“Philo, a fledgling skinny-bundle TV streaming service, is taking two steps closer to its big-league competitors,” Joan E. Solsman writes for CNET. “The live-TV streaming company will work on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV devices this summer, CEO Andrew McCollum said last week. An Android mobile app is next on the roadmap. ”
“When Philo launched in November, it worked on Roku, on Apple mobile devices and by casting from a Chrome browser on your computer through Chromecast or any other TV-connected Google Cast,” Solsman writes. “In addition, you’ll be able to do more with your Philo account. The company is unlocking the streaming apps for the TV networks included in a customer’s subscription. That means if you pay for Philo’s $16-a-month bundle of cable channels, you’ll be able to access the paywalled apps for channels like AMC, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel and History. (Insiders call this TV Everywhere authentication.) ”
“Philo is the latest in a parade of virtual TV services that have emerged in the last three years and also is the most niche. Most of its competitors are backed by tech Goliaths like AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Google’s YouTube TV, Dish’s Sling TV or Sony’s PlayStation Vue, as a way for those companies to establish their turf as television viewers migrate from traditional providers like cable to digital ones,” Solsman writes. “Philo’s bundle lacks big-time sports, round-the-clock news, big broadcast networks, local channels or the biggest cable networks (which almost all have sports). But those are also the most expensive channels out there. Without them, Philo is cheapest among the newborn ranks of virtual live-TV services.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Sony’s PlayStation Vue remains the best service we’ve seen. We use it via Sony’s excellent Apple TV app because it offers the most live local networks in our area (we get them all anyway via HD antenna, but it’s nice to have them in the Vue app; search for Playstation Vue in the Apple TV App Store). We like the way the Vue app operates and its cloud DVR functionality (DVRs all your shows at once and stores unlimited episodes on up to 500 programs).
Always check your local channel lineup in your area before purchasing a service. Some that show ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC icons only offer them as On-Demand only.