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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Brian | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You left out hulu.com. They have lots of content including recent tv shows and even some full length movies available. You should check them out.
claire | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Although I live in a valley and get terrible reception, an antenna works for most local channels. Otherwise, I rely on Netflix for tv shows and movies, which is plenty to keep me occupied.
AnswerGuru | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
After moving into the mountains, we went the no-TV route and love it. Now when we want to watch a certain show we just add a season to our Netflix queue and watch it in a condensed timeframe.
One other option is free-to-air satellite: basically there are tons of unencrypted satellite transmissions that are available with a cheap / used satellite dish and an inexpensive converter box. No monthly fees involved.
Angela | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
I use Hulu.com, surfthechannel.com, and the network websites. I haven’t had a tv since August 2007, but I’m totally fine without it. Can still watch Lost, The Office, Gossip Girl, Pushing Daisies… I’m good to go.
Maria - Frugal Homesteading | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Wow, what an extensive list. We don’t have cable television or actually … any television, but we do have high speed internet. We just don’t have the time to watch TV!
Lazy Man and Money | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
It seems to me that there are three big nuts to crack before people start dropping their cable TV.
1. People need to be able to watch the shows as they happen. You can’t talk about the latest episode of The Office at the office, if it wasn’t run online while everyone else was.
2. Legality… though you can’t vouch for the legality, for mass adoption you’d want it to be very legal.
3. Sports… Do I get to watch the Red Sox game as it happens? If the game is available, is the picture quality of the Patriots game up there with the high definition? You can’t be dropping frames or watching on a postage stamp.
david | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
LM&M- Sometimes its about $$$ only and not so much what people can and cannot watch. My mom’s cable package is $139 and ours is $69 - way above what a lot of people can afford, and if it comes down to food vs. TV, I would pick food as well. However, we are not in that situation, but rather just considering what our options are - We watch only a few shows a week, I cannot catch Sox games unless they are playing the Yankees (espn), and I don’t mind watching a show the next day…I work from home by myself. (thankfully) When they get all the bugs figured out, internet TV is definitely the future though…
Zooph | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You may wanna add Veoh to the list.
SingleGuyMoney | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
That’s a great list there. I definitely need to check those out to see which ones could work for me.
Bo | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the list! I’ve been living without cable for 2.5 years and it’s great! I am surprised so many people continue to pay for cable, especially with prices for everything else going up. I watch a few broadcast shows, and then any shows I miss I can usually find online. I started out using fanpop.com but think I’ll check out a few of the above to compare. As for LM&M’s comments about talking about the shows at work….I think that you (David) work from home.
I say try the no-cable route for a while. You can always buy a package later…
eire | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
good for films and has links to many other sites
Captain McBozo | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You might also want to check out your local library and see what their DVD collection has to offer.
channce | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
http://www.tvunetworks.com is one of the best I’ve found for a collection of live streaming English language stations, including some network and cable stations. You can even find some occasional live sporting events on there. I think it is hosted in China, so I don’t know just how legal the feeds may be.
damron | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
A tremendous amount of TV content is available via Netflix. Their online viewer is fantastic. Any of their plans gives you the unlimited online viewing feature
Jeff@MySuperChargedLife | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Wow! I had no idea that there were so many options for watching TV. We did away with cable both to save money and to stop wasting valuable chunks of our life watching crappy shows on the tube. While I’m sure that these are great options, why not use the time to enjoy the great outdoors instead?
Ilove TV | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You forgot freetube.110mb.com
Gunnard | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
http://www.dontwatchme.com has streaming tv links (simpsons, futurama, southpark) as well as daily tv torrents from the major TV sites. All this in one place.
Michael Wong | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
You only need one site:
http://www.seecy.com/
The Biggest Collection of Working Video Links on The Web: 412 and counting
Brenda | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
My problem is that I can only access dialup service where I live. Therefore it takes forever to watch just one half hour show. They are working on wireless but not there yet. So I guess it’s no TV for me for a while yet.
Norman Roberts | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
my site offers the latest and best free movie sites
enjoy the show all for free
http://www.nosubscriptionrequired.net/
vivian | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
wow, really cool and pretty good. I will have a try. Good way to watch tv without cable. really perfect.
