I loved it when we cut the cord. However, if there’s something I sometimes miss from our time with cable, it’s knowing you are part of a community all watching shows together. For years watching the “25 Days of Christmas” on the ABC Family channel was how our family got festive, joining in with every other ABC customer who enjoyed the daily often-hokey holiday entertainment.
Since then times have changed. We have moved on from cable and ABC Family has been rebranded as “Freeform” in an attempt to appeal to the under-35 crowd. Fortunately, however, the “25 Days of Christmas” continue as do the “13 Days of Halloween.” Even better, you can take part in the annual tradition without the cord. Multiple streaming services allow you to stream Freeform without a cable TV or satellite subscription.
How to Watch Freeform without Cable
As with most content on cable today, there are alternate ways to enjoy the channels and shows you want without forking over mountains of cash to a cable TV provider. Here are a few of the cable subscription free ways you can stream Freeform online.
Freeform Streaming on DIRECTV NOW
AT&T’s Direct TV Now service is a great way to watch Freeform. It is offered as part of their most affordable “Live a Little” package. With online access to Freeform streaming, you will never miss great shows like “10 Things I Hate About You”, “Alone Together”, “Blackish”, “Greek”, “Shadowhunters”, “Young & Hungry,” “The Fosters” and more.
The price is a bit steeper than some services but also offers the most channels. At $35 per month ($10 for the first month) you get more than 60 channels, while at the highest level of $70 a month you get over 120. Add premium channels for a small additional cost, like HBO or Cinemax for $5 a month or Starz for $8 a month. You can check out everything this service offers by taking advantage of their 7-day free trial or read about it in our DIRECTV NOW review.
Sign Up For A DIRECTV NOW Free Trial!
Freeform on Sling TV
A more price-conscious alternative is Sling. Freeform is in its “orange” package for $25 a month. Sling TV provides a live stream of Freeform so you are able to watch exactly what would be airing on Freeform just as if you had cable. It is not included in its DVR program, however.
Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy Freeform on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. There are more channels than I’ve mentioned available on Sling TV than what I’ve mentioned here. To find out more about what Sling TV has to offer, and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.
The review includes information on a Sling TV free trial and ways to get discounted (and Free) streaming devices so be sure to check it out. Currently, there are offers for a 7-day trial and free Amazon fire stick if you sign up for two months.
Sign up for a free trial to Sling TV!
Watch Freeform on Hulu
Hulu is another way you can stream Freeform. Previously Hulu was known for their vast on-demand streaming library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service for $44.99 a month that offers Live Freeform Online Streaming. Hulu Live TV also includes the following features:
- The basic package comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. (Upgrades available)
- Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
- Comes with 6 customizable profiles
- Includes entire Hulu streaming library
Some of Freeform’s shows are available on demand on Hulu’s streaming service as well, including “Shadowhunters,” “Grownish,” and “Bunheads.” You can check out our Hulu TV Review for a full rundown of available features and channels.
Sign up for a Hulu TV free trial!
Freeform on PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue is a great way to get a ton of TV channels without needing a cable provider. Vue’s entry package costs $44.99 per month and delivers over 50 channels over the internet.
These are channels you would typically see as part of a cable package like TBS, Discovery, and of course Freeform. While you may assume that Vue is only available on PlayStation, that isn’t the case. Vue is also available on Amazon Fire TV and other streaming devices. See our review of PlayStation Vue for more details on what channels are available and device support.
Freeform on YouTubeTV
YouTubeTV also offers Freeform streaming live, as well as limitless storage space for recording your shows. Your library of recorded shows can be streamed anywhere. Freeform is included in the base package for $35 a month. See our review of YouTube TV for more details.
Purchase Freeform Shows Online
If you are simply interested in a few Freeform shows, you can purchase the full run of the current season online from Amazon, Itunes or another service. This may be a cheaper option than purchasing a streaming service to deliver all Freeform has to offer. A limited selection of episodes is available for free on the Freeform app on Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV stick.
To buy the latest season of a Freeform show on Amazon, a season pass costs $29.99, which is less than many monthly services and makes sense if it’s the only show that you care about.
That said, there you may be interested in shows on other networks. In that case, you may be better off going with a streaming service. It ultimately depends on how many shows you are going to follow in a year. Almost every popular show is available online and once you purchase it, you own it. That means you can watch it whenever you want.
Streaming Freeform if you Have A Pay TV Account
You can watch Freeform online using the Freeform app. It’s available on almost every streaming device on the market. However, the FreeForm app requires login credentials for a pay-TV provider or accepted streaming service. The FreeForm app accepts credentials from the following streaming services:
Check Out How To Get Gigabit Internet and a $200 Visa Prepaid Card
If you enjoyed this article, please Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It goes out every week and keeps you up to date on information relevant to cord cutters. Subscribing will also inform you on the latest deals out there for internet, streaming, and more.
If this article didn't answer your specific question, check out the Cord Cutting Guide. It provides links to the most important articles in our over 200 pages of content to help you ditch pay TV.
For tips and tricks on cutting the cord and other tech topics be sure to join our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @Grounded Reason
.