With cable TV bills often reaching upwards of $200 per month, many people are cutting the cord and opting for streaming services. That said, not all streaming services are created equal. While more affordable than cable or satellite television, streaming services each come with their own unique programming and restrictions. In this rundown of the best streaming services for seniors, I’ll walk you through my five favorite streaming options, including those for movies, TV shows, and even live sports.
FYI: New to the world of streaming platforms? Then read our guide to streaming for seniors.
The 5 Best Streaming Services for Seniors in 2024
- Hulu : Best Channel Add-ons
- FuboTV : Best for Sports
- Sling TV : Best Live TV
- Amazon Prime Video : Best Budget Option
- Netflix : Most Popular Shows
Our Top Picks
1. Hulu - Best Channel Add-ons
4.6 / 5
View Packages
What We Like Most:
- Bundles with Disney+, ESPN+, and live TV
- Discounted options with ads
- Premium add-ons with Max, STARZ, Paramount+, etc.
- Discount for military and veterans
View Packages
Overview
Cost: Starting at $7.99 per month
Hulu offers bundles with Disney+, ESPN+, and live TV, which should satisfy everyone in your household for less than the cost of a cable TV bill.
What Stood Out
Hulu offers a wide library of both old favorites and original programming. My personal favorite show from the streaming service is “PEN15,” an original show about two middle school girls that takes place in the early 2000s, but I also love sitcoms like “New Girl” and more serious shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
But Hulu is one of the few streaming services that offers discounted bundles with other services, such as Disney+ and ESPN+, as well as live TV. This diversity of offerings makes it a one-stop shop for some households, and with versions with and without ads, there’s a plan for every budget. That brings me to my next point.
Pricing
Hulu on its own costs either $7.99 per month, or $79.99 per year, with ads or, without ads, $17.99 per month. However, there are numerous bundles with combinations of live TV, ESPN+, and Disney+, with and without ads, available for anywhere from $76.99 to $89.99 per month. Live TV on its own costs $75.99 per month. There are also add-ons for premium channels:
- Max: $15.99 per month
- Cinemax: $9.99 per month
- Paramount+ with SHOWTIME: $11.99 per month
- STARZ: $9.99 per month
As well, there are live TV add-ons for entertainment in Spanish, more sports, and unlimited screens.
Drawbacks
Hulu allowed me to stream on only two devices at the same time, unless I paid an extra $9.99 per month for live TV on unlimited screens. If more than two people want to watch TV at the same time, Hulu won’t work. I’d recommend fuboTV, which allows up to 10 simultaneous connections, or Netflix, which allows up to four.
Our Verdict
With a large library and convenient bundles, Hulu is an affordable but comprehensive streaming service. To learn more about this service, read my guide to Hulu for seniors.
Pros
- Prices start at $7.99 per month
- Live TV available
- Bundles with Disney+ and ESPN+
- 25 percent off Hulu with ads for military members and veterans
Cons
- No senior discount
- Allows only two simultaneous devices without add-on
2. FuboTV - Best for Sports
4.4 / 5
View Packages
What We Like Most:
- Up to 10 simultaneous screens
- Hundreds of live channels
- Sports add-ons with NFL RedZone, NBA League Pass, etc.
- Live TV included with all plans
View Packages
Overview
Cost: Starting at $32.99 per month
If you’re a huge sports fan, you probably don’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars each month just to catch your weekly games. Meet fuboTV, which offers live TV, ideal for the sports fan who wants to spend less than $100 per month.
What Stood Out
Sports fanatics will love fuboTV because of its focus on live sports channels. For example, where I live, in Providence, Rhode Island, I had a total of 403 channels available, including sports channels such as:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPNews
- Fubo Sports
- MLB Big Inning
- MLB Network
- NFL Network
- Sports Boston
There are also a number of sports add-ons, like Fubo Latino, ESPN HD Deportes, GolTV, and Fox Soccer Plus.
But don’t worry; for the rest of your family, you’ll still get all the regular channels, from local channels to cable channels like Bravo, FX, and E!. For premium channels, you can add on MGM+, STARZ, SHOWTIME, and Paramount+, among others.
