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Open dataset · CC BY 4.0 · United States

What licensed TV actually costs in 2026

Last updated

The licensed streaming cost of replacing a cable package, priced service by service. Every figure carries its source and the date it was verified, the methodology is stated in full below, and the data is published as JSON so it can be checked rather than taken on trust.

Short answer

How much does licensed streaming cost in 2026?

A fully licensed US television setup costs $179.93 a month in 2026 — $2,159.16 a year — spread across 8 separate providers who each bill you individually. That figure prices one live-TV package, one direct-to-consumer sports tier and six on-demand services, using the ad-supported plan wherever a cheaper tier exists, so it is the floor rather than the ceiling. Every row below carries its own source and the date it was checked.

Live TV only

$82.99/mo

$995.88 a year

What does it cost to replace a basic cable package?

No on-demand services, no out-of-market sport, no premium film tiers.

Live TV + sport

$112.98/mo

$1,355.76 a year

What does it cost if someone in the house follows a specific team?

No on-demand services. Regional sports fees vary by market and are not included.

Live TV + sport + on-demand

$179.93/mo

$2,159.16 a year

What does it cost to have licensed access to essentially everything?

Ad-supported tiers throughout, so this is the floor rather than the ceiling.

Get the data as JSONRead the methodology

Live TV

Services that replace a cable package

These are substitutes, not additions — a household buys one. Prices are the headline monthly rate for the plan named, before any regional sports surcharge, which several providers bill separately and none includes in the advertised figure.

Live TV services and monthly prices
ServicePlan pricedMonthlyWhat it uniquely carriesSource
YouTube TVBase Plan$82.99100+ live channels including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and ESPN, with unlimited DVRPresschecked 2026-08-26
Hulu + Live TVWith ads$89.9995+ live channels, bundled with Disney+ and ESPN Select, unlimited DVRPresschecked 2026-08-26
DIRECTVEntertainment$89.99Entry linear package; regional sports availability varies by marketPresschecked 2026-08-26
FuboSports + News$55.99Sports-led linear package; regional sports fees are charged on topRegional sports fees start around $13/mo on base packages and are not included in the headline price.Presschecked 2026-08-26
Sling TVOrange + Blue$60.99The cheapest route to both ESPN and the FOX/NBC side; broadcast coverage is market-dependentPresschecked 2026-08-26

Sport

Rights that are sold separately

Out-of-market and direct-to-consumer sport is the largest single gap in every live-TV package above, and the reason a household following one specific team pays twice.

Direct-to-consumer sports services and monthly prices
ServicePlan pricedMonthlyWhat it uniquely carriesSource
ESPN UnlimitedStandalone monthly$29.99ESPN's direct-to-consumer tier, including out-of-market events not on the linear feedRises to $31.99/mo on 17 September 2026 — the first increase since launch. Recorded here rather than averaged away.Providerchecked 2026-08-26

On demand

Catalogues that cannot substitute for each other

Each of these holds exclusive originals, which is what makes them additive: no amount of paying for one gets you another’s catalogue. Ad-supported tiers are priced throughout.

On-demand services and monthly prices
ServicePlan pricedMonthlyWhat it uniquely carriesSource
NetflixStandard with ads$8.99Netflix originalsPresschecked 2026-08-26
HBO MaxWith ads$10.99HBO originals and the Warner film slatePresschecked 2026-08-26
Paramount+Essential$8.99CBS library, Paramount films, NFL on CBSPresschecked 2026-08-26
PeacockPremium with ads$12.99NBC library, Premier League, NBC sportEvery Peacock tier rose on 18 August 2026, eight days before this check.Presschecked 2026-08-26
Disney+With ads$12.00Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star WarsStandalone Disney+ spans roughly $12–$19/mo across tiers; the ad tier is priced here as the conservative figure.Presschecked 2026-08-26
Apple TVMonthly$12.99Apple originals; no ad-supported tier existsPresschecked 2026-08-26

Methodology

How these numbers were built

What is counted. One live-TV package, one direct-to-consumer sports tier and six on-demand services — 8 bills in total. The live-TV row used in the headline is the one that carries all four broadcast networks plus ESPN, because a cheaper package that drops ABC or CBS is not a like-for-like replacement for cable.

Which tier is priced. The ad-supported plan wherever one exists, and the cheapest defensible tier otherwise. This is deliberate: it produces the lowest total that can be defended, so the figure cannot be dismissed as inflated. A household choosing ad-free tiers throughout will pay materially more than $179.93.

What is excluded. Regional sports surcharges, which vary by market and are billed on top by several providers. Equipment, broadband, and taxes. Promotional introductory rates, which expire — every figure here is the standard rate, not the first-three-months rate.

Sourcing. Every row links its source and states the date it was verified. 1 of 12 rows are priced from the provider’s own published pricing; the remainder are press-reported figures, labelled as such in the table. The distinction is kept visible rather than averaged away, because a provider-published price and a reported one are not the same class of evidence.

Known changes. Scheduled price rises are recorded on the row rather than smoothed into the total — ESPN Unlimited rises in September 2026, and every Peacock tier rose eight days before this check. A cost index that hides a dated change is worth less than one that flags it.

Corrections. If a figure here is wrong, it should be corrected rather than defended. The data is published as JSON under CC BY 4.0, so it can be reused and audited by anyone, including people writing about this category competitively.

Why we publish this

The number is not flattering to anyone, us included

Marinios sells a subscription in this category, so treat this page as what it is: data published by an interested party. That is exactly why the methodology and every source are on the page — the figures can be checked without taking our word for anything, and the licence permits anyone to reuse them, including to argue against us.

What the index shows is that licensed access in the US is now fragmented across 8 separate bills totalling $2,159.16 a year. That fragmentation, not price alone, is the thing the cord-cutting story of the last decade did not anticipate — and it is the reason this market exists at all.

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