The last few years have seen a revolution in TV. It is no longer necessary to be tied to a cable provider with a long contract. There are many live TV streaming services that are as good, or better, than what the cable companies provide. All this for a lot less money.
The NFL Regular season is on. Watch it and the rest of the season with FuboTV!
In a hurry? There’s lots of information below, but if you just want to start enjoying TV more while spending less money, you can’t go wrong with these services:
- FuboTV: Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 100+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. FuboTV allows you to try out its service free for 7 days.
- Sling TV: Offers 40+ channels, including a couple of local network affiliates, for just $35 per month. Save 50% on Sling TV!
- Hulu + Live TV: This industry leader in on-demand streaming offers 85+ live channels, covering a broad range of sports, entertainment, and family content. Try one month for $69.99.
- DIRECTV STREAM: The king of RSNs, this is the streaming service for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans. Check out its Choice Plan if you want to watch every game! :directv-cta:
Table Of Contents
Watch every Thursday Night Football game (live and replay) with Amazon Prime Video!
We provide simple but detailed information for cord-cutters to get the best possible experience without cable. You will learn where and how to stream different channels, what individual streaming services offer, and how to be cost-effective with your chosen streaming device.
Whether you’re a sports fan, movie buff, parent with curious kids, or just a general TV consumer, we provide you with everything you need to leave your cable contract behind.
NFL Regular Season is on! For more information, see our NFL Viewer’s Guide. And if you are a serious fan who wants the whole season and not just the local and primetime games, see our Out-of-Market NFL Guide.
What’s Streaming Now?
Here’s the stuff we think deserves attention. It’s by no means complete, however! All times are Eastern.
Sporting Events This Week
The big news this week is that the NHL preseason starts Saturday, September 24th at 1:00 pm (EDT) with Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs on NHL Network. Get the full preseason schedule in our NHL Viewer’s Guide. The regular season starts Tuesday, October 11th. We’ll provide more information at that time.
- Laver Cup: This tennis tournament features the best players from Europe vs the World. It will be shown on many RSNs, but you can watch the main action on Tennis Channel Friday through Sunday starting early in the morning (8:00 am on Friday).
- Friday Night NCAA Football: There will be 60 games on Saturday, but you don’t need to wait:
- Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays: This is a critical game for these teams who are both competing for second place in the AL East and could potentially both get Wild Card spots in the playoffs. The game is Saturday at 7:10 pm (EDT) on MLB Network.
- Wake Forest vs Clemson: NCAA soccer is back — both men’s and women’s. You can watch most matches on ESPN+. But this game between the #1 and #10 men’s soccer teams airs Saturday at 7:00 pm on ACC Network Extra.
- Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500: We are still waiting for a playoff-qualified driver to win a playoff race. This may be the one! You can catch practice and qualifying on Saturday at 12:35 pm (EDT) and the race itself on Sunday at 3:30 pm. It will all be on USA Network. See our viewer’s guide for details.
Don’t miss the Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants this Monday at 8:15 pm (EDT). Get all the details in our Viewer’s Guide!
Movies and TV Shows This Week
Lots of big shows are coming back this week like NCSI (CBS) and Chicago Fire (NBC), The Goldbergs (ABC), and The Masked Singer (Fox). But there’s also a bunch of brand new shows:
- The US and the Holocaust (Sun Sep 18 8:00 pm): Watch this three-part 6-hour documentary from Ken Burns about the US response to the unfolding Holocaust. (PBS)
- Best in Dough (Mon Sep 19): Finally: a cooking show focused on pizza — and also with a great pun title! (Hulu)
- Reboot (Tue Sep 20): Check out this new comedy series from the creator of Modern Family. (Hulu)
- The Challenge: Untold History (Wed Sep 21 8:00 pm): Get the inside story of this long-running series. (MTV)
- Designing Miami (Wed Sep 21): A new reality show that pits two interior designers, who are also married, against each other. (Netflix)
- Escape From Kabul (Wed Sep 21 9:00 pm): New documentary series that looks at 18 days during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. (HBO)
- Thai Cave Rescue (Thu Sep 22): Limited series that dramatizes the Tham Luang cave rescue. (Netflix)
Thursday Night Football is all new this year. Get all the details!
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500
Sunday, September 25th, Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 airs at 3:30 pm (EDT) on USA from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. See our NASCAR Guide for all the information on the whole season.
Find out how to watch all the top events in our Tennis Viewer’s Guide. Check it out!