Pricing
You can pay anywhere from $32.99 to $99.99 per month for fuboTV, but the English options start at $79.99 per month (the $32.99 option is in Spanish.) The more you pay, the more channels you get, along with up to 10 simultaneous screens and up to 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. All plans include live TV.
Drawbacks
Out of all the streaming services on this list, excluding its Latino option, fuboTV has the highest minimum cost of $79.99 per month. Of course, part of the reason for this inflated price is because it includes live TV with all the plans, which isn’t the case with Hulu or Netflix. But even Sling TV, a similar live TV service, starts at $40 per month. What you’re really paying for with fuboTV is all the sports and channel options, which Sling TV lacks.
Our Verdict
If live sports is what you’re seeking, fuboTV will give you the biggest range of options. To learn more about this service, read my full rundown of fuboTV for seniors.
Pros
- Lots of sports channels and add-ons
- Spanish content available
- Monthly contracts
- Free trials included with all plans
Cons
- No discounts whatsoever
- High monthly costs
3. Sling TV - Best Live TV
4.3 / 5
View Packages
What We Like Most:
- Affordable live TV
- Monthly contracts
- Seven-day free trial
- Premium add-ons with Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, and MGM+
View Packages
Overview
Cost: Starting at $40 per month
When streaming services hit the scene, many people canceled their cable packages, so cable companies created what they called “skinny bundles,” smaller packages of channels for discounted prices. Sling TV is the streaming version of skinny bundles, offering anywhere from 32 to 46 live channels for prices ranging from $40 to $60 per month.
What Stood Out
Sling TV has simplified plans, all of which include live TV. No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get 25 channels, including:
- A&E
- AMC
- BET
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- Comedy Central
- Food Network
- Fuse
- HGTV
- History Channel
- IFC
- Lifetime
- MGM+ Drive-In
- Nick Jr.
- TBS
- TNT
- Travel Channel
- Vice
Other plans include sports channels like ESPN, networks like ABC and NBC, and my personal favorite cable channels, Bravo and TLC. Juicy reality shows, anyone?
Along with live TV, Sling offers add-ons like Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, MGM+, AMC+, Discovery+, and more. I got to try everything out for a week without paying.
Pricing
Sling costs either $40 per month for 32 channels, $45 per month for 42 channels, or $60 per month for 46 channels. All of the plans include 25 of the same channels. The $40 plan includes the Disney Channel and ESPN, among others, while the $45 plan includes the networks and Bravo, the Discovery Channel, E!, and other fun cable channels. To get everything, choose the $60-per-month plan. All plans include live TV, and premium channels are available as add-ons.
Drawbacks
Compared to fuboTV, which offered me over 400 channels, Sling TV offers about one-tenth of that, a maximum of only 46 channels. That may be enough for some people, but if you like more variety in your TV diet, Sling TV may not be worth its low price.
Our Verdict
If you really have only a few channels you want to watch live and they’re included in Sling TV’s plans, it’s the most cost-effective way to watch live TV without paying for cable. To read my full rundown of everything Sling TV offers, read my guide to Sling TV for seniors.
Pros
- Affordable plans starting at $40 per month
- Network and cable show options
- Live TV
- Premium add-ons
Cons
- Only 46 channels maximum
- No senior discounts
4. Amazon Prime Video - Best Budget Option
4.0 / 5
What We Like Most:
- Plans start at $6.99 per month
- Prime membership includes free delivery, Amazon music, deals at Whole Foods, etc.
- Discounts for those on qualified government assistance
- On-demand and live TV
Overview
Cost: Starting at $6.99 per month for government assistance recipients or $14.99 per month
Amazon Prime Video is pretty different from all the other streaming services on this list because it’s included with a Prime membership, which saves me money on deliveries, music, and even groceries at Whole Foods. Plus, with prices starting at $6.99 per month for people on qualifying government assistance programs, it’s tied with Netflix for the lowest starting monthly cost.
