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 Preseason enters its second week. Watch every game with NFL+!
For more information, see our NFL Preseason Viewer’s Guide.
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.
- 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! A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- 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.
- Sling TV: Offers 40+ channels, including a couple of local network affiliates, for just $35 per month. Save 50% on Sling TV!
Table Of Contents
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.
ESPN+ is increasing its price from $6.99/mo to $9.99/mo on August 23rd. Lock in the old price for a year by signing up now!
What’s Streaming Now?
Here’s the stuff we think deserves attention. It’s by no means complete, however!
Sporting Events This Week
- The NFL Preseason is now in full swing. Most of the games this weekend will be on Saturday with NFL Network airing Chiefs at Bears, Colts at Bills, Seahawks at Steelers, and Cowboys at Broncos starting at 1:00 pm (EDT). See our Preseason Guide for complete schedule and channels.
- This weekend is huge for soccer fans. On Saturday, Serie A starts its season with Udinese at Milan at 12:30 pm on CBS Sports Network. Then, on Sunday, La Liga starts its season with Real Sociedad at Cádiz at 11:30 am on ESPN+.
- The Softball Little League World Series is underway right now. You can catch the rest of the series on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. The finals are Monday, August 15th at 7:00 pm on ESPN. The Little League World Series starts Wednesday, August 17th on ESPN with 4 games starting at 1:00 pm.
- The WNBA playoffs are here! There will be two games back to back on ESPN2 on Wednesday, August 17th starting at 7:00 pm.
Find out where and when to watch this week’s biggest event in our Golf Viewer’s Guide.
Movies and TV Shows This Week
- A League of Their Own (Fri Aug 12): Don’t miss this new series based on the popular 1992 film. Critics seem to like it; not that you should listen to them, but they’re the only ones who have seen it yet! (Amazon Prime)
- This Fool (Fri Aug 12): This looks to be a very funny series set in South Central LA with a group of ex-gang members involved in the Hugs Not Thugs program. “People love buying cupcakes from ex-gang members!” (Hulu)
- Tales of the Walking Dead (Sun Aug 14 9:00 pm): If you just can’t get enough of The Walking Dead, tune in for this new episodic horror thriller. (AMC)
- The Undeclared War (Thu Aug 18): Simon Pegg stars in this new series about a group of analysts working to fight a cyber-attack on the UK’s electoral system. (Peacock)
Go Bowling at The Glen
Sunday, August 21st, Go Bowling at The Glen airs at 3:00 pm (EDT) on USA from Watkins Glen Intl in Watkins Glen, New York. 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:
- Jul 29 – Aug 28: Athletes Unlimited (Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 4 – Aug 28: NFL Preseason (Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 5 – May 28: English Premier League (Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 8 – Aug 14: Canadian Open (Tennis Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 9 – Aug 15: Softball Little League World Series (Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 13 – Jun 4: Serie A Season Starts (Serie A Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 14 – Jun 4: La Liga Season Starts (La Liga Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 17 – Aug 28: Little League World Series (Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 18 – Aug 21: BMW Championship (Golf Viewer’s Guide)
- Aug 19: Watkins Glen 100 (ARCA Menards Guide)
- Aug 19 РSep 11: Vuelta a Espa̱a (Cycling Guide)
- Aug 28: Belgian Grand Prix (Formula 1 Guide)
- Sep 8 – Jan 9: NFL Regular Season (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.
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!
