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Philo provides a live television streaming service focused on entertainment, delivering a modern viewing experience that integrates live TV, premium channels, and free content. The platform offers subscribers access to a wide array of top-rated channels and an extensive on-demand library, complemented by an unlimited cloud DVR feature. This tech-driven approach aims to simplify content consumption, allowing flexible access across various devices.
The company was founded by Tuan Ho and Nick Krasney, originating from their work at Harvard, and launched its service in 2017. Inspired by television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, the founders envisioned a new model for television delivery. Their initial insight stemmed from a desire to create a more streamlined and user-friendly alternative to traditional cable, leveraging technology to build a responsive streaming solution.
Philo primarily serves consumers seeking an affordable and flexible alternative to conventional television packages, specifically those prioritizing entertainment content. Its vision centers on reclaiming what TV should be by putting the audience first, showcasing diverse entertainment, and fostering connection through stories. The company continuously works to enhance its product, expand content offerings, and ensure a high-quality, value-driven streaming experience for its users.
Philo has raised $17.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Philo has raised $17.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Philo is a San Francisco-based technology company that builds an affordable live TV streaming service, offering over 70 channels, thousands of on-demand titles, unlimited cloud DVR, and premium add-ons like AMC+ and HBO Max Basic—all without contracts or hidden fees.[1][2][5] It targets cord-cutters seeking entertainment and lifestyle content from networks like AMC, HGTV, Food Network, Comedy Central, MTV, Discovery, A&E, and Hallmark, solving the problem of high cable costs and rigid bundles with a user-friendly, cloud-delivered platform.[1][5] Philo serves millions of U.S. consumers via apps on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, smart TVs, iOS, Android, and web, emphasizing personalized recommendations via machine learning and multi-device household features for simultaneous viewing.[1][2]
The company has shown steady growth since its 2017 consumer launch, evolving from a university-focused IPTV service to a premium streamer with over a million subscribers, recent price adjustments to $28/month (including free AMC+), and expansions in channels and tech innovations.[2][4][5]
Philo traces its roots to 2010 at Harvard University, where founders Tuan Ho and Nicholas Krasney launched it as Tivli—a dorm-room experiment using aluminum foil antennas to stream Boston TV signals wirelessly to laptops, initially targeting on-campus students.[2] By 2011, it captured a quarter of Harvard's resident population in weeks, proving early traction in campus TV delivery.[2] In 2014, Andrew McCollum (Facebook co-founder) became CEO, pivoting from university IPTV to a direct-to-consumer OTT service; a 2015 Series B round of $10M from investors like New Enterprise Associates, HBO, and Rho Ventures funded the move to San Francisco.[2]
The public launch came on November 14, 2017, backed by $25M from joint owners A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, and Viacom (now Paramount), focusing on "skinny bundle" live TV without sports.[2][5] Named after TV inventor Philo T. Farnsworth—whose San Francisco lab is near headquarters—the company grew from 35 channels to over 100, blending its student origins with pro-level streaming tech.[5]
Philo stands out in the crowded streaming market through tech-driven features and a cable-alternative model:
These elements create a "delightful, transparent" service that feels like modern TV without legacy hassles.[1][5]
Philo rides the cord-cutting wave, capitalizing on consumer frustration with cable's rising prices (often $100+/month with contracts) amid the shift to OTT streaming, where U.S. households increasingly ditch bundles for flexible, app-based TV.[2][5] Timing aligns with post-2010s streaming booms (e.g., Netflix, Hulu), but Philo differentiates via live linear channels at low cost, filling the gap for "skinny bundles" as media giants like Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount consolidate.[2]
Market forces favor Philo: joint ownership by major networks provides exclusive content and stability, while tech like cloud DVR and AI personalization counters churn in a fragmented market (vs. competitors like TiVo, MUBI).[3][5] It influences the ecosystem by proving viable alternatives to bloated cable, pushing incumbents toward à la carte models and inspiring university-to-consumer pivots in edtech-entertainment hybrids.[2][4]
Philo is poised to expand as a premium live TV disruptor, potentially adding more channels, international reach, or sports-free niches amid ongoing cord-cutting (projected to hit 80M+ U.S. households by 2026). Trends like AI-enhanced discovery, multi-device households, and ad-supported tiers will shape it, especially with network owners betting on profitability over volume.[1][5] Influence may grow via tech innovations (e.g., next-gen playback) or acquisitions, solidifying its role as an accessible gateway to "TV done right"—echoing its dorm-room hack to million-subscriber streamer arc.[2][5]
Philo has raised $17.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Philo's investors include NEA, Construct Capital, Craft Ventures, First Round Capital, Xfund, Brett Topche, Patrick S. Chung, Gradient Ventures, CBC New Media Group, Felicis Ventures, Home Box Office, New Enterprise Associates.
Philo has raised $17.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series B in June 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2015 | $10.0M Series B | NEA | Construct Capital, Craft Ventures, First Round Capital, Xfund, Brett Topche, Patrick S. Chung |
| Jul 1, 2013 | $6.0M Series A | Construct Capital, First Round Capital, Gradient Ventures, Xfund, Brett Topche, Patrick S. Chung, CBC New Media Group, Felicis Ventures, Home Box Office, New Enterprise Associates, Mark Cuban, Rho Ventures, WME | |
| Sep 1, 2011 | $1.0M Seed | Accel, Flybridge Capital Partners |
