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What Is Frndly TV? The Cheap Live TV Streaming Service Explained

John Finn Avatar
Frndly TV logo

Frndly TV is designed to be an affordable live TV streaming service, making it a good option for homes looking to save on the cost of live TV. However, the cheaper price does come with some compromises. Most notably, the channel lineup is not quite as rich as the selection offered by other services, including Fubo, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV.

How much is Frndly TV?

Frndly TV costs a minimum of $7.99 a month, making it significantly cheaper than many other live TV services. The exact price a subscriber pays depends on the plan, and whether the subscriber wants access to a DVR to record programs.

The cheapest Basic plan costs $7.99 a month while the most expansive Premium plan costs $11.99 a month.

Frndly TVBasicClassicPremium
Price$7.99/mo$9.99/mo$11.99/mo
QualitySDHDHD
Streams124
DVR

Does Frndly TV offer A Free Trial?

Yes, Frndly TV offers a 7-day free trial to all new subscribers. Generally speaking, Frndly TV does not tend to vary the length of its free trial, making seven days the longest free period new subscribers can expect to get.

Unlike most other live TV services, Frndly TV also offers annual plans which can help to save even more on the cost over 12 months. For example, the cheapest annual Basic plan costs $83.88, which works out to be $6.99 a month on average. The most expensive Premium annual plan costs $119.88, which works out to be $9.99 a month on average.


Frndly TV logo

$8-$12/mo

  • 50+ channels
  • 1-4 streams
  • Limited DVR

Deal: Save more with an annual plan.


Channels Available With Frndly TV

Frndly TV offers access to more than 50 live TV channels. With the lineup mainly focused on entertainment channels, Frndly TV is not going to be an option for homes looking for access to sports channels and content.

Base plan channels: A&E, AccuWeather, BYUtv, BabyFirst, Bounce TV, Catchy Comedy, Court TV, Cowboy Way Channel, Crime & Investigation, Dabl, Dove Channel, Dove Family Movies, Dove Kids, FETV, FMC, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Grit, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Movies Now, Hallmark Mystery, Heartland TV, Heroes & Icons, INSP, ION, ION Mystery, Justice Central, Laff, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Local Now, MeTV, MeTV+, MeTV Toons, Military History, Movies!, Outdoor Channel, Pixl, Pursuit, QVC, Recipe.TV, Start TV, StoryTV, The History Channel, The Weather Channel, UPtv, Vice TV, Waypoint TV.

One of the interesting things about Frndly TV is that all subscribers get access to the exact same channel lineup. As a result, it doesn’t matter whether you sign up to the cheapest or most expensive plan.

Although Frndly TV doesn’t offer access to local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC channels, it does offer access to some local news through Local Now. Frndly TV also offers access to local broadcast stations in the following six markets.

  • KDCO (Channel 3) Denver, CO DMA (Scripps – Independent)
  • WMYD (Channel 20) Detroit, MI DMA (Scripps – CW Affiliate)
  • WACY (Channel 32) Green Bay, WI DMA (Scripps – Independent)
  • KMCI (Channel 38) Kansas City, MO DMA (Scripps – Independent)
  • WFMZ (Channel 69) Philadelphia, PA DMA (Marantha Broadcasting Co. – Independent)
  • WHDT (Channel 9) West Palm Beach, FL DMA (Scripps – Independent)

Frndly TV Base Plan Add-Ons

Frndly TV is a little limited in terms of add-ons, but subscribers can bundle the following subscription services with their base live TV package.

  • Hallmark Movies Now
  • Lifetime Movie Club

Frndly TV Supported Devices

With Frndly TV available on a variety of platforms and devices, most homes should find they can download an app on their preferred devices, including streaming players, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and more.

  • Amazon Fire TV players, TVs
  • Android mobile
  • Android TV
  • Apple TV
  • Google TV
  • iPhone/iPad
  • Roku players, TVs
  • Samsung smart TVs
  • Vizio smart TVs
  • Web browsers

Compared to some other live TV services, Frndly TV’s list of supported devices is a little more limited. Most notably, Frndly TV is yet to add support for LG smart TVs.

For those without a compatible device, it is still possible to access the service and watch content through the Frndly TV website when using a supported web browser.

How Many People Can Watch Frndly TV At The Same Time?

Frndly TV can be watched on as many as four devices at the same time, but the exact number depends on the plan.

Frndly TV Additional Features

Frndly TV is designed to be an affordable live TV solution and this means the streaming service doesn’t offer quite as many additional features as premium live TV services. The two most notable features are an unlimited DVR and 72-hour Look Back.

Unlimited DVR

In spite of the low cost, Frndly TV provides subscribers with an unlimited cloud DVR, making it possible to record movies, shows and more. However, the DVR is only available to those signed up to the Classic and Premium plans. Furthermore, while Premium subscribers can store their recordings for up to nine months, Classic subscribers can only keep recordings for a maximum of three months.

72-Hour Look Back

72-hour Look Back allows Frndly TV subscribers to look back over the live program guide and watch any show or movie that aired in the past 72 hours. The main benefit of this feature is that it allows you to catch up on programming you forget to record, or remove the need to schedule a recording if you plan to watch programming soon after it airs live.

The Downside Of Frndly TV

The main downside with Frndly TV is the channel lineup. Although Frndly TV offers good value in general, the channel lineup is almost entirely populated with entertainment and lifestyle channels. For this reason, Frndly TV is not a great option for homes looking to access mainstream news channels or live sports.

Another potential downside is the user experience. Compared to the apps offered by other live TV streaming services, Frndly TV’s app is more basic in terms of design and functionality.

Frndly TV has continually been improving the app, so it is getting better, but some may still find it to be too limited in areas like features and device support. This is likely to be even more apparent for those switching to Frndly TV from a more expensive live TV streaming service.

Is Frndly TV worth it?

Yes, Frndly TV is worth a subscription but only if the channel lineup meets your needs and the app is available on your preferred devices. With access to more than 50 live TV channels for as little as $8 a month, Frndly TV offers very good value overall.

Providing you don’t need access to live sports or any of the major news channels then we don’t really see any reason why you should pay for a more expensive live TV streaming service.



John Finn

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