Aside from the channels operated by its owners, Philo also includes third-party networks and streaming services owned by AMC, such as Shudder and AMC+.

It began as an experimental dorm-room streaming project using aluminium foil as a makeshift receiving antenna to "pick up (Boston area) TV signals and deliver them wirelessly to their laptops via a jerry-rigged server".

[4] At its launch, the project was intended to be a way to provide a streaming TV service to Harvard University students living on campus.

Among the Series A investors, were Mark Cuban from Radical Investments LP, HBO, Ari Emanuel from Endeavor, and Rho Capital Partners.

[12] In June 2015, Philo raised $10 million in a Series B round led by New Enterprise Associates, with joint investment from HBO, Rho Ventures, Xfund, CBC New Media Group, as well as Andrew McCollum.

Discovery), and Viacom (prior to its 2019 reunion with CBS Corporation to form ViacomCBS, now known as Paramount Global), all of which also became joint owners of the service with a combined $25 million investment before this launch.

[19] Adding Philo to the list of Google Fiber was described as a way to help the virtual MVPD "keep its growth streak going" without the burden of retransmission consent negotiations and fees needed to run a pay television service.

[20] Philo then added Epix and Starz as premium add-ons in June of the same year, along with TV Everywhere credentials to their websites and access to their video-on-demand libraries.

[26] Later in the year, Philo added around a half-dozen channels operated by Weigel Broadcasting, including MeTV, MeTV+, Heroes & Icons, Catchy Comedy and Story Television.