35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite.
At my house, basic digital cable TV cost over $69 per month (plus taxes) and we watch maybe 10 of the 150 channels that they provide to us, meaning that we pay for many channels that we have no interest in. While the price of just about everything headed skyward, paid cable and satellite TV is sometimes one of the first things to go from someone’s budget – there are a lot of people who have taken the big step of getting rid of paid TV in their house and reverting back to antennas or no TV at all. There are even several personal finance bloggers who have talked about this, such as Frugal Dad and Moolanomy. Since we are considering such a move in our new home, I was curious just how many ways there are that provide the ability to watch your favorite shows free-of-charge one way or another, and boy are there a lot! While I cannot vouch for the legality or the quality of all of these websites, here are 35 different ways you can still catch your favorite shows and web videos without paying for cable or satellite TV. Where possible, I have taken a blurb from each site’s “About” page to give you a little more info about them.
1. The good old fashioned antenna. Of course, this all depends on what kind of signal you can get inside your house. We couldn’t even get snow to show up on the TV, and since our new house is made of 18 inch thick adobe, I am not sure an antenna will work there either. Antennas mounted on roofs tend to be a lot better at pulling in those free signals, but remember that come 2009 you will need a special digital converter box, as the analog signals will no longer be broadcast.
2. The network websites. ABC, NBC, CBS, etc – you name it, they are probably streaming most of their shows on their sites the day after they air on TV.
3. TIOTI – A social media aggregator for television – what does that mean? We use the web to put together all sorts of information about TV shows, and let you the audience edit and add to that. We let you see what’s hot, what other people like and where you can get it from.
4. Free TV Online – Our goal is to provide users with a highly interactive and engaging video finding and viewing experience. We believe that the emerging worldwide interest in online video and web 2.0 communities, coupled with the changing nature of traditional video and TV viewing habits, requires fresh ideas.
5. PeekVid
6. BeelineTV – Watch free online TV channels from around the world. Beeline TV provides a selection of the best broadband internet television channels.
7. BigFileTV
8. OV Guide – Founded in 2006, OVGuide.com is the Internet’s most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to online video, including TV shows, movies, user-generated content and video games. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the privately-held company delivers an innovative, user-friendly way to search and browse relevant, high-quality video sites on the Web.
9. Choose and Watch – ChooseAndWatch is a free multimedia portal where you can watch hundreds of online TV channels, check out the newest videos on the internet… No special software, hardware or subscription service is needed.
10. YouTube – I think you know this one already!
11. Democracy/Miro – There’s an opportunity to build a new, open mass medium of online television. We’re developing the Miro internet TV platform so that watching internet video channels will be as easy as watching TV and broadcasting a channel will be open to everyone. Unlike traditional TV, everyone will have a voice.
12. PCTV – The largest collection of FREE Online PC TV, movies, music, sports and games links on the Internet.
13. TV Web 360 – TVWeb360 provides a large collection of free Internet TV channels. Watch free TV Stations from around the world on your computer. Channel categories include News, Business, Entertainment, Music, Movies, Sports, Lifestyle, Educational, Shopping, Cartoons, Weather, Government, Religion and General TV.
The web site offers over 1000 free Web TV channels.
14. Joost – TV’s a fantastic thing, and we’re on a mission to make it even better. We’re combining the best things about television – great shows, great picture quality, something that everyone knows how to use – with the incredible power of the internet to bring people together and deliver entertainment on demand.
15. Daily Motion – Dailymotion is about finding new ways to see, share and engage your world through the power of online video. You can find – or upload – videos about your interests and hobbies, eyewitness accounts of recent news and distant places, and everything else from the strange to the spectacular.
16. TV Nation
17. TV Video – TV-video.net is an online cost-free video service site for all fans around the world who are interested in TV shows
18. AOL Video
20. My Easy TV – MyEasyTV.com is the easiest way to watch TV online for free. There are more than 3000 television channels you can watch with a simple click of your mouse.
21. TV Lizer – TVLIZER.COM is a video online website that indexes online video streams on the Internet. TVLIZER.COM is based on a portuguese website called TVTUGA (www.tvlizer.com), this is its english international version.
22. WWITV – Your Portal to watch live and on demand online TeleVision broadcasts.
23. Channel Chooser
24. TevoOtv – On this website, you will find movie, news, sports, music channels. They are sorted by their respective country, and are easy to access and view using the top navigation menu. Watching online tv on TevooTv is free, there is no monthly fee and no registration required.
25. Find Internet TV – Watching Internet TV just got easier! Now you can save the sites you like to watch. Join now to start adding sites to My Internet TV or login if you are already registered.
26. OVNTV
27. Streamick – Thousands of users use Streamick.com every day to connect to the major internet broadcasters and watch free live internet TV in the easier way possible.