Upcoming Sporting Events
The following events are coming up:
- Sep 6 – Nov 2: UEFA Champions League (Viewer’s Guide)
- Sep 8 – Jan 9: NFL Regular Season (Viewer’s Guide)
- Sep 22 – 25: Presidents Cup (PGA Tour Guide)
- Oct 1: Herr’s Snacks 200 (ARCA Menards Guide)
- Oct 1: UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Xiaonan (Viewer’s Guide)
- Oct 2: Singapore Grand Prix (Formula 1 Guide)
- Oct 8: Il Lombardia (Cycling Guide)
- Oct 9 – Oct 16: Shanghai Masters (Tennis Viewer’s Guide)
Why Get Rid of Cable TV?
Some reasons for getting rid of cable are obvious. But there are some that may not have occurred to you.
- Time: Too much television is a waste of time. If you cancel cable and only watch your favorite TV shows, you can spend more time with your friends and family.
- Money: A cable or satellite subscription costs many times more than it does to grab a simple on-demand plan with Hulu and Netflix. Cable is also more expensive than online cable replacement services with live TV channels, like FuboTV and Hulu + Live TV.
- Technology: Video streaming is the future of TV. Soon, all video entertainment will be via an online connection. You might as well get on board now, learn the tricks, and save money in the process.
- Information: Be more informed. Rather than be at the mercy of local news anchors, you will revert to more reputable news feeds like PBS, Bloomberg, CBS News, and LinkTV. For example, FuboTV provides 13 news and information channels, along with all the local affiliates in its base plan.
- Freedom: Cable and satellite providers normally tie you into a long contract, only to give you prices that are still higher than comparable streaming services. Getting rid of cable means getting rid of the contract. Go month-to-month and be flexible.
- Dignity: Stop getting ripped off! Calling up the cable company and canceling your cable will simply make you feel good.
Stream everything in one place. Check out the new FreeCast!
Best Streaming Services
Choosing the right streaming service is probably the most important decision that a cord-cutter will make. There is no absolute “best” streaming service. It all depends on what you want with your live TV streaming plan.
Some streaming services are free, like Peacock TV (although they have a premium plan). Sling TV offers value plans that are low-cost but offer a lot. And the full-featured plans of FuboTV, Hulu Live TV, and DIRECTV STREAM) provide what you would expect from a standard cable plan, but with different bonus features designed to appeal to all sorts of viewers’ needs.
Get access to all our detailed and up-to-date reviews of the major streaming services. You will also get links to free trials so you can make sure a service suits you before you buy.
Internet Without Cable?
Most cable TV subscribers also get their internet access from the same place. In many cases, there are other options for the internet. In some cases, cable is literally the only game in town.
We’ve put together everything that cord-cutters need to know about getting internet service. Even if your cable provider is tied in with your internet, you can probably get a reasonably-priced internet-only plan via a downgrade.
Cord-Cutting Wisdom
There are a lot of aspects of cord-cutting that newbies may be faced with. These range from what’s worth watching, to getting access to particular channels, to buying and installing specialized streaming and recording devices.
We discuss it all. Here are some of our most popular articles:
- How to Watch Local News Without Cable
- Setting Up your Streaming Service Parental Controls
- The Best DVR Without Subscription Fees
- The Best Ways to Get Internet Without Cable for Cord Cutters
- Watching Television in Spanish Without Cable.
Stream Major Events
Major TV events are still a big part of our social lives — just look at Facebook and Twitter during the Super Bowl or Academy Awards. Cord cutters have full access to these events.
For those just starting out, we have primers on how to stream the biggest happenings:
Stream Sports
Most major streaming services offer good access to live sports. The standout is FuboTV. But a good low-cost newcomer to the industry is Vidgo. We have articles about everything related to live streaming sports like:
Stream TV Shows
With live TV streaming, you never have to miss your favorite shows, mini-series, and films when they are broadcast live. Here are some of our articles about streaming some recent must-see TV titles:
Get Started Now
We understand that dumping cable is intimidating. So we’ve written a detailed step-by-step guide to the process on How to Watch TV Without Cable.
It also gives you an overview of all the top streaming services, desirable features to look for, and answers to the most frequently asked questions from to-be cord-cutters.
What are you waiting for? Get started now!
Ditch “Big Cable” Now — 3 Simple Steps to Cutting the Cord
- Pick the right streaming service
- Supercharge your internet provider
- Protect yourself and power your streaming with the best VPN.
That’s it — you’ll save money, gain control, and enjoy TV more!
