ABC Online: Live Streaming Services Cheaper Than Cable [Or Watch Free With OTA]

If you’re looking for ways to watch ABC without cable, all you need is an internet connection and a supported device. This can be a smart TV or one of these devices supported by your chosen streaming provider. We explain everything you need to know below.

In a hurry? Want access to your local ABC channel now, without reading too much? These services all provide cheaper access than the average cable subscription:

FuboTV: With 130+ channels, it offers something for everyone. FuboTV allows you to try out its service free for 7 days.
DIRECTV STREAM: Makes it easy to switch from cable to streaming with their 75+ channel Entertainment plan and options for much more. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
Hulu + Live TV: This service adds 85+ live TV channel to their outstanding on demand service as well as Disney+ and ESPN+.

If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve.

Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that offers this TV channel. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the sports, movies, and TV you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

ExpressVPN: Premium VPN provider that just works, with 3,000+ locations in 94 countries. Supports five simultaneous devices and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. (ExpressVPN review)
Surfshark: Connect to over 3,200 servers in 99 countries (+ tonnes of US metro areas). Try it with a 7-day free trial.
NordVPN: Connect to over 5,000 premium servers in 60+ countries. Comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee!

If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

Table Of Contents

1 How to Watch ABC Live Without Cable TV
2 Get ABC With Streaming Services
3 TVs and Mobile Devices for ABC
4 Wrapping Up
5 FAQs

How to Watch ABC Live Without Cable TV

ABC television network is home to numerous award-winning entertainment, sports, and news shows. It was established in 1948 and has been a leader in broadcast television since then.

ABC is an over-the-air network. This means it is distributed through local affiliate channels that produce their own content as well as airing ABC-provided shows and events.

So, you will get local content like afternoon talk shows and local news programs. You will also get network TV shows like ABC World News Tonight and The Bachelorette.

Ways to Get ABC

The cheapest way to get ABC is to set up an antenna and watch it for free over the air (OTA). This will work everywhere except for very remote areas and places where there isn’t an ABC affiliate.

It is probably easier to get ABC through a streaming service — especially if you need one anyway for your overall channel selection. Most bigger, full cable replacement services provide ABC in their channel lineups.

These are pretty much the only options open to you if you want to get rid of your cable/satellite bill. There is, however, a hybrid approach that we will discuss below with Sling TV.

Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN

If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.

Get ExpressVPN Today

Get ABC With Streaming Services

There are plenty of streaming services available, but not all of them may have ABC. Here’s a list of those that do.

FuboTV

Local Channels	ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC
Disney Channels	Base, XD, Junior
Related Channels	ESPN, Freeform, FX, FXX
Total Channels	130+
Cloud DVR	1000 hours
Simultaneous Streams	10
Free Trial	✅
FuboTV Price	$74.99/mo

FuboTV is renowned for its vast sports coverage. Of its 120+ channels, 35+ are sports-oriented. ABC and all the other networks are included with its base plan for $74.99/mo.

It also includes several Disney and most of the FX channels. The only one it is missing is FX Movies (FXM), which is available with the Fubo Extra add-on for $7.99/mo.

See the following for more information about FuboTV:

FuboTV running on an Android phone.

DIRECTV STREAM

Local Channels	ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC
Disney Channels	Base, XD, Junior
Related Channels	ESPN, Freeform, FX, FXX
Total Channels	75+
Cloud DVR**	Unlimited cloud DVR
Simultaneous Screens	Unlimited
Free Trial*	✅
DIRECTV STREAM Price	$74.99/mo

* A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM
** online sign up required

Through the DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) entertainment bundle, you can live stream ABC for $74.99/mo. This includes 75+ other channels including all the local stations.

Also included are all the Disney and related channels except for FXM. If you want that, you will need to upgrade to the Ultimate plan, which costs $109.99/mo and offers 130+ channels including HBO MAX for the first year.

See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more details.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Hulu + Live TV

Local Channels	ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC
Disney Channels	Base, XD, Junior
Related Channels	ESPN, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX
Total Channels	85+
Cloud DVR	Unlimited (9 months of storage)
Simultaneous Screens	2
Free Trial	❌
Hulu Price	$69.99/mo

Hulu + Live TV is the most popular live TV streaming service. It provides arguably the best on-demand library with a collection of 85+ live channels for a great overall service. And it adds ESPN+ and Disney+!

Included in their live TV selection are all the local, Disney, and related channels. If you are interested in ABC and its associated channels, Hulu Live TV is hard to beat.

For more information about Hulu + Live TV, see the following articles:

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Sling TV

Local Channels	ABC, Fox, NBC
Disney Channels	Base
Related Channels	ESPN, Freeform, FX
Total Channels	50+
Cloud DVR	50 hours
Simultaneous Screens	4
Free Trial	❌
Sling TV Price	$55.00/mo

Sling TV offers ABC in select markets as part of its Blue plan. But even if you aren’t in one of those markets, they still offer it! If you sign up for two months of Sling, they will send you an indoor antenna. In most areas, this will allow you to get HD OTA access to ABC as well as CBS, Fox, and NBC. Best of all: the Sling TV interface will include these channels in your channel guide!

The combination Sling Orange and Sling Blue plan costs $55.00/mo and also provides Disney Channel, Freeform, and FX. It also includes ESPN3, which provides everything on ABC Sports.

For more information on Sling TV, see:

Save 50% With Sling TV

Vidgo

Local Channels	ABC, Fox
Disney Channels	Base, XD, Junior
Related Channels	ESPN, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX
Total Channels	100+
Cloud DVR	❌
Simultaneous Screens	3
Free Trial	❌
Vidgo Price	$69.99/mo

Vidgo is a low-cost streaming option for ABC. It doesn’t feature a lot of bells and whistles, but it provides 100+ channels for only $69.99/mo. This includes ABC and all the ancillary channels.

The price you pay for the low cost is the absence of CBS and NBC. What’s more, it offers no NBCUniversal channels: Bravo, CNBC, E!, MSNBC, Oxygen, SYFY, Universal Kids, USA. But if you can live without those, Vidgo is a great deal.

For more information, see the following:

Try Vidgo Today!

Vidgo’s TV guide via the web interface.

Other Ways to Get ABC

There are other ways to get ABC without cable:

Antenna: This is the one way to get ABC for free. You can do this alone but this will require its own interface. This is why we prefer Sling