# Philo

> Philo is a U.S. entertainment-focused streaming television service built around a deliberate omission: it leaves out expensive sports networks and local broadcast affiliates, then offers a lower-cost mix of more than 70 live cable channels, on-demand programming, free ad-supported channels and unlimited cloud DVR. Its paid Essential and Bundle+ plans serve price-sensitive cord-cutters, while its free tier and advertising operation extend the model beyond subscriptions.

- **Founded:** 2010
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Founders:** Tuan Ho (Co-founder), Nicholas Krasney (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** About 200 employees; LinkedIn listed 204 employees in 2026, while the supplied company record lists 210.
- **Products:** Philo Free, Philo Essential, Philo Bundle+, Premium add-ons, Philo Advertising
- **Notable:** Expanded from a university IPTV experiment into a nationwide consumer streaming service in 2017., Passed 100,000 subscribers in 2018 and 1 million subscribers in 2024., Extended unlimited DVR retention from 30 days to one year in 2021.

## Products & services

- **Philo Free** — A free, ad-supported streaming experience with 150+ live FAST channels as of July 2026; an account enables selected recordings with 30-day storage.
- **Philo Essential** — A $25-per-month plan introduced in 2026 with 70+ live entertainment channels, free channels, 75,000+ on-demand titles, a seven-day trial and unlimited DVR with one-year storage.
- **Philo Bundle+** — A $33-per-month plan that adds ad-supported AMC+, HBO Max Basic with Ads and discovery+ access to the Essential lineup; discovery+ became playable directly inside Philo in August 2026.
- **Premium add-ons** — Optional paid upgrades and libraries including STARZ, MGM+, Hallmark+, ALLBLK, Movies & More, ad-free AMC+, HBO Max Standard and ad-free discovery+.
- **Philo Advertising** — Connected-TV advertising inventory and targeting capabilities, including adoption of The Trade Desk's Unified ID 2.0 framework for addressability and measurement.
- **ROW8** — A transactional movie-rental and purchase service acquired by Philo as it expanded beyond its subscription bundle.

## Achievements

- Expanded from a university IPTV experiment into a nationwide consumer streaming service in 2017.
- Passed 100,000 subscribers in 2018 and 1 million subscribers in 2024.
- Extended unlimited DVR retention from 30 days to one year in 2021.
- Acquired transactional movie service ROW8 in 2024.
- Launched a standalone free ad-supported service in 2024 and expanded it to 150+ channels by July 2026.
- Was named to Built In's Best Places to Work list for 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Bundle+ added direct in-app playback of the discovery+ library and introduced an $8-per-month ad-free upgrade.
- **2026-07** — Six new free channels brought the standalone free lineup to more than 150 live ad-supported channels.
- **2026-06** — Philo added 12 Warner Bros. Discovery FAST channels and launched a $13-per-month HBO Max Standard upgrade for Bundle+ subscribers.
- **2026-04** — Tom Tidgwell joined as CFO and Laura Dechant was promoted to COO.
- **2026-03** — Mike Keyserling succeeded Andrew McCollum as CEO; Philo also launched the $25 Essential and $33 Bundle+ plan structure.

## Links

- Website: https://www.philo.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/philo
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PhiloTV
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@philotv
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philotv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhiloTV

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/philo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13