What Stood Out
With Prime Video, which was included with my Prime membership, I got a lot of movies and TV shows to choose from, including live TV and original programming from Amazon Studios. My personal favorite is “Fleabag,” a British comedy with that dry sense of humor I can’t get enough of, but according to Nielsen, its most popular original program in 2023 was Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan,” starring John Krasinski from “The Office.” Count me in!
Now, with Prime, not only did I get a bunch of on-demand content, but I could also watch live TV or upgrade my membership with add-ons to premium channels like STARZ, AMC+, Discovery+, MGM+, and Paramount+. And, much to my delight, it also has add-ons with partners like the Lifetime Movie Club and MLB.TV. Personally, the former attracts me more than the latter; I love a good Lifetime movie!
Of course, with this Prime Video offering, I got all the benefits of a Prime membership, from free two-day shipping to Grubhub+ to Amazon Music to discounts at Whole Foods, making it by far the most cost-effective streaming service.
Pricing
A Prime membership costs either $14.99 per month or $139 if you pay for a year upfront, which comes out to $11.58 per month. However, Prime offers a discount I think you’ll find appealing. For people on qualifying government assistance programs, Prime is available for just $6.99 per month, a 50 percent price cut.
To get Prime Access, you’ll need to receive qualifying government assistance or have a household within 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which you can see below for 2024, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
| Persons in family/household | Poverty guideline |
|---|---|
| 1 | $15,060 |
| 2 | $20,440 |
| 3 | $25,820 |
| 4 | $31,200 |
| 5 | $36,580 |
| 6 | $41,960 |
| 7 | $47,340 |
| 8 | $52,720 |
Drawbacks
Unless you pay an additional $2.99 per month, all of Prime Video’s content comes with ads, which is not what you want from a streaming service. Unfortunately, that’s the case for Netflix as well, which makes you pay even more for no ads, an extra $8.50 per month, to be exact. Hulu is the same way, charging an extra $10 per month to get rid of ads, so in this way, at least Prime Video is the cheapest!
Our Verdict
Especially if you’re on qualifying government assistance, getting a Prime membership is a great way to stream entertaining content and get discounts in a bunch of other areas, from groceries to books.
Pros
- Included in Prime membership
- Live TV
- Premium channels available as add-ons
- Discounts for those on qualifying government assistance
Cons
- Have to pay extra to get rid of ads
- Not as many of the most popular original streaming programs compared to Netflix
5. Netflix - Most Popular Shows
4.0 / 5
What We Like Most:
- Most streamed programs, original programs, and streaming movies in 2023
- Prices start at $6.99 per month
- Live Netflix events
- Monthly contracts
Overview
Cost: Starting at $6.99 per month
If Netflix was a restaurant, it would be McDonald’s. What do I mean by that? Well, it has, by far, the most popular TV shows and movies of any streaming service, which included, in 2023, fan favorites like “Suits,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Gilmore Girls,” and “Supernatural,” along with movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru”. Whether it’s reruns of your favorite shows or original programming, Netflix is hands-down the most popular service in terms of streamed content.
What Stood Out
Netflix dominates Nielsen’s list of the most streamed content in 2023, whether it was for syndicated TV shows like “Gilmore Girls,” a personal favorite, original streaming programs like “Love Is Blind” or “Virgin River,” or streaming movies like “Sing 2” or “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Even Hulu and Prime Video can’t compete, each contributing only one of the top 10 programs among the most streamed programs and top original streaming programs, respectively.
When it comes to entertaining content, Netflix dominates in nearly every genre, from reality TV shows like “Selling Sunset” to cult documentaries like “Wild Wild Country.” There’s an option for you whether you want kids’ programming for when the grandkids visit, older movies like “Out of Africa,” or hilarious standup from comedians like Dave Chapelle.
And while Netflix doesn’t include live TV in the same way as fuboTV or Sling TV, for example, it does offer live events, typically reunions and comedy specials, a few times per month.
Pricing
Netflix starts at $6.99 per month with ads, $15.49 per month without ads, or $22.99 per month without ads and with 4K video, immersive sound, and up to four simultaneous devices instead of two. All plans include live events, but note that unlike Hulu, Netflix doesn’t offer any premium add-ons, bundles, or live TV channels like ESPN. Rather, it’s a more straightforward streaming service, which you can pay for on a monthly basis and cancel anytime.
