Cheapest Live TV Streaming With Local Channels in 2026, Ranked by Price

The cheapest live TV streaming options, ranked

Ranked by monthly price, the only services under $55 with local channels either skip CBS or depend on your city. The table shows which networks each one includes, as of October 2026.

Option	Monthly price	Local channels	ESPN
Antenna	$0 after $25 to $60 once	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, if in range	No
Sling Select	From $19.99	ABC, FOX, NBC in select markets, no CBS	No
DirecTV MyNews	$44.99	Locals included, varies by market	No
Sling Blue	From $45.99	ABC, FOX, NBC in select markets, no CBS	No
YouTube TV Entertainment	$54.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC	No
YouTube TV Sports	$64.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC	Yes
Fubo Sports	$64.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC in select markets	Yes
DirecTV MySports	$64.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC in select markets	Yes
YouTube TV main plan	$82.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC	Yes
Fubo Pro	$88.99 + sports fee	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC	Yes
Hulu + Live TV	$99.99	ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC	Yes

Prices from each service's own pages and dated reports, checked October 17 to 19, 2026. "Select markets" means the service carries those stations only where it has a deal with the local affiliate. Always type your ZIP code into the service's channel lookup before you pay.

1. An antenna: free locals

An over-the-air antenna is still the cheapest live TV in America, with no monthly bill at all. It picks up your local ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS stations, plus their subchannels, in HD.

A good indoor antenna costs $25 to $60, and an attic or roof model a bit more. Your local stations broadcast the NFL on Sundays, the local news, the network shows and the big college games. For many households, that covers half of what they watch.

The limits are physical, not financial. Reception depends on your distance from the towers, the direction your windows face and the building around you. Some stations still broadcast on VHF, which cheap UHF-only antennas miss. Before you buy, enter your address on the FCC's DTV reception map to see which stations reach you. Our local channels by state guide lists the main station numbers in each state.

2. The network apps, one channel at a time

Three networks now stream their local stations live in their own apps, but buying all three costs about as much as a full skinny plan. And ABC isn't one of them.

App	Local station it streams	Monthly price
Paramount+ Premium	Your local CBS station	$13.99
Fox One	Your local FOX station	$19.99
Peacock Premium Plus	Your local NBC station	$19.99
All three	CBS, FOX and NBC, no ABC	$53.97

Peacock raised Premium Plus from $16.99 to $19.99 on August 18, 2026, Droid Life reported. Fox One has cost $19.99 since its August 2025 launch, and Paramount+ Premium rose to $13.99 in January 2026.

Our finding: CBS, FOX and NBC through their own apps cost $53.97 a month. YouTube TV's Entertainment plan costs $1.02 more and adds ABC plus cable channels like FX, Bravo and HGTV. One network app makes sense only if you follow one network, such as CBS for your NFL team's Sunday games.

3. The new skinny plans with locals

2026 brought a wave of smaller plans that keep the locals and drop the channels you skip. They're the real price breakthrough of the year.

• YouTube TV Entertainment, $54.99: the cheapest plan with all four big networks in nearly every market, plus FX, Bravo, Hallmark, Food Network and HGTV. No ESPN. Our YouTube TV price guide lists every plan.
• DirecTV MyNews, $44.99: 10+ channels with locals included, according to DirecTV's genre-pack page. New users pay $39.99 for the first two months.
• Sling Select, from $19.99: FOX News, FS1, NFL Network and FX, with ABC, FOX and NBC only in select markets. See our Sling TV price guide.
• The $64.99 sports plans: YouTube TV Sports, Fubo Sports and DirecTV MySports all cost the same. Fubo Sports and MySports include ESPN Unlimited, which costs $31.99 a month on its own. Our Fubo price guide covers Fubo's version.

A sports fan has a clear pick here. At $64.99, a plan with your locals plus ESPN Unlimited is cheaper than ESPN Unlimited and YouTube TV Entertainment bought apart, $86.98.

4. The full live-TV services

The full services, with 100+ channels and every local, cost $82.99 to $99.99 a month before fees. They're the closest thing to cable, minus the box.

• YouTube TV, $82.99: locals nearly everywhere, unlimited DVR, 3 streams.
• Fubo Pro, $88.99 plus a sports fee: about $102 to $105 in most areas once the Regional Sports Fee is added.
• Hulu + Live TV, $99.99: the priciest, because about $27 of it pays for bundled Disney apps. The Hulu + Live TV price guide splits the bill.

Do you watch many cable channels beyond sports and news? If not, the skinny plans above give you the same locals for $18 to $45 a month less.

What each option costs over a year

Over 12 months, the gap between the cheapest and priciest option with locals is about $1,200. Monthly prices hide that, so here is the yearly total before tax.

