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 $35.00/mo. 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! A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
Table Of Contents
What all out-of-market NFL games? Sadly, it isn’t currenly possible to do via a streaming service. For this year, you need to sign up with DIRECTV Satellite. But that’s a small price to pay to get Sunday Ticket!
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
We are fast approaching the “too much sports” season where you really have to make hard decisions about what you are going to watch.
- Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards (Fri Sep 30 6:00 am): The NBA is back with its first preseason game at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. (NBA TV)
- Sanderson Farms Championship: This early PGA Tour event airs exclusively on Golf Channel. It’s already going but finishes this weekend with coverage from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm both days.
- Virginia at Duke (Fri Sep 29 7:00 pm): The #2 and #4 women’s soccer teams compete on ACC Network Xtra.
- Friday Night NCAA Football: There will be only 58 games on Saturday, so you might want to schedule a long walk to fill out your day. But these 5 Friday night games might keep you busy:
- Bellator 286 (Sat Oct 1 10:00 pm): Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull puts his title on the line against Adam Borics. (Showtime)
- NFL London Games (Sun Oct 2 9:30 am): This first of three games features the Minnesota Vikings vs the New Orleans Saints. West coasters will need to get up early for this one! (NFL Network)
- YellaWood 500 (Sun Oct 2 2:00 pm): We are in the third round of the NASCAR playoffs, which means we are down to 12 drivers. Well, not exactly. There will be 40 drivers. But only 12 who are actually still in the playoffs. Why? Probably because they want to test the same kind of driving as we had in the regular season. A 12 (or 9 or 6) car field is a whole different kind of racing. See our viewer’s guide. (NBC)
Don’t miss the Indianapolia Colts at the Denver Broncos this Thursday at 8:15 pm (EDT). Get all the details in our Viewer’s Guide!
Movies and TV Shows This Week
There is so much new and returning content that it’s impossible to watch it all. So we’re going to provide you with just the most important stuff.
- New Show: If you enjoyed Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, you won’t want to miss the accompanying docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (Netflix). It streams Friday, October 7th.
- Returning Shows: Oct 6 — Grey’s Anatomy (ABC); Oct 7 — Blue Bloods (CBS), The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+); Oct 9 — NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS).
Factoid of the week: The Simpsons was the highest-rated non-sports program last week. Admittedly, that was the premiere of its 34th season. On the other hand, that was the premiere of its 34th season!
Thursday Night Football is all new this year. Get all the details!
Bank of America ROVAL 400
Sunday, October 9nd, Bank of America ROVAL 400 airs at 2:00 pm (EDT) on NBC from Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Concord, North Carolina. 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)
- Oct 8: Japanese Grand Prix (Formula 1 Guide)
- Oct 8: Il Lombardia (Cycling Guide)
- Oct 8: Shore Lunch 200 (ARCA Menards Guide)
- Oct 9: Shriners Children’s Open (PGA Tour Guide)
- Oct 9 – Oct 16: Shanghai Masters (Tennis Viewer’s Guide)
- Oct 15: UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Strickland (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
- Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
- Supercharge your internet provider
That’s it — you’ll save money, gain control, and enjoy TV more!
