Readers who frequent Grounded Reason may know how to watch TV without cable, but there are a lot of online TV channels to choose from. Bookmark this page as it catalogs all those sources in one place.
Be Free of Cable TV
Before I get into all the sources available online I wanted to give a quick overview of how to free yourself from cable TV. The following steps are a very brief synopsis of the guide: How to Watch TV without Cable.
Step 1: Get yourself a TV antenna for free broadcast TV. I personally use the Mohu Sky 60. This will provide free access to ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, PBS, The CW, and more.
Step 2: Get yourself a streaming device. I use the Roku. It’s one of the most versatile streaming devices on the market today. For a fundamental overview of Roku, what the device does, and a comparison of the different versions check, out my article: What is Roku?
Step 3: Choose the streaming services you would like to use. This page covers websites on the internet to stream free, subscription, local and cable channels over the internet. This page doesn’t contain sports channels. Those can be located on How to Watch Sports Without Cable.
I will continually update this page. If you want any channels added to the page, just let me know in the comments.
Online TV Channels
- Cheap Cable TV Online
- Premium Cable TV Channels Online
- Steam Local TV Channels
- Free Cable TV Online
- Free TV Channels
- Online News Channels
- Subscription Internet TV Channels
Cheap Cable TV Online
Sling TVSling TV is cheap cable TV over the internet. It’s only $25 a month and provides full access to ESPN, FX, TNT, TBS, AMC, Adult Swim, Disney Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, and much more. Sling TV has a lot to offer, so check out my review of Sling TV for information on all the channels available.
PlayStation VUEPlayStation Vue, like Sling TV, offers a way to watch live cable TV online. While more expensive than Sling TV it does offer more channels. However, be aware that the service has been riddled with issues if your internet service provider uses dynamic IP addresses (which most do.) You can find out more about this in my post on PlayStation Vue.
Premium Cable TV Channels Online
HBO NOW
MAX GO
Showtime
STARZ Play
Showtime on HuluHBO and Cinemax on Sling TV
Showtime and Starz on Amazon Prime
Stream Local TV
The following channels will allow you to stream prime time shows on your local TV networks. However, you miss live events and local sports. You also can’t watch shows until a few days after they are. For a more comprehensive solution check out how to Watch Local Channels Online.
ABC
CBS
FOX
NBC
The CW
PBSFree TV Channels
Did you know that there is free cable TV online? Some of the cable TV websites below offer a little content online without a subscription to a cable or satellite TV provider. However to unlock all the content available you will need a cable TV provider login. I know a few folks that share a relative login and watch all the free cable TV they want. . . not that I would condone that or anything.
A&E
Adult Swim
AMC
Animal Planet
BET On Demand
Bravo
Cartoon Network
CMT
Comedy Central
Discovery GO
E!
Esquire Network
Freeform
FX
fyi
GSN
Hallmark Channel Everywhere
HBO GO
HGTV
IFC
Investigation Discovery
Lifetime
LOGO
MSNBC
MTV On Demand
Music Choice
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Wild
Oprah
Ora.Tv
Oxygen
Pivot
PopShowtime Anytime
Smithsonian Channel
Sundance
Syfy
TBS
Telemundo Now
The History Channel
TLC
TNT
Travel Channel
truTV
TV LAND
USA
VH1 On Demand
Vogue
Watch Cooking Channel
Watch Disney Channel
Watch Disney Junior
Watch Disney XD
Watch DIY Network
Watch Food NetworkWatch HGTV
Watch TCMWatch Travel Channel
WE tv
Free TV Channels over the Internet
The following channels offer free TV online over the internet. Some channels are aggregators of free content on the web, others produce and make their own content.
AOL ON
Break
CollegeHumor
Crackle
CW Seed
Funny or Die
Intenu
Internet Archive
Mohu One
My Damn ChannelPBS
PlutoTV
PopcornFlix
Red Bull TV
ShareDots
ShareTV
Shout! Factory TV
Simpsons World
SnagFilms
South Park Studios
teamcoco.com
TestTube
The Onion
Tubi TV
TV.com
VEVO
Viewster
Vimeo
Yamgo
Online News Channels
Also check out my guide on how to watch the news without cable TV.
60 Minutes All Access
Bloomberg
C-SPAN
CBS News
NBC News
TMZFree Kids TV Shows Online
Discovery Kids
National Geographic Kids
Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon
Nicktoons
PBS Kids
Sprout Now
TeenNick
ToonsTV
Subscription Internet TV Channels
Acorn TVAmazon Prime
CBS All Access
Pure Flix
ConTV
Crunchyroll
DramaFever
Fandor
FeelnHBO NOWHulu
IndieFlixMAX GO
NetflixPlayStation VUE
RabbitTV
SeesoShowtimeSling TVSTARZ Play
Vid Angel
VUDU
Warner Archive
YouTube RedTV LANDCheap Cable TV by the Show
Many times it’s cheaper to simply buy the shows you want to watch. Buying cable show season passes from iTunes and Amazon is a much more affordable way to watch television compared to paying for a cable or satellite subscription.
My family bought the current Season of Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, and a couple other shows this year. Add in our Hulu and Netflix subscription and all our content cost around $27 per month. That’s more than half the cost of cable TV.
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