Keep the live TV.
- Fast customer support
- Compatible with all devices
- Program guide (EPG) and on-demand (VOD)
- Live channels, DVR and on-demand
Short answer: only a handful of licensed live TV and sports services sell a true 12-month plan, and as of October 2026 the savings run from about $24 to $64 a year. ESPN Unlimited ($319.99 a year), Frndly TV ($83.88 to $119.88) and Peacock ($89.99 to $199.99) are the real annual buys. The big bundles, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling and Fubo, bill monthly only. For those, the way to get a cheaper year is a carrier or internet bundle, a discounted gift card, or skipping the months you don't watch.
At a glance
Buying 12 months of live TV
| Real annual plans | ESPN Unlimited, Frndly TV, Peacock |
| Biggest annual saving | ESPN Unlimited, about $64 |
| Monthly-only | YouTube TV, Hulu Live, Sling, Fubo, DirecTV, Philo |
| Best bundle lever | Internet or phone provider perks |
| Never prepay | A "12 months" deal from a reseller |
The annual plans you can actually buy
These are the licensed services that take one payment for 12 months. Prices are US list prices as of October 2026, and the saving compares the annual price with twelve monthly payments.
| Plan | Annual price | 12 × monthly | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN Unlimited | $319.99 | $383.88 | $63.89 |
| Peacock Premium Plus | $199.99 | $239.88 | $39.89 |
| Frndly TV Premium | $119.88 | $155.88 | $36.00 |
| Frndly TV Classic | $95.88 | $131.88 | $36.00 |
| Peacock Premium | $129.99 | $155.88 | $25.89 |
| Frndly TV Basic | $83.88 | $107.88 | $24.00 |
| Peacock Select | $89.99 | $107.88 | $17.89 |
ESPN Unlimited rose to $31.99 a month and $319.99 a year on September 17, 2026. Pick the annual plan if you follow ESPN sports across seasons: college football in the fall, NBA in winter, baseball and more in spring and summer. Skip it if you only watch one sport, because paying monthly for four or five months comes out lower.
Frndly TV is the easiest annual call in live TV. It's cheap, its channels don't depend on a sports calendar, and the annual price takes three months off. Pick Classic if you want HD and DVR. Skip Frndly entirely if you need local, news or sports channels, because it doesn't have them.
Peacock is a streaming service rather than a bundle, but Premium includes your live NBC station and NBC's sports. Its prices went up in September too. Pick annual Premium if you watch Sunday Night Football, the Premier League or NBA on NBC across the year. Skip it if you already get NBC by antenna.
The big bundles: what 12 months costs
None of the full live TV bundles sells an annual plan. If you search for "12 months" of YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV, the honest answer is twelve monthly bills. Here's what that adds up to at October 2026 list prices, before tax, regional sports fees and future increases.
| Service | Monthly | 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Philo Essential | $25.00 | $300.00 |
| Philo Bundle+ | $33.00 | $396.00 |
| Sling Orange or Blue | $45.99 | $551.88 |
| Sling Orange & Blue | $60.99 | $731.88 |
| YouTube TV | $82.99 | $995.88 |
| Hulu Live TV Only | $88.99 | $1,067.88 |
| Hulu + Live TV | $99.99 | $1,199.88 |
That's why the rest of this guide matters. On a $1,000-a-year service, the levers below are worth more than any annual discount.
Carrier and internet bundles
Phone and internet providers are now the biggest source of cheaper live TV and streaming, because they pay the services wholesale and pass some of it on. Offers change constantly, so treat these as examples to check, not guarantees. Details below are from published roundups in August and September 2026.
Verizon. New Fios and 5G Home Internet customers have been offered $20 off YouTube TV for six months, worth $120 across a year. Verizon's myPlan and myHome perks also sell streaming bundles at $10 a month each, such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN's streaming tier with ads, and a Fox One add-on has been listed as well.
Spectrum. Spectrum's TV plans include a stack of streaming apps at no extra cost, which a September 2026 roundup listed as including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ and HBO Max on its top TV tier, with conditions. If you already pay Spectrum for TV, check you're not paying separately for apps your plan already includes.
Xfinity. StreamSaver bundles Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock Premium and a choice of the Disney bundle or Apple TV, with live channels, for Xfinity Internet customers.