28. Crafty TV
29. Jump TV
30. Flick Peek – You can watch free movies online, tv shows online, cartoons and anime free.
31. Mevio – As the premier social media community, Mevio is the only network providing single-click access to the best in new media in audio, video, podcasts, and music to be delivered to your computer, iPod, mobile device, or television.
32. Your Global TV – 8500++ channels online collected since 1980 and updated daily.
33. wfitv
34. Any TV – Using anyTV means you can watch numerous of international TVs without a television, TV Tuner Card or a satellite receiver. Watch anywhere you have your internet Online. No additional equipment is required.
35. Fancast – Because we’re as into entertainment as you are, we have created one all-inclusive escape that combines everything you want to know about TV, movies, and celebrities. More than just the latest entertainment buzz, Fancast is also your number one place to find what to watch, where to watch it, and when it’s available.
So if you have gotten rid of cable or satellite, where do you watch TV? Do you have any additions for this list to share with other readers (or myself, if we go the no-TV route!)? Let me know in the comments!
Added by readers in the comments:
36. Hulu – Hulu was founded in March 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp.
37. Telesurtv
38. Spreety
40. Don’t Watch Me
41. TVUNetworks
42. Veoh
Photo by dailyinvention
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One of my favorites was http://freetube.110mb.com which streams lots of televisoin channels and some really indie content which was why I use it. The biggest boon in not having cable or satellite is so you can at least get big stuff and small indie stuff on the same site. Should add FreeTube and Hulu.com too.
[...] 35 Ways to Watch Television Without Cable or Satellite: Here you’ll learn about the many ways to find TV without paying for cable. [...]
yea I like freetube as well.
[...] boy are there a lot! While I cannot vouch for the legality or the quality of all of these websites, here are 35 different ways you can still catch your favorite shows and web videos without paying for cable or satellite [...]
Unfortunately, AnyTV and Joost do not support Linux. There is another service called Zattoo that does but it is not available in the US at present (July 2008).
this is good site for free full length movies online
I’ve been using http://watchtvforfreeonline.com/ to watch tv for free online. Seems obvious huh? : )
Anyways this site has no pop up ads and has every TV show I watch including rare ones like Friends and Scrubs. But also as every Family Guy, Lost, Heroes, and like a thousand other shows. Its really pretty amazing that all of this is free online and so easy to access. I guess it’s not on this list because it is a newer site. But I’m pretty impressed so far.
-Alexander
For watching free online music tv channels go here http://liveonlinetvradio.com/online-music-tv-channels/
This is a very helpful post! We live in a rural area with only one cable provider at the moment. Needless to say prices are high and I am looking for a way out from under that cable bill.
Hulu is by far my favorite – their commercials are short and their content has significantly improved over the last six months or so. Everything that’s on the other network’s websites (ABC, NBC, etc) is already on Hulu 90% of the time which makes it more of a one stop shop.
Go ahead and nix the cable – It’s far too expensive and there are so many other great options out there now.
[...] 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite. [...]
Depending on where you live, you cannot get a signal through the antenna … they are switching to digital only.
You forgot good ol stealing! I pay 25 a month for high speed cable internet.
Before the coax cable reaches my modem I installed a cable splitter from walmart that costs about 3 dollars. One side goes to the modem while the other goes to your tv. Viola! instant free basic cable +. 75 channels for absolutley free. Enjoy
I believe it was mentioned (by me) about a dozen posts up.
Still a good “trick”.
[...] to watch tv without cable, and this post beats them all! 35 ways to watch tv without cable! Click HERE for [...]
this post shows the best video website. i prefer veoh more often cause i dont have any buffering problem on it.
Thanks for the compilation, very util
Regards from Pgrowlandia.
watch free online movies and more
http://www.zicok.com
Another addition should be http://www.FirstOnMars.com. This site launched very recently & has 600 tv shows available to view for free.
[...] 35 Ways To Watch TV Without Cable Or Satellite: My Two Dollars [...]
I too am getting fed up with cable–it is way too expensive unless you happen to get into a promotional package deal, but it always expires and then you have to downgrade or renegotiate a new package. Satellite isn’t any better.
Watching TV over the Internet is fine if I miss an episode of a favorite show, but I will not watch everything on my computer because I like to kick back in bed to watch TV at night.
Renting from Netflix or Blockbuster or borrowing DVDs from the library is good. Especially the library option because I can get a whole season at a time of a TV show from the library and keep it a week.
I happen to have a TiVo and I can rent videos from Amazon Unbox, Disney and other places if I want to. It is similar to PPV if you have cable. I also can watch YouTube and other free Internet videos on the TiVo.
The biggest thing for me is being able to watch HD stuff since I just got a 53″ LCD TV. Almost anything else looks like crap except for DVDs that I play on my upconverting DVD player.
