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.
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.
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:
- Hulu + Live TV: This industry leader in on-demand streaming offers 85+ live channels, covering a broad range of sports, entertainment, and famiy content. Try it free for 7 days!
- FuboTV: Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 100+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. See if it’s right for you with a 7-day free trial.
- Sling TV: Offers 40+ channels, including a couple of local network affiliates, for just $35 per month. Try them out for 3-day to see if they are right for you.
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.
Table Of Contents
What’s Streaming Now?
Rather than a list of great things to watch this next week, we thought of just telling you to turn on your TV! The NFL has its Divisional playoffs, the Africa Cup enters the Round of 16, and the Australian Open starts its quarterfinals. Meanwhile, scripted TV features major stars like Jeremy Irons, Paul Giamatti, and nerd favorite Alan Tudyk.
And if you can’t wait for the Beijing Olympics to start, tune in for the Winter X Games all weekend!
Sporting Events This Week
- Norwich City at Watford (Fri Jan 21st 3:00 pm): Watch these struggling but well-matched EPL team as they face relegation (USA).
- Army vs Navy (Sat Jan 22nd 11:00 am): See these old rivals meet on the women’s basketball court (CBSSN).
- KTM Junior SX: San Diego (Sat Jan 22nd 10:00 pm): Stay up for this American Motorcyclist Association championship series race while you wait for the NASCAR season to start (USA).
- Burkina Faso vs Gabon (Sun Jan 23rd 11:00 pm): Check out the first Round of 16 match of the Africa Cup of Nations (beIN Sports Connect).
- Northwestern at Purdue (Sun Jan 23rd 1:00 pm): Watch the #4 men’s basketball team take on the always hard-fighting Wildcats (B1G).
- Australian Open (Mon Jan 24th 6:55 pm): Don’t miss the start of the quarterfinals (ESPN2).
- Southwestern Invitational (Wed Jan 26th 4:30 pm): Check out the best collegiate golfers in the final round (Golf Channel).
Movies and TV Shows This Week
- As We See It (Fri Jan 21st): Check out this new series about three people who are on the autism spectrum struggling to live together (Amazon Prime).
- Munich: The Edge of War (Fri Jan 21st): See this new movie set during the 1938 Munich Conference (Netflix).
- Billions (Sun Jan 23rd 9:00 pm): Don’t miss the new season of this drama starring Paul Giamatti (Showtime).
- Promised Land (Mon Jan 24th 10:00 pm): Tune in for this drama about two families searching for the American Dream with a vineyard caught in the middle (ABC).
- Neymar: The Perfect Chaos (Tue Jan 25th): See this series about the beloved and controversial soccer star (Netflix).
- Resident Alien (Wed Jan 26th 9:00 pm): Don’t miss the second season of the popular science fiction series starring Alan Tudyk (SyFy).
- Take Out with Lisa Ling (Thu Jan 27th): Go behind the scenes of some of America’s best Asian restaurants (HBO Max).
Africa Cup of Nations
Starting January 9th and running through February 6th, the Africa Cup of Nations features some of the best soccer in the world. Here are the upcoming matches:
- Tue Jan 25 (Round of 16)
- 11:00 am: Senegal vs Cape Verde
- 2:00 pm: Morocco vs Malawi
- Wed Jan 26 (Round of 16)
- 11:00 am: Ivory Coast vs Egypt
- 2:00 pm: Mali vs Equatorial Guinea
- Sat Jan 29 (Quarter-final)
- 11:00 am: Gambia vs Cameroon
- 2:00 pm: Burkina Faso vs Tunisia.
See our Africa Cup guide. We will be updating it over the next month.
NFL Playoffs
The NFL playoffs are underway. Below is the schedule. But check out our complete NFL Playoff Guide for everything you need to know.
- Sat Jan 15 4:35 pm: Raiders (19) at Bengals (26) (NBC)
- Sat Jan 15 8:15 pm: Patriots (17) at Bills (47) (CBS)
- Sun Jan 16 1:05 pm: Eagles (15) at Buccaneers (31) (Fox)
- Sun Jan 16 4:40 pm: 49ers (23) at Cowboys (17) (CBS,Nickelodeon)
- Sun Jan 16 8:15 pm: Steelers (21) at Chiefs (42) (NBC)
- Mon Jan 17 8:15 pm: Cardinals (11) at Rams (34) (ABC,ESPN)
- Sat Jan 22 4:30 pm: Bengals (19) at Titans (16) (CBS,Paramount+)
- Sat Jan 22 8:15 pm: 49ers (13) at Packers (10) (Fox,Fox Deportes)
- Sun Jan 23 3:00 pm: Rams (30) at Buccaneers (27) (NBC,Peacock,Universo)
- Sun Jan 23 6:30: Bills (36) at Chiefs (42) (CBS,Paramount+)
- Sun Jan 30 3:05 pm: Bengals at Chiefs (CBS)
- Sun Jan 30 6:40 pm: 49ers at Rams (Fox)
- Sun Feb 13 6:30 pm: Super Bowl (NBC)
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:
- Academy Awards
- Golden Globes
- Grammy Awards
- Indy 500
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
- March Madness
- Masters
- Miss USA Pageant
- Super Bowl
- Wimbledon
- Women’s World Cup
- World Series.
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:
- American Idol
- Better Call Saul
- Empire
- Into the Badlands
- Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD
- Shark Week
- The Walking Dead.
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!
