Philo TV Review 2024 | Is the Discount Streaming Service Worth the Savings?

[@FrugalRules]

What’s most important to you when choosing a live TV streaming service?

[@Mandy2u]

@@FrugalRules streaming services my family all enjoy and to stay under $40 a month for the streaming services we use. We have a antenna for locals and we don't mind ads.

[@JonathanRodriguez_30]

Live sports

[@randyscibilia6022]

I currently have Philo but DO NOT see the new channels like AMC Plus or Shudder. Why is this?

[@FrugalRules]

@@randyscibilia6022 Hm,. that's interesting. Did you receive any communication from them to opt into/out of the increase? If not, we'd recommend reaching out to them to see why you're not seeing it in your lineup, in the event it's a tech issue.

[@terryvanburen]

I love Philo because you can add on Reelz, and we like to record On Patrol Live, which allows us to fast-forward through commercials, which is important because it's 3 hours every Friday and every Saturday night. My wife loves Hallmark, HGTV, and Start TV, so it is the best choice for us. We can skip commercials on anything we've recorded so we're able to consume more content and less advertising. We use Tablo for local channels, which also allows us to view on any TV or mobile device as well as record shows, allowing us again to fast forward through commercials. With both Tablo and Philo we don't really feel like we're missing anything since cutting the cord , and we're saving about $200 a month with much more features and unlimited recording.

[@trena4068]

Philo is definitely worth every penny! I like that it is not forcing me to the price hike because I have no desire to watch the additional channels. I use an antenna if I want to watch regular tv shows which is not very often.

[@FrugalRules]

We love that they don't force customers into a price hike. If you like the content, it makes sense to stay with them.

[@lpj1263]

I had it, I liked it, but couldn't get my wife onboard with it. For the $30 I can get the Disney, Hulu and Max commercial free bundle.

[@daveanddianethrowingcautio5707]

We are late to the game and are JUST starting streaming TV, uhg, what a struggle for the non-techy types like us.

[@ryuhayabusa6776]

Congratulations. I remember how excited and intrigued I was during my first two days of streaming. I have some of the videos I watched saved as mp4s now, for fun.

[@FrugalRules]

We get it. Once you get started you'll, hopefully, learn you don't need to be that tech savvy. We're always here to answer any questions you might have along the way. 🙂

[@ryuhayabusa6776]

@@FrugalRules I was seeking a cable alternative like Frndly or Philo when I started, and was surprised to find YT on a big screen, along with streaming-exclusive shows. John and Nicole can offer good advice.

[@APR1037]

I have a bias towards underdogs and I loved Philo. A couple of years ago, the price was reasonable for what they offered. However, as their price went up, I had to reevaluate the value of Philo relative to my viewing preferences. I chopped it. I can’t believe it is now $28/mo. At that price, Philo may be right for some but it does not make sense for my household.

[@FrugalRules]

Agreed, for a live service it's a relatively decent value, However, there's more value and content to be had with a combination of other services.

[@SandraKBoggs]

Philo is very much worth the cost! I only watch channels with old shows, like TV Land and other similar channels.

[@spaceghost4474]

IMHO Philo is worth every penny of it's price, if you don't care about locals and sports. If you want locals, you can always use a antenna. It's a bit more primitive than the other live services, but the price is enough to make up for the difference. Frndly is a good service for it's price, but it just doesn't have enough of the channels that I want.

[@FrugalRules]

Agreed, especially if you don't want/need that cable-like experience. It's not a service for us...BUT, if you like the content it's a solid value. That's especially the case in an age of regular price hikes.

[@loulopez554]

We like philo for the cost and content.

[@Mandy2u]

I am the only one in my family that watches Fridly or Philo, but get one of the services for a few months for holiday movies for a few months of the year.

[@EdwardStettler]

I like Philo. It has all the paramount TV channels but cheaper than paying the cable companies for the same channels. I just wish it also included CBS which is also owned by Paramount. I do have the antenna though

[@RichMiller]

I really dislike Live TV. I go back to the 50's and Live TV. I'm so over being on a specific channel at a specific time to watch a show! On Demand is where it's at!

[@FrugalRules]

And, thankfully, there's still some value to be had out there if you combine a couple of services and get the on-demand content you want.

[@billjones4986]

Sling blue is the way to go,only down side no cbs local and ESPN.So I will suffer a bit during the nfl season,hoping ABC will show Monday night football if not I am screwed.

