MidcoTV vs Sparklight TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MidcoTV
Stream live TV, cloud DVR recordings, and On Demand content on your device. Manage recordings remotely and access additional shows through TV Everywhere networks. Enjoy up to three simultaneous streams within your home network.
- Stream live TV
- Access cloud DVR recordings
- Watch On Demand content
- Schedule and manage recordings remotely
- Access TV Everywhere networks
- Up to three simultaneous streams
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After connecting MidcoTV equipment to your TV, download the MidcoTV app. When you're on your home network, you can stream live TV, recordings from your cloud DVR, ON Demand content and more on your device, so everyone can watch what they want (up to three streams at once!). Plus, you can schedule and manage your recordings from anywhere and access TV Everywhere networks to watch more shows.
Sparklight TV
Transform your devices into a TV to stream live cable and local channels. Record your favorite shows with cloud DVR, manage recordings, and utilize parental controls. Available in select areas with a required subscription.
- Stream live cable and local channels
- Record shows with Cloud DVR
- Multiple stream options
- Parental controls
- Video on Demand
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Never miss a show with Sparklight® TV – Turn almost any screen in your home into a TV and record your favorite shows at the touch of a button. Available in select areas only. Visit www.sparklight.com/about-sparklight-tv for details. With Sparklight® TV: - Your Favorite Cable TV & Local Channels streamed LIVE to almost any device in your home - 3 streams with optional upgrade to 6 streams - Record and watch your favourite shows with Cloud DVR - 10 to 200hrs of DVR recordings - Parental Controls - Video on Demand Subscription to Sparklight® TV Required
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: MidcoTV at ad-supported against Sparklight TV's subscription. Sparklight TV's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (2.0 vs 1.7). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sparklight TV holds the better App Store score, 2.0 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 72 and 74 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 7% of MidcoTV's written reviews are positive against 4% of Sparklight TV's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MidcoTV ships an update every 12 months, Sparklight TV every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MidcoTV | Sparklight TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.7 (72 ratings) | 2.0 (74 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.8% of reviews — better | 3.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 72 | 74 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 378 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Midcontinent Communications Inc. | TiVo Platform Technologies LLC |
Customer experience
MidcoTV
Sparklight TV
In-app purchases
MidcoTV
No in-app purchases
Sparklight TV
No in-app purchases
