Today you will learn how to cut the cord on expensive cable services and stream your local news channels for free without cable.
We will show you the best way to stream local news channels of the city that you're in, local broadcasts such as ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, PBS and more.
Let's get right into it.
NewsOn for Free Local News Channels
The NewsOn app will allow you to stream free local news channels from anywhere.
You can install the NewsOn app on any device such as the Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Google ChromeCast with Google TV, smart TVs and more.
We recommend using it on the Fire TV Stick if you own one for the best experience, and if you want to get fancy you can use NewsOn within the Kodi addon when you jailbreak your firestick to have all of your media in one place.
Keep in mind that NewsOn will only get you news station, for local stations we'll have to get a bit fancier.
Digital Antenna for Free Local Channels
Cable TVs would never let you know about this, but the local TV channels are available over the air TV. All you need to do is buy an antenna from Amazon or any other local store. It comes to our surprise that today’s antennas provide a better picture than cable connections. It is a one time payment for the antenna device you plug directly into the cable input into your TV (all TV's have one), and you can stream local channels as far as the antenna can reach.
We recommend using Channel Master, which is a site dedicated to recommending you the TV Antenna that is right for you based on your zip code and will tell you what channels you will receive.
Antennas are comparatively budget-friendly to add to the home entertainment and give free access to the local stations in your geographic area. However, the quality of these channels depends on the power of the antenna and its distance from the nearest local broadcasting stations. We have compiled our favorite TV Antenna below that work great and get you an amazing amount of channels for free with no monthly payment.
U MUST HAVE Amplified TV Antenna
This antenna works great and has a range of 250+ miles.
What makes this great is it is $30 dollars, high-quality and allows users to cut cable by simply plugging this device into their TV's antenna input.
Once you buy this antenna and pick up all the best local channels you can cut cable for good.
Mohu Leaf
It is one of the best antenna brands in the segment and is recommend for every cord-cutter.
It has a range of well over 25 miles and costs $20 dollars on Amazon.
It is good for urban and suburban areas where the availability of the local broadcasting tower is not that far.
Winguard Elite 7550
Indoor antennas don’t usually work well.
So when you are in need of an outdoor antenna that has an outstanding reception, then you must go for Winguard Elite 7550, which is an outdoor HDTV antenna priced at $120 dollars.
It delivers up to a whopping 73 channels and dozens of free channels, which are worth every penny spent on cable subscriptions.
Forlovv Antenna
If you live in a rural area where the local broadcast station is farther than 100 miles from the local towers in your area, then we would suggest you go for an antenna that has a longer range.
Forlovv Antenna offers the best value-for-money antenna that has a range of 200 miles with a 4.3 rating on Amazon and is priced at just $30 dollars.
Local Network Streaming Services
In case you are cutting your cable TV connection but still want to have access to most of the channels, you must consider going for Local Network Streaming Services. There are many streaming services that have at least some of the local channels along with the subscription.
Some of them are HULU + Live TV and Haystack Local And World News App. They both offer major broadcast networks in the US. Other options are AT & T and Fubo TV. We have other streaming services, too, and we will discuss them in detail.
Hulu + Live TV
It is a no-brainer that Hulu + Live TV has topped our list of Local Network Streaming Services simply because of the current live streams from ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and other TV markets. You can even enter your Pincode to check the availability of channels on Hulu. You can check which channels you can get access to.
You can have FOX, ABC, ABC in most of the parts of the US. They also have any channel that you would have paid to the Cable TV otherwise. You can cancel the connection anytime as there is no contract. The Hulu + Live TV subscription costs $64.99 per month that includes a massive VOD streaming library. Hulu is compatible with FireTV, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and more.
Pros:
- Multi-platform support
- Easy-to-use
- Switch plans anytime
Cons:
- Movies not available on basic plans
FuboTV
Fubo is a streaming service that mainly focuses on sports. If you are subscribed to satellite or cable TV just so you could watch sports, then Fubo TV could be the right solution for you. You can get access to an enormous amount of sports channels along with local channels like ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, etc.
Sports channels like FS1, FS2, NBCSN, BTN, NFL, Pac12 Networks, Olympic Channel, NBC golf, Eleven Sports, Bein Sports, Soccer Plus, Football report TV, Big Ten Network, and many more. It is priced at $64.99 dollars per month after the 7-day free trial.
It is available on various platforms like Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV. It has 250 hours of DVR storage, and you can watch your favorite content on 3 separate devices simultaneously.
Pros:
- Additional Pac12 channels with $10.99 dollars additional payment
- Good mix of live entertainment and news
Cons:
- CNN, TNT, TBS channels are no longer available
- Regional sports and local channels may not be available
SlingTV
SlingTV is the boss of the Local Network Streaming Services business. Just like any other live streaming services that we have listed above, it works perfectly with all kinds of devices like Amazon Firestick, Roku, Apple TV, Android Smart TV, Chromecast, or on smartphones, Xbox One, and PC.
Sling TV has gone through an evolution ever since it was introduced. It was a pioneer in 2015 and continues to bring many cable TV alternatives to and this is what has led it to become the top live streaming TV service.