T-Mobile Home Internet. The All-In plan has included Hulu with ads and Paramount+ Essential, though those are on-demand rather than live bundles.
The year-long value of these perks can beat any annual plan. A household on Verizon home internet that takes the YouTube TV credit pays about $876 for its first year instead of $996. Read the small print: most require autopay, new accounts, or a specific internet tier, and many end after six or twelve months.
Our guide to getting live TV through your phone or internet provider covers the bundles provider by provider.
Not ready to commit? Sling has no contract: pay month to month and cancel online anytime.
See this month's plans →Prepaying with gift cards
For monthly-only services, gift cards are the closest you'll get to paying for a year up front. Hulu, Sling, Peacock and Paramount+ sell their own cards, and YouTube TV can be paid with a Google Play card. Load a card's value onto the account and it pays the monthly bills until it runs out.
Two things make this worth doing. First, it caps your spending: when the balance is gone, you decide whether to continue. Second, retailers and warehouse clubs sometimes sell streaming or app-store gift cards below face value, especially around Black Friday, which turns into a real discount on the year.
The catches: gift cards don't work if you're billed through Apple, Roku or Amazon. Hulu's can't pay for premium add-ons. Google Play cards for YouTube TV must cover a full monthly bill on their own. And once loaded, the value is usually non-refundable, so only prepay for a service you know you'll keep.
Four ways to pay less for a year
1. Buy annual only where the calendar fits. ESPN Unlimited for year-round sports fans, Frndly TV for its viewers. Everywhere else, the annual saving is small next to the cost of paying for months you don't use.
2. Claim your provider perks. Check your phone and internet plan before signing up for anything. The YouTube TV credit alone beats every annual discount on this page except ESPN's.
3. Drop the months you don't watch. A football fan who keeps YouTube TV from September to January and drops to Philo for the other seven months pays about $590 for the year instead of $996. No annual plan comes close.
4. Get local channels for free. An antenna, a one-time cost of roughly $20 to $60, covers ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. That lets you choose a cheaper tier without locals, which can save hundreds over 12 months.
We worked through rotation in detail in a rotation plan instead of a contract.
Before you prepay
- Use the monthly plan or trial first. Make sure the app works well on your TV and your internet before committing a year.
- Read the refund terms. Annual plans are generally non-refundable once the year starts, though you'll keep access until it ends.
- Expect the renewal price to change. An annual plan locks your price for that year only. ESPN and Peacock both raised annual prices in September 2026.
- Set a reminder for renewal. Annual plans renew automatically, and a forgotten renewal is a full year's charge.
- Never prepay a reseller. "12 months" offers with thousands of channels, sold through websites or chat apps and paid by crypto or gift card, aren't licensed. When they vanish, so does your year.
Our pick
Best real annual plan: ESPN Unlimited at $319.99, if you watch ESPN in more than one season. It's the largest saving available and ESPN content runs all year.
Best cheap annual: Frndly TV Classic at $95.88, just under $8 a month for HD channels and DVR.
Best way to a cheaper YouTube TV year: a provider perk plus dropping the off-season months. There's no annual plan to buy, and you don't need one.
Quick answers
Can I buy 12 months of YouTube TV at once? No. YouTube TV bills monthly. You can prepay indirectly by loading a Google Play gift card, which must cover each full monthly bill.
Which live TV services offer an annual plan? Among licensed services, ESPN Unlimited, Frndly TV and Peacock sell annual plans. The full bundles such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, Fubo, DirecTV and Philo are monthly only.
How much is ESPN Unlimited for a year? $319.99 as of October 2026, against $383.88 for twelve months at $31.99.
How much is Frndly TV for a year? $83.88 for Basic, $95.88 for Classic and $119.88 for Premium.
Are annual live TV plans refundable? Generally not once the year has started, though you keep access until the end. Check each service's terms before paying.
What's the cheapest way to get a year of live TV? An antenna for local channels, a cheap tier such as Philo or Frndly, and a full bundle only in the months you need it.
Are "12 months IPTV" deals for $50 legit? No. A licensed full bundle costs about $300 to $1,200 a year. Offers far below that, especially with thousands of channels, aren't paying for their content.
Prices are US list prices before tax and fees. Carrier and internet perks vary by plan, location and date and often apply to new customers only, so confirm with the provider. Checked October 2026.