Here are some things to keep in mind about Philo’s channel lineup:
- Philo does not carry News and Sports channels like ESPN, FS1, Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC.
- Philo also does not carry local broadcast networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. If that is a “must-have”, check out our guide to watching local channels.
- You will also not find premium channels like HBO, Showtime, and Starz on Philo.
To give you an idea of what cable channels may be missing from Philo, check out the chart of top cable channels below:
It’s incredible how affordable streaming TV online can be once you eliminate all the sports channels. I know quite a few cord-cutters that have been waiting for a service just like Philo. However, Philo isn’t for everyone. Aside from no sports channels, there aren’t any Disney, FOX, CBS, or NBCUniversal-owned networks either. That could be a deal-breaker for some.
Does Philo have On-Demand?
Philo offers some on-demand. Similar to cable TV on-demand, each TV Network chooses what shows and episodes are available to Philo On-Demand. Philo subscribers can also use their Philo username and password to access over 30 TV everywhere apps. Just download the channel’s app and use your Philo login credentials as your TV provider login. That will provide access to on-demand content through various TV apps like A&E, AMC, BBC America, and more. This makes Philo a great way to catch up on shows like Killing Eve. The following TV Everywhere Apps are supported on Philo:
- A&E
- American Heroes Channel
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BET
- Comedy Central
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- DIY Network
- Food Network
- fyi
- Game Show Network
- Hallmark Channel
- HGTV
- History Channel
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery
- Lifetime
- Motor Trend
- MTV
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- Paramount Network
- Science Channel
- Sundance
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- VH1
- Viceland
- WETV
Does Philo Have a DVR?
Yes. Philo’s $20 price includes a cloud DVR. Philo allows you to record any number of shows and saves each recording for up to 30 days. Storage is unlimited as long as you watch a recording within 30 days of saving the episode. You can also set a series to record, so there isn’t a lot of DVR maintenance with Philo’s cloud DVR. Just be sure to watch your recordings in 30 days.
Can you Pause Live TV with Philo?
Philo allows you to pause and rewind live TV. While Philo TV is live, you are watching a recorded copy of the live feed. Due to the way Philo works, you can watch a show within three days of it airing, even if you forgot to mark it to record.
How Do I Record Shows with Philo
It’s easy to record a show with Philo. Simply follow the steps below:
- Search for the show you wish to record and select the show to view its profile page.
- Select the “RECORD NEW” button to record all upcoming, new episodes of the show. Select the “RECORD ALL” button to record any upcoming episode, even if it is a re-run. Episodes scheduled to record are indicated by the red record icon.
How Many Devices Can I Watch at the Same Time with Philo?
You can watch on up to three devices at the same time. Philo is supported on Mac and PC on a web browser, Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or newer). They also support Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. Philo plans to support more streaming devices soon.
Philo Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philo free?
No. While Philo offers a 1-week free trial, the service costs $20 per month. However, you can try the service for the first 2 days by just using a valid phone number. After 2 days you will have to enter payment information to extend the trial to it’s full one week. If you cancel before the 1-week trial ends you will not be billed. You can sign up for the free trial here..
Does Philo have ESPN?
No. Philo does not carry ESPN or any other live sports network. To find a way to watch ESPN check out this article: How To Watch ESPN without Cable.
Is Philo on Roku?
Yes. Philo supports the following Roku devices: Roku TV, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere+, Roku Premiere, Roku 4, Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku Express+, Roku Express, Roku Streaming Stick+, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 1, Roku SE, Roku LT
How Do You Cast Philo to Chromecast?
Unfortunately, Philo does not support Chromecast at the moment. This may change at a later date.
Does Philo have commercials?
Philo is a live streaming service. Therefore there are commercials just like all other live TV services. However, the Philo DVR does allow you to skip commercials.
Can I watch Philo on my smart tv?
Currently Philo only supports Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV Smart TVs. Philo does not support Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO Smart TV, and LG Smart TV.
Can you watch past episodes on Philo?
Philo does have some on-demand, but it’s limited to what the specific channel offers. In most cases the current season of popular shows will be available, but that isn’t always the case. see here for more information.
Can I watch Philo on my computer?
Yes. You can watch Philo on Chrome, Edge, FireFox, and Microsoft Edge Broswers
How to cancel Philo?
If you are in the first 2 days of your trial and haven’t given your payment information then Philo will cancel automatically after the first 2 days. However, after the first two days you have to go to your Philo Account Page, then log in. On your account page you should see a “Cancel my account” link at the bottom of the page.
Is there more than one Philo plan?
No. Philo offers one plan that provides 59 channels online for just $20 per month. They used to have another plan with less channels for $16, but that plan has been discontinued.
- Live Streaming Service
- Over 58 Channels, Including TLC, AMC, HGTV, and more
- Cloud DVR Included
- 1 Week Free Trial
Philo Bottom Line
Philo is a quality streaming service that is extremely affordable. While I want to give it 5 stars for streaming quality and affordability, I have to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars due to the lack of some important channels. However, that is how Philo keeps it’s service affordable.
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