Drawbacks
While Netflix has an extensive library of on-demand content, it’s not a good option if you want live TV, aside from those rare events, particularly live sports. You won’t be able to get any TV channels through Netflix, which isn’t the case for Prime Video and Hulu. Netflix is more dependent on its own streaming library, but with such popular shows, it doesn’t need to rely on outside partners.
Our Verdict
If you love being part of the cultural zeitgeist and watching the most popular shows and movies, Netflix should be the first streaming service on your list.
Pros
- Most popular movies and TV shows
- Monthly contracts
- Prices start at $6.99 per month
- Exclusive live events
Cons
- No bundles with other streaming services or premium channels
- No live TV channels or sporting events
Our Methodology
In choosing my favorite streaming services for seniors, I evaluated them based on the following criteria:
- Price: Streaming services come with different subscription tiers, contracts, and add-ons. I evaluated them based on the amount of programming provided in relation to the cost.
- Programming: While I can’t account for what every household wants to see, I took a general overview of the programming from each service to gauge who would most likely enjoy the service and how the content offerings impact the value.
- Extra benefits: Some streaming services offer extra perks like premium channels, live sporting events, and the ability to stream on multiple devices. I looked for services with all the best features.
- Live options: Some streaming services offer live TV options. This allows you to replace your cable service without losing live sports or news coverage. I noted when a streaming service had this option.
Streaming Services vs. Cable TV
Streaming services and cable TV are two different approaches to television entertainment, each with distinct benefits and drawbacks.
Benefits of Streaming Services
- On-demand convenience: Streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ offer on-demand content, allowing users to watch shows and movies at their convenience.
- Cost-effectiveness: Streaming services are generally more cost-effective than cable, with lower monthly fees and no equipment rental costs.
- Diverse content: Streaming platforms often feature exclusive original content and a wide variety of genres to suit different tastes.
- Portability: Streaming services allow users to watch content on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops, making it easier to consume content on the go.
Drawbacks of Streaming Services
- Fragmentation: With multiple streaming platforms, finding specific shows or movies can require subscribing to several services, increasing costs.
- Internet dependence: Streaming relies on a stable internet connection. Poor internet quality can lead to buffering and interruptions. To find the best internet deals, read our guide to the best internet for seniors.
- Limited live content: Streaming services typically have limited live TV options, which can be a drawback for sports events or live news.
Benefits of Cable TV
- Live content: Cable TV is better suited for live broadcasts, including sports events, news, and other programming.
- Bundling options: Cable providers often bundle TV with internet and phone services, potentially reducing overall costs.
- Channel variety: Cable TV often offers a broader range of channels without the need for multiple subscriptions.
Drawbacks of Cable TV
- Higher costs: Cable TV generally has higher monthly costs, with additional fees for equipment and premium channels.
- Contract obligations: Cable subscriptions often require long-term contracts, with penalties for early termination.
- Limited on-demand content: Cable's on-demand offerings are typically more limited compared to those of streaming services, with fewer choices for binge-watching.
In summary, streaming services offer greater flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and portability, but they may require multiple subscriptions and they rely on a stable internet connection. Cable TV provides reliable live content and broader channel variety, but it tends to be more expensive and less flexible with its contracts and equipment fees. Your choice will depend on your preferences for content type, cost, and flexibility. To find the best deals on cable TV for seniors, read our guide to the best cable TV providers for seniors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do any streaming services offer discounts for seniors?
Streaming services don’t typically offer discounts for seniors. None of those listed here offers a specific discount, though Amazon Prime offers half off its subscription for those who benefit from qualifying governmental assistance programs.
- Which streaming service is best for seniors?
The best streaming services for seniors are Hulu, FuboTV, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix.
- What equipment do you need to stream on a TV?
Streaming services require smart devices to stream content. Capable devices include most smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and computers. Those who don’t own a smart TV can also use hardware like Roku or Chromecast to get streaming service access.