Sling TV offers 3 plan bases to its viewers. Choose the plan that fits best for you. Here is the package list:
- Sling Orange – ESPN1, ESPN2, ESPN3, Disney, and CNN, $30/month
- Sling Blue – FS1, FS2, FoxSports, TNT, CNN, NBCSN, NBC Sports, $30/month
- Sling Blue + Orange – has everything in both Blue and Orange, $45/month
For additional channels, here is the package list:
- Sports Extra – NBA TV, NHL Networks, RedZone, Golf Channel, and much more, $10/month
- News Extra – The Blaze, CNBC, MSNBC, BBC World News, HLN, $5/month
- Cloud DVR – 50 recording hours with multiple show recordings at once, $5/month
Pros:
- Cheaper price than top competitors
- Regular promotional deals
- Multi-platform compatibility
Cons:
- Confusing channel packages
- Lack of Add-on packages that are available on other streaming services
Philo
If you are tired of cable TV connection and want to cut the cord for being expensive, then cord-cutting could save a lot of money by subscribing to Philo, which is an excellent live TV streaming service. It is an OTT service which means that it comes through the internet and not through dedicated lines or air. Therefore you can say that it is similar to Amazon Prime or Netflix.
Its monthly subscription plan is just $25 dollars with access to 60+ live channels with some of the popular channels like Food Network, Discovery, Nickelodeon, VH1, HGTV, Comedy Central, and much more.
Pros:
- Competitive subscription plan with the top streaming services
- Unlimited DVR cloud storage
Cons:
- Small amount of TV channels available
AT&T TV
AT&T TV is just like any other live streaming service that offers a wide range of TV channels in the USA. If you are paying heavy bills for the satellite or cable TV connection, then you could be one of the subscribers to AT&T TV and save a lot of bucks.
It might be the most expensive Local Network Streaming Services, but we guarantee you that it is as closest as it gets to the live cable or satellite TV. It has live NBC, FOX, ABC, CW, CBS, and much more with a price of $69.99. Its subscription includes:
- Cloud-based DVR
- Watch 3 streams per subscription simultaneously
- Live streaming channels like AMC, HGTV, Freeform, Discovery, and more
- Compatible with Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon firestick, Roku, and many others
Pros:
- Probably the best regional sports network streaming services
- 1 year of HBO subscription is absolutely FREE
- Over 20 concurrents streams
Cons:
- Most expensive live streaming service provider in this segment
- DVR storage just 20 hours
- The cheapest sports package is $85/month
Local Network Apps
If you are choosing Hulu, SlingTV, or Locast for streaming the Local Network Apps, then you download the application on the desired streaming device and watch your content. However, if you are choosing antenna TV, it would require you to get more deeply into it.
The best option is to get an Amazon Fire TV Stick and load it with the Best FireStick Apps.
As it’s difficult to stream the Local Networks with the applications given below, they still have some free content. In most cases, the latest content is uploaded instantly on these apps for free. However, free content is not always available.
So here are our top picks for the Local Network Apps:
NBC App
Several shows are available on the NBC application. The upload time period is 8 days for the latest content, but the full series is made available on most streaming devices. It is up to you to search from the NBC app channel lineup store.
ABC App
Even if the ABC App asks for a TV provider account for some of the content, the latest ABC shows are available 100% free. There is a ‘lock’ icon that tells if the specific episode needs to link the TV provider account. However, the locked episodes are made available for viewing after 8 days of the initial airing date without signing. You can even download its application on your smartphone as well.
FOX App
Although the FOX application has a lack of free online content, we have found that they update the latest episodes late in case you don’t have a TV provider login account. Some shows are even delayed later than other applications.
To counter this problem, we came up with a solution. Generally, the shows that have been aired for more than one season unlock after 8 days of the initial release without a TV provider. But in some cases, the most recently updated 5 episodes are available free of charge.
CBS App
You get access to many CSB shows on the official CBS application. Although there is a bit of confusion regarding the availability of shows on CBS vs. the premium Paramount and service.
However, the full latest running episodes are available on most devices.
The CW
It is an amazing Local Network App for online TV broadcasting. They have all the current full-length episodes of the latest shows.
Most of the content is made available instantly after the airing date. You can download The CW app in the channel store.
PBS
When it comes to the best Local Network Broadcasting App, PBS does an outstanding job in providing online content.
With this application, you can live stream the local PBS station over 125 different markets. You can get access to many PBS episodes that are available at PBS.com.
Summary:
After a lot of research, we came to the conclusion that there are viable paths to Watch Local Channels Without Cable. The majority of people recreate the experience of local channels that they receive from the traditional cable TV connection by signing up for Local Network Streaming Services.
However, we have found that the most budget-friendly way to get the job done is by streaming through Haystack Local & World News App or Antenna installation. These methods are only effective in some select markets and do not have DVR cloud support. And if it’s just content that you are looking for, then you ignore how and when it comes by it. Therefore you save a lot of money and the hassle of sticking to the free content given by apps.
