Support
Company
How to Watch Global/Local TV Channels without Cable for Free?
As cable TV costs have risen drastically, more and more people are looking for a way to watch TV without cable to cut the bill. Currently, there are commonly two directions, say watching your local broadcast networks by streaming them live online, and watching them live over the air. If you have the same need, you can read on to know detailed ways to watch TV shows, movies, news, sporting events live or on-demand without cable.
Method 1. Watch Local TV Channels with TV Antenna
Current antenna TV also has very good pictures and every TV can make use of a TV antenna. As TV signals are digital, you need a TV made after 2007 with a digital tuner. To get local TV channels without cable, you should first look for a coaxial port on the back or side of the television, and there will be a label with the letters "HD", "ATSC", "HDTV" or something indicating the TV has a digital tuner. Then, install a TV antenna you buy.
Method 2. Get TV Shows via Streaming Services
Streaming service now is one of the most popular way to stream local networks, and at the same time the best place for TV shows and contents for kids, roommates or sports fans. Nearly every major network and media company has started a streaming service with unique and popular titles to attract audiences and subscribers, you need some help to find the right one where you can find your desired shows. Note, they are not cable TV so the shows don’t start at a pre-scheduled time.
Popular and well-ranked streaming services include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, Showtime, Disney+, Apple TV Plus, HBO max, Starz, Peacock, Paramount Plus, etc. which you TV series and shows lovers can use to access numerous videos on-demand.
Method 3. Stream Local Channels on TV Apps
TV app is the direct cable replacement to let users watch TV without cable, be it live TV channels or on-demand TV shows based on your time schedule. Out the market, the widely chosen apps to stream local TV are YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV, Fubo TV, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, etc. They often provide local and global channels including the big 4 broadcast networks ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS. To help you target the best one to get TV channels, we will list all the TV channels the popular TV apps provide.
1. Hulu+ Live TV: This live TV app is much cheaper than most cable TVs. By costing $69.99/month, you can stream local TV channels and global programs at ease. With it, you can enjoy contents on Roku, Fire TV devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS, Android, etc.
| ABC | A&E | ABC News Live | ACC Network | Animal Planet | BET |
| BTN | Boomerang | Bravo | Cartoon Network | CBS | CBS News |
| CBS Sports Network | Cheddar Business | CMT | CNBC | CNN | CNN International |
| Comedy Central | COZI TV | Discovery | Disney Channel | Disney Junior | Disney XD |
| E! | ESPN | ESPN Bases Loaded | ESPN College Extra | ESPN Goal Line | ESPN2 |
| ESPNEWS | ESPNU | Food Network | FOX | FOX Business | Fox News |
| FreeForm | FS1 | FS2 | FX | FXM | FXX |
| Golf Channel | HGTV | History | HLN | Investigation Discovery | LifeTime |
| MotorTrend | MSNBC | MTV | NASA TV | Nat Geo Wild | National Geographic |
| NBC | NFL Network | Nickelodeon | Nick Jr. | Olympic Channel | Oxygen |
| OWN | Paramount Network | Pop TV | SEC Network | Smithsonian Channel | Syfy |
| TBS | TCM | Telemundo | The CW | TLC | TNT |
| Travel Channel | TruTV | TV Land | Universal Kids | USA | VH1 |
| Vice | WGN America |
2. YouTube TV: Another best way to watch TV without cable. Including live ABC, CBS, Fox, The CW, NBC and PBS, you watch diverse TV shows and TV programs by spending only $64.99 a month. This app supports Android, IOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, etc. popular OSs and platforms.