Option	Year one	Year two
Antenna	$25 to $60	$0
IPTVZ, 12 months, 1 device	$74.99	$74.99
Sling Select	$239.88	$239.88
DirecTV MyNews (new user)	$529.88	$539.88
YouTube TV Entertainment	$659.88	$659.88
YouTube TV Sports or Fubo Sports	$779.88	$779.88
YouTube TV main plan	$995.88	$995.88
Hulu + Live TV	$1,199.88	$1,199.88

Streaming figures before tax and before any local-channel surcharge Sling adds in some markets. MyNews year one includes the $39.99 price for the first two months.

Where IPTV fits

IPTV is the one option that's cheaper than every streaming plan and doesn't depend on antenna reception. It streams live channels over your internet connection, like YouTube TV, but is sold by the year at a much lower price.

Our panel catalogue of October 16, 2026 lists 803 local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations in its US section. ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, CNN, Fox News, HGTV and Disney Channel are there too. An IPTVZ plan costs $74.99 for 12 months on one device, and $29.99 if you want to try 3 months first.

Here's what you trade. IPTVZ has no cloud DVR like YouTube TV's; 485 of its US channels offer catch-up of 1 to 3 days instead. It needs about 15 Mbps per HD screen. And you'll set it up yourself with an app on a Firestick, Smart TV or phone, not with a cable installer; the Firestick setup guide takes one sitting. If you mostly watch live and want your locals without an antenna, it's the cheapest route by a wide margin.

Which one to pick

Start with what you watch, then choose the cheapest option that covers it. Most households land on one of these:

• Locals and network shows only: an antenna, if your reception is good. Nothing beats free.
• Locals plus a few cable channels, no sports: YouTube TV Entertainment at $54.99, or an antenna plus Sling.
• Locals plus ESPN: one of the $64.99 sports plans, or an antenna plus Sling Essentials at $19.99.
• Everything, recorded: YouTube TV's main plan, for its DVR.
• Locals and sports for the lowest yearly cost: IPTVZ, at $74.99 a year.
• A retiree on a fixed income: our guide to TV for seniors on a budget adds Pluto TV, Tubi and low-cost internet programs.

For the full math on leaving cable, including the fees cable adds on top of the plan, read our IPTV vs cable pillar guide. If NFL Sundays are the reason you're shopping, our cheapest way to watch the NFL guide prices a whole season.

Cheap live TV FAQ

What is the cheapest live TV streaming service with local channels?

Sling Select starts at $19.99 a month, but has no CBS and carries ABC, FOX and NBC only in select markets. YouTube TV Entertainment, $54.99, is the cheapest with all four big networks in nearly every market.

What is the cheapest way to get local channels?

An antenna. It costs $25 to $60 once and picks up ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS free, if you live within range of the towers.

Does Sling TV have local channels?

Partly. Sling never carries CBS, and it has ABC, FOX and NBC only in select markets, on Sling Blue and Sling Select. Most Sling users add an antenna.

Can I stream my local CBS, NBC or FOX station without cable?

Yes. Paramount+ Premium, $13.99, streams your local CBS station, Peacock Premium Plus, $19.99, your NBC station, and Fox One, $19.99, your FOX station. ABC doesn't sell its local stations that way on their own.

What is the cheapest live TV with local channels and ESPN?

YouTube TV Sports, Fubo Sports and DirecTV MySports each cost $64.99 a month. Fubo Sports and MySports also include ESPN Unlimited. IPTVZ includes locals and ESPN for $74.99 a year.

Is YouTube TV the cheapest live TV service?

No. Its main plan, $82.99, sits mid-pack. But its Entertainment plan, $54.99, is the cheapest stream with all four big local networks in nearly every market.

Can I get rid of cable and just stream?

Yes, if your home internet is steady. Keep the internet, cancel the TV service and return the boxes. Plan on about 15 Mbps per HD screen, and test your replacement on your own TVs before you cancel.

Which app gives all TV channels for free?

No app carries every channel for free. Free apps such as Pluto TV and Tubi have hundreds of ad-supported channels, but not the full live feeds of your local ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC stations, or ESPN. An antenna is the free way to get the locals.

The short version

• An antenna is the cheapest live TV with locals, free after $25 to $60.
• YouTube TV Entertainment, $54.99, is the cheapest stream with all four networks.
• Sling starts at $19.99 but skips CBS and covers other locals only in some cities.
• Locals plus ESPN start at $64.99 a month on the new sports plans.
• IPTVZ covers locals and ESPN for $74.99 a year.

The cheapest plan is the one that shows your local stations, so test that first. Use the free trial to check your own city, then compare IPTVZ plans with the table above.