Frndly TV vs Philo

Philo vs Frndly TV: Best Budget Live TV 2026

This Cord Cutters News article (by Jess Barnes, published August 22, 2026) compares two budget live TV streaming services: Philo and Frndly TV. It summarizes available plans and pricing for each service (Philo: Free tier, Essential $25/month, Bundle+ $33/month with add-on services; Frndly: Basic $8.99, Classic $10.99, Premium $12.99), channel counts and examples, DVR and streaming quality differences, and device compatibility. The piece lists channel lineups side-by-side and notes both services support major devices including iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast. The article includes affiliate disclosures and links.

• Philo offers a Free streaming lineup, an Essential plan at $25/month, and a Bundle+ plan at $33/month.
• Philo’s Essential plan includes 70+ live TV channels, 150+ free streaming channels, 80,000+ movies and shows on demand, and unlimited DVR with one-year storage.
• Frndly TV offers three plans: Basic $8.99/month (40+ channels, SD, 1 screen), Classic $10.99/month (HD, 2 screens, 3-month DVR retention), and Premium $12.99/month (HD, 4 screens, 9-month DVR retention).

Roku Adds Originals to Frndly TV, Debuts Summer Sparks

Roku is integrating its Roku Originals content into Frndly TV, the affordable live-TV streaming service it acquired in 2025. The first Roku Original added to Frndly TV is the feature film Summer Sparks, starring Jesse Metcalfe and Kathryn Davis, which originally premiered on The Roku Channel on July 7, 2026. The move follows Roku’s $185 million cash acquisition of Denver-based Frndly TV in May 2025 and reflects an early step to distribute Roku-produced programming via the Frndly TV service while keeping the service available across non-Roku devices and platforms.

• Roku-owned Frndly TV has begun adding Roku-produced originals to its lineup, starting with the film Summer Sparks.
• Summer Sparks stars Jesse Metcalfe and Kathryn Davis and was produced by Champlain Media for Studio TF1 America under the Roku Originals banner.
• Summer Sparks originally premiered free on The Roku Channel on July 7, 2026 and is now available to Frndly TV subscribers.

MeTV Reveals Fall Programming Lineup at Comic-Con

At San Diego Comic-Con, MeTV announced its fall programming slate led by a month-long Wizard of Oz event. The network will present the broadcast premiere of The Wizard of Oz hosted by Lisa Whelchel, plus original behind-the-scenes vignettes titled “The Wonderful World of Oz.” A special Collector’s Call episode will feature Oz collector Tori Calamito, and an episode of Svengoolie will highlight the film as part of MeTV’s BOO-nanza festivities. Regular schedule notes include Collector’s Call on Sundays at 6:30 PM ET/PT, Svengoolie on Saturdays from 8–10:30 PM ET/PT, and select House of Svengoolie airings. MeTV says its Halloween BOO-nanza returns in October 2026, and the channel is available over-the-air nationwide and via streaming services Frndly TV, Philo, Fubo, and Sling TV.

• MeTV announced its fall programming lineup at San Diego Comic-Con on 2026-07-27.
• MeTV will run a month-long Wizard of Oz event beginning with Lisa Whelchel hosting the network’s broadcast premiere of The Wizard of Oz.
• Collector’s Call will air Sundays at 6:30 PM ET/PT; Svengoolie will air Saturdays from 8–10:30 PM ET/PT; House of Svengoolie will air on select Saturdays.

Philo in the News - Philo Press

The page lists recent press mentions, including Page Six's Virtual Reali-Tea Awards streaming exclusively on Philo, and other coverage from The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, and more.

USPI Adds Popularity Score; Owning Content Wins

State of Streaming updated its Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) in August by adding a new Popularity Score vector, developed with Reelgood, that ranks streaming services by consumer interest across their full catalogs. The Popularity Score averages how often a service's titles appear in the national Top 100 each day over a month, creating a forward-looking index aimed at projecting where audience attention is headed. The USPI separates services into 'owners' (catalog-first platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max) and 'renters' (wrappers/resellers like Philo, Fubo, Roku Premium) to signal stability risks tied to content ownership. The August edition argues that services reselling third-party content can post strong short-term numbers but are vulnerable to carriage changes, while owners show more durable demand signals.

• The Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) added a new Popularity Score metric for August.
• The Popularity Score was built in partnership with Reelgood and averages daily Top 100 presence per title over a month.
• Philo and Fubo scored highly in August despite not owning the content driving demand.

Philo vs Frndly TV: Best Budget Live TV 2026

This Cord Cutters News article (by Jess Barnes, published August 22, 2026) compares two budget live TV streaming services: Philo and Frndly TV. It summarizes available plans and pricing for each service (Philo: Free tier, Essential $25/month, Bundle+ $33/month with add-on services; Frndly: Basic $8.99, Classic $10.99, Premium $12.99), channel counts and examples, DVR and streaming quality differences, and device compatibility. The piece lists channel lineups side-by-side and notes both services support major devices including iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast. The article includes affiliate disclosures and links.

• Philo offers a Free streaming lineup, an Essential plan at $25/month, and a Bundle+ plan at $33/month.
• Philo’s Essential plan includes 70+ live TV channels, 150+ free streaming channels, 80,000+ movies and shows on demand, and unlimited DVR with one-year storage.
• Frndly TV offers three plans: Basic $8.99/month (40+ channels, SD, 1 screen), Classic $10.99/month (HD, 2 screens, 3-month DVR retention), and Premium $12.99/month (HD, 4 screens, 9-month DVR retention).