Frndly TV Has 50 Channels From $6.99 a Month: But Is Frndly Good For Seniors?
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man
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TV Answer Man, I hear that Friendly TV is just $6.99 and it has more than 50 channels. But is Frndly good for seniors? And is it Friendly or Frndly? – Diana, Laramie, Wyoming.
Diana, Friendly TV is actually Frndly TV (I make the mistake myself all the time). The name is a play on “friendly.” The streamer is so named because it’s a family-friendly live-TV package built around Hallmark, Lifetime, A&E, History, classic TV, weather, and similar channels.
The $6.99 price is real, but only if you pay by the year. If you pay monthly, the cost is a little more. But all plans include the same live channels. What changes with the different prices is the picture quality, how many TVs you can use Frndly at once, and whether you get a DVR for recording. Let me explain:
The Current Frndly TV Prices
If you pay monthly
• Basic: $8.99 – standard definition (SD), 1 screen at a time, no DVR
• Classic: $10.99 – HD (High Definition, better picture than SD), 2 screens, unlimited cloud DVR recording which are kept for 3 months
• Premium: $12.99 – HD, 4 screens, unlimited cloud DVR kept for 9 months
If you pay annually (billed once a year)
• Basic: $83.88 a year – about $6.99 a month
• Classic: $95.88 a year – about $7.99 a month
• Premium: $119.88 a year – about $9.99 a month
New customers usually get a short free trial (often 7 days). There is no long-term contract and you can cancel anytime, two things that most seniors appreciate.
Every plan also includes 72-hour lookback, so you can start a show that aired in the last three days, another senior favorite. But the DVR is only on Classic and Premium. You can watch Frndly on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, many Smart TVs, phones, tablets, and a web browser. Pretty much on anything.
What Frndly Does Not Have
Frndly does not carry HBO, HBO Max, Starz, Cinemax, Encore, ESPN, TNT, TBS, CNN, Fox News, or your local ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX stations. That’s a lot of omissions and it’s a big reason why Frndly can keep prices low. It doesn’t have to pay to carry those expensive channels. Local Now is a national local-news feed, but it’s not your hometown affiliate. If you need local news and sports, keep an antenna or another live TV service.
Hallmark+, HISTORY Vault, A&E Crime Central, Lifetime Movie Club, and Great American Pure Flix are add-ons, but not part of the not part of the base package.
The Frndly Channel List
A&E
The HISTORY Channel
MeTV
Hallmark Channel
ION
Lifetime
INSP
Lifetime Movie Network
The Weather Channel
Great American Family
UPtv
Game Show Network
ION Mystery
Crime & Investigation
MeTV Toons
Hallmark Mystery
FMC (Family Movie Classics)
Hallmark Family
Catchy Comedy
LAFF
Dove Spirit of the Heart Land
Court TV
Grit
BYUtv
MeTV+
ION Plus
Heroes & Icons
Bounce TV
FETV
GetTV
Dove Channel
JusticeCENTRAL.TV
Local Now
Great American Living
FYI
aspireTV
Military HISTORY
Cleo TV
Dabl
Movies!
Outdoor Channel
PixL
Pursuit
QVC
REELZ
Tastemade
TheGrio
Start TV
StoryTV
VICE TV
Western Bound
Channel lineups can change so check Frndly’s web page here before you subscribe if one channel is a must-have.
Is Frndly Good For Seniors?
If you like Hallmark, Lifetime movies, A&E, History, MeTV-style classics, game shows, weather and Westerns – and you do not need ESPN or local stations – Frndly is one of the cheapest live-TV options left. Many readers use it as a Hallmark and classics package next to an antenna or a bigger service.
A Few More Considerations
How to Get Frndly TV on Your TV
The simplest path for most readers is a Roku or Fire TV Stick. On Roku, press Home, choose Search, type Frndly TV, and add the channel. On Fire TV, search the Amazon Appstore, install Frndly TV, then sign in with the same email and password you used at FrndlyTV.com.
Samsung Smart TVs from 2018 on, and many Android or Google TVs, also carry the app in their store. If your set does not list it, plug in a Roku or Fire Stick. You can also cast from a phone or watch in a browser on a computer. Roku and Fire remotes stay the easiest for most seniors.
More Considerations
The basic plan is standard definition only. If you have a big screen TV, the high-def plan with its improved picture is worth the extra money.
– Annual billing saves money, but you pay the year up front.
• Watch on Roku or Fire TV if you want the simplest remote.
Diana, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe.
Have a question? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