I would like to try the antennae option, but in my area, I believe there are only about 5 channels we can get that way. It may still be worth a try.
I too am fed up with the high cost of cable. It ticks me off that we pay so much and only watch a very small number of channels. To get the ones we want, we have to take a big package. Few channels are commercial-free. I don’t like paying a lot of money for cable and then also have to suffer through a ton of commercials. Even though I record most everything, you still get those popup ads and banners and TV logos. I hate those. Watching DVDs is what I do most.
Having the TV on fewer hours a day is very liberating. I also like to read a good book, or listen to my iPod while I work.
I am a very dissatisfied cable customer. Satellite isn’t going to be much better. I checked into it. For me, the best options are watching DVDs and switching to the antennae from cable.
[...] Cable or satellite television. [...]
[...] 35 Ways To Watch TV Without Cable Or Satellite – My Two Dollars [...]
[...] and maintain an internet connection there are many Web sites that can give you access. Click here to learn more. If you’re patient, you can always wait til your programs come out on DVD and [...]
>>>> Zooph | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
Correction to the above. If you pay for cable INTERNET, you can split the line and get free cable TV.
>>>>
i’ve been doing this for years as well but today i saw my cable company truck parked up my street and the technician climbed up the post to do some work, and after that my cable channels are gone. what exactly have they done and is there any solution around this?
No, and hopefully they caught on to what you were doing and shut it off. That’s theft, and it’s partially the reason everyone else’s bill is so high.
How the hell is that theft? That would be like saying you’re stealing a CD from your neighbor because they’re playing it too loud.
They’re the ones who piped it into your house.
Anyway, they likely installed a filter. Don’t mess with it. Now THAT is illegal.
You’re right – not paying for something you are supposed to isn’t stealing. Gee, what ever was I thinking.
Uh, he was paying for that wire to be run into his house. How is it his fault if that wire also included TV signals? Easy answer, it isn’t. Go troll somewhere else.
Go troll somewhere else? It’s my website.
I didn’t notice you complaining last year when I first made the comment…
[...] with horrible DirecTV ends before I can get rid of it. With all the places on the internet I can watch TV shows for free, plus our Netflix subscription and the fact that antenna TV works here, I am looking forward to [...]
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ustream.tv is getting much better.
[...] 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two Posted by root 1 hour 55 minutes ago (http://www.mytwodollars.com) At my house basic digital cable tv cost over 69 per month plus taxes and we watch maybe i didn 39 t notice you complaining last year when i first made the comment all rights reserved powered by wordpress wordpress themes Discuss | Bury | News | 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two [...]
[...] are a ton of other free video sites out there, this list only lists some of the ones I found to be the best. Have some free online [...]
[...] 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two Posted by root 9 days ago (http://www.mytwodollars.com) At my house basic digital cable tv cost over 69 per month plus taxes and we watch maybe i didn 39 t notice you complaining last year when i first made the comment all rights reserved powered by wordpress wordpress themes Discuss | Bury | News | 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two [...]
[...] 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two Posted by root 3 days ago (http://www.mytwodollars.com) In my case having cable tv is the bargain over high speed internet i didn 39 t notice you complaining last year when i first made the comment all rights reserved powered by wordpress wordpress themes Discuss | Bury | News | 35 Ways To Watch Television Without Cable Or Satellite My Two [...]
[...] are by far the costliest aspect of most cable/sat packages), most of what’s on cable/sat is readily and economically available via broadcast TV, on DVD, or online. What’s more, I actually like to watch HD on my HDTV. All [...]
Sidereel.com and Alluc.org are also great ones you haven’t listed here.
Here’s another good site to watch live tv online for free
http://www.epctv.com/
[...] hanging fruit: Brown bag it instead of eating out, drop premium channels or ditch cable entirely, cut magazine or other subscriptions like Netflix or Blockbuster, request new insurance quotes, and [...]
Yes, you are stealing, Just like the electricy and water pipes connect to your house doesnot mean it is free. You guys talk about the the ghetto people are always stealing, but I bet if you go to the good area you will found a lot of people who do not pay for the extra activities. and yes you are a crook.
Goverment & TV stations told us to just get convertor boxes and we would continue to get free antenna TV. I have 4 convertor boxes 1 tv with a new on roof antennae. A second with side roof antenna. and 2 with indoor rabbit ears. CHANNEL 10 ONE OF MY MOST WATCHED CHANNELS FROM ALBANY IS NOT COMING IN AT ALL. CH 6 FRom ALBANY CAN COME IN ON ALL 4 TV’S. 4 CHANNELS FROM ALBANY ARE VIEWABLE WITH THE NEW ROOF ANTENNA BUT NOT ON INDOOR SETUPS. ARE THERE ANY INDOOR ANTENNAS WITH INCREASED RECEPTION
POWER THAT CAN BE PURCHASED?