| ABC | CBS | FOX | NBC | ACC Network | Adult Swim |
| AMC | Animal Planet | BBC America | BBC World News | BET | BET Her |
| Bravo | Big Ten Network | Cartoon Network | CBS Sports Network | Cheddar Business | Cheddar News |
| CNBC | CMT | Comedy Central | CNN | Comet | COZI TV |
| Court TV | The CW | Dabl | Discovery | Disney XD | Disney Channel |
| Disney Junior | SEC Network | E! | ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU |
| ESPNews | Food Network | FOX Business | FOX News | Freeform | FS1 |
| FS2 | FX | FXM | FXX | Game Show Network | getTV |
| Golf Channel | Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Drama | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | HGTV | HLN |
| IFC | Investigation Discovery | MLB Network | MotorTrend | MSNBC | MTV |
| MTV2 | MTV Classic | MyNetworkTV | National Geographic | Nat Geo Wild | NBA TV |
| NBCSN | NBC Universo | Nickelodeon | Nick Jr. | NickToons | Teen Nick |
| NFL Network | Olympic Channel | OWN | Paramount Network | PBS | Pop |
| SEC Network | Smithsonian Channel | SNY | Sundance TV | SyFy | TBS |
| Telemundo | TLC | TNT | TCM | Travel Channel | TruTV |
| TV Land | Universal Kids | USA | VH1 | QVC | WeTV |
| Univision | UniMás | Galavisión |
Fubo TV:
| ABC | ABC News Live | AccuWeather | AMC | Animal Planet | BBC America |
| beIN Sports | beIN Sports Español | BET | BTN | Bravo | CBS |
| CBS News | CBS Sports Network | Cheddar | CMT | CNBC | Comedy Central |
| Comet TV | COZI TV | The CW | Discovery | Disney Channel | Disney Junior |
| Disney XD | E! | ESPN | ESPN2 | Estrella TV | Food Network |
| FOX | FOX Business | Fox News | FS1 | FS2 | FreeForm |
| fubo Sports Network | FX | FXX | Galavision | Get TV | Golf Channel |
| Hallmark | Hallmark Drama | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | HGTV | IFC | Investigation Discovery |
| Local Now | MotorTrend | MSNBC | MTV | National Geographic | NBC |
| NBC LX | NBC News Now | NBC Universo | Newsmax | NewsNation | NFL Network |
| Nick Jr. | Nickelodeon | Olympic Channel | OWN | Oxygen | Paramount Network |
| Pop | Smithsonian Channel | Sundance | Syfy | Tastemade | Telemundo |
| The Weather Channel | TLC | Travel Channel | TUDN | TV Land | TVG |
| Unimas | Universal Kids | Univision | USA | VH1 | We TV |
DIRECTV STREAM:
| A&E | AccuWeather | AMC | Animal Planet | AXS TV | Baby TV |
| BBC America | BET | Black News Channel | Bloomberg News | Boomerang | Bravo |
| C-SPAN | C-SPAN2 | Cartoon Network | CMT | CNBC | CNN |
| CNN En Español | CNN International | Comedy Central | Discovery Channel | Disney Channel | Disney Junior |
| Disney XD | E! | ESPN | ESPN2 | Food Network | Fox Business |
| Fox News | FS1 | Freeform | FX | FXX | Galavisión |
| GEM Shopping Network | Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | HGTV | HISTORY Channel | HLN |
| Home Shopping Network | IFC | Investigation Discovery | Lifetime | MotorTrend | MSNBC |
| MTV | MTV2 | National Geographic | Nickelodeon | OANN | Paramount Network |
| QVC | Reelz | Revolt | RFD-TV | Sundance TV | Syfy |
| TBS | TCM | TeenNick | TLC | TNT | truTV |
| TV Land | Univision | USA | VH1 | Viceland | WE tv |
Method 4. Stick to One Channel with Specific App
If you are a die-hard fan of a certain TV channel, you can also get its TV app which only provides contents from the channel, like ABC app, NBC app, Fox app, The CW app, PBS app, ESPN Plus app.
Method 5. Watch Free TV Channels Live by Streaming IPTV Links
This way is surely the best way to watch TV without cable free of charge. Without a cable, satellite, antenna and even without a TV device, you can watch millions of TV channels worldwide. How to achieve? By inputting an IPTV link to an IPTV player, you can directly enjoy certain TV channels on your computer directly and even without costing a dime. Note, IPTV links often come with a form of .m3u8/.m3u URL, an .m3u8 URL often stands for a TV channel and an .m3u link often means a list of TV channels.
Step 1. Free download IPTV player 5KPlayer, install and launch it on computer.
Step 2. Click on the "TV & Radio" button on the main UI, and then input an .m3u link in the "Analysis" box. Then, hit the analysis button. Alternatively, you can also just drag and drop an M3U file to the once you launch the software.
Step 3. Once 5KPlayer is streaming your M3U file or link, simply right click on the playing window and choose "Play M3U8 files" to choose a specific channel to watch live.
Note: You can also pin your favorite channels in the "Favorite Channels" section after you clicking on the "TV & Radio" button. If needed, stream the TV channels to smart TV with bigger screen by clicking on the "DLNA" icon in the right corner of 5KPlayer.