Ron Laughton | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
Spreety’s Preferred Internet TV Guide lists the 100 major networks online, and a selection of high quality live news and sports feeds. It’s free, and the family room PC article under the Membership section give tips on how to fully replace Cable TV. http://www.spreety.com/
pequenho arbusto | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
a good addition would be http://www.telesurtv.net.
of course, this would be for the other half of the world, the spanish speaking one. actually its also in portuguese.
but i must say. they transmit 24/7. non stop. and its free.
otherwise you can get specific shows on demand. like the latest news, or sports, etc.
the offer an audio only stream, as well as two video streams of different qualities qualities.
you watch through their player, or in your browser, or you could just cut and paste the address into vlc. which i find works the best.(vlc is by far the best media player out there. its open source and cross platform. (www.videolan.org)
SavingDiva | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
I also like to check out TV shows on DVD from the library (and blockbuster online)
Richard @ StudentScrooge | Jun 24, 2008 | Reply
Wow, that’s quite a list. I must say, lately I’ve been using Hulu (The Office, Daily Show, SNL, House) and Netflix WatchNow on my laptop… That being said, I still consider basic cable worth it, especially when combined with a TiVo service.
klekle | Jun 25, 2008 | Reply
Or go to Iwatchseries and request your Tv show or series,
Mike | Jun 25, 2008 | Reply
Here’s a list that’s updated monthly with the top 25 websites to watch free movies and tv shows online;
http://blog.buttermouth.com/2007/06/top-25-places-to-watch-free-movies-and.html
fancastfan | Jun 27, 2008 | Reply
Hi,
Thanks for mentioning Fancast. We think our offerings are second to none, and in addition to Fox and NBC shows like Family Guy or The Office, we ALSO have great Viacom hits like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and South Park - as well as an extensive collection of classics. Your readers might be interested to see the full list of our TV library, all of them free, and full-length of course. It’s at http://www.fancast.com/full_episodes
Cheers,
Jim (for fancast)
Elizabeth | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
In my case having cable TV is the bargain over high speed internet. I called and asked for what they call “limited service” cable — it gives me the major networks, with QVC, FAM, all the spanish channels and two public broadcasting stations thrown in, for $17.00 a month. The high speed internet was costing me $52 a month, so I reluctantly let it go. Watching TV online is no bargain at all for me.
Zooph | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
A little known fact is that if you pay for cable TV it’s a minor issue to just split the line and you typically get channels 2-99.
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.
David | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
Elizabeth - but then what do you do about internet?
Zooph - Interesting! I don’t have cable anymore, but does anyone else know if this works? Has anyone tried it? Anyone willing to?
Elizabeth | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
Remember, the cable TV is cheaper than internet for me. I’m more willing to pay $17 a month for cable TV, but not $52 for the internet. There are certain places like Panera Restaurants and public libraries that have free wifi. Places I steer clear of are Borders, Barnes and Noble and Starbucks because they have an agreement with T-Mobile and charge for access.
Zooph | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
David ~ I’ve been doing this for years with numerous cable companys and have never had an issue. Even the cheapest Rat Shack or Wally World splitters work just fine but I usually recommend at least 90dB so that channels 2-4 (the approximate frequencies modems usually want) aren’t all fuzzy.
Zooph | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
Forgot to mention: How about you add Veoh to your list? I have a pretty impressive (IMHO) Red Green collection uploaded. http://www.veoh.com/channels/RedGreen
david | Jul 8, 2008 | Reply
Added, thanks!
John Wend | Jul 9, 2008 | Reply
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.
Markr | Jul 12, 2008 | Reply
yea I like freetube as well.
guitarMan666 | Jul 22, 2008 | Reply
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).
greatnewmovies | Jul 31, 2008 | Reply
this is good site for free full length movies online
Alexander | Aug 4, 2008 | Reply
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
puli | Aug 8, 2008 | Reply
For watching free online music tv channels go here http://liveonlinetvradio.com/online-music-tv-channels/
Anni | Aug 14, 2008 | Reply
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.
Lauren @ LifeStyler | Aug 28, 2008 | Reply
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.
Joe | Sep 27, 2008 | Reply
Depending on where you live, you cannot get a signal through the antenna … they are switching to digital only.
ZeroEffect | Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
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
Zooph | Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
I believe it was mentioned (by me) about a dozen posts up.
Still a good “trick”.
pinoy channel | Nov 24, 2008 | Reply
this post shows the best video website. i prefer veoh more often cause i dont have any buffering problem on it.
PC Grow | Nov 28, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the compilation, very util
Regards from Pgrowlandia.
frank | Dec 9, 2008 | Reply
watch free online movies and more
http://www.zicok.com
Marc | Dec 10, 2008 | Reply
Another addition should be http://www.FirstOnMars.com. This site launched very recently & has 600 tv shows available to view for free.
Linda | Dec 24, 2008 | Reply
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.
doogle | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
>>>> 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?
david | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
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.
Zooph | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
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.
david | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
You’re right - not paying for something you are supposed to isn’t stealing. Gee, what ever was I thinking.
Zooph | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
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.
david | Apr 13, 2009 | Reply
Go troll somewhere else? It’s my website.
Zooph | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
I didn’t notice you complaining last year when I first made the comment…
Zooph | May 16, 2009 | Reply
ustream.tv is getting much better.