[@FrugalRules]

ABC is reportedly going to simulcast five to six games this season. The number was higher last year because of the strikes in Hollywood.

[@MarcoRicondo]

I think you can swap between orange and blue without additional charges.

[@derekvallem]

Thanks for the review. I like Philo for History, AHC (American Heroes Channel) MHC (Military History Channel), BBC, and now AMC+. I don’t think anyone else has AHC in their basic plans.

[@FrugalRules]

To our knowledge, you're correct. It's largely only available via add-on packages.

[@AlbertoRodriguez-ju6hc]

That's my explanation. Excuse the punctuation and the fact it was Uber long-winded but I got my point across thank you.

[@ericarmbrustmacher2023]

I started with Philo. Liked it while I had it, but realized I wanted other shows and such, so I dropped them for other options

[@saraibucciarelli1821]

Frndly is cheaper with annual subscription.

[@shackdaddy7106]

Yes, but you must consider that most of the channels on friendly are available over the air. So if you have an over the antenna. There is really no need for friendly. Unless of course you want to DVR your shows and watch them when you want to watch. Which is the big advantage of streaming.

[@AlbertoRodriguez-ju6hc]

Wow I cannot remember the last time I watched such a well put together how to/review video. First I'd like to say thank you for the informative well done video but there's too many problems with television as a whole and I'm gonna explain some of them away.

[@nickperkins8477]

Your all’s KZbin videos are always great!! I have circled Philo, but haven’t taken the leap.

[@WhittyPics]

When you subscribe, they seem to grandfather you from price hikes. I just wish it worked better with Apple TV

[@nickperkins8477]

I have always thought it was fascinating how the app name “Philo “ ties into television history, itself.

[@Aname87]

Question…is the same phone number used to sign in for every profile created associate with an account. Not sure since there’s no password to sign in.

[@cliffhains2228]

I'm paying only 20 dollars? I think I'm still on there old plan.

[@FrugalRules]

You likely are!

[@chadnoty5086]

I’m kinda on the fence of canceling Philo and going Sling Orange and blue for an extra $22 a month. But of the years Philo has a lot of zombie channels same content over and over not much new content In my experience

[@FrugalRules]

You're not wrong there. Sling is a good value, especially if you want sports and some news.

[@MindReadtheJoke]

Same with Sling, it's not that good or worth it unless you like sports.

[@cyoohoos]

If you are stuck in the 1970s to 1990s Philo is perfect. Once you want to see Y2K and present…the pickings are slim

[@mjfisher1199]

Philo seems interesting. Price seems reasonable. I like Axs TV. I use Newson thru Roku to get my Fox local news. Don’t care about that anyway tho. Hubby will want sports especially come 🏈

[@cherylschneider3294]

I get philo for HGTV and Animal Planet and America's Test Kitchen.

[@brotherjohnwaynecausey]

Philo doesn't have Local channels or sports as well

[@anital2861]

Frndly is the best. I tried philo and hated it. It was so slow.

[@tonyyoung1099]

Do they give local channels ?

[@thehowman8567]

Philo is good but I don’t like the guide there guide has no last channel like friendly tv does they do have lots of great channels but the guide stinks I don’t like the square tiles

[@FrugalRules]

Agreed. We find the guide a bit wonky.

[@thehowman8567]

None of the love streaming services are the best they all stink like cable

[@donvedio]

Philo does not include the three major news networks. For me, that is a deal breaker......

[@bionicwoman9884]

thats why its cheap you would need an antenna for locals

[@donvedio]

@@bionicwoman9884 I am not talking about network local stations. I am talking about the three cable news networks CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC.

[@jimmymejia3153]

No its Not!

[@ryuhayabusa6776]

Frndly. To me, the only real advantage Philo has is a Favorite Channels feature, but it's awkward, because the Philo guide only moves one channel at a time. Planning to pair Frndly with Venu for $53.

[@FrugalRules]

Agreed. Overall, we find the Philo guide experience fairly wonky. That's not a bad pairing at all...assuming Venu makes it to market. Hopefully there'll be news on that soon. 🙂

[@ryuhayabusa6776]

@@FrugalRules It is THE best pairing I can think of right now. TBS, TNT, all of those sports programs, plus everything that Frndly has, like Hallmark, Lifetime and reality TV. Then add an antenna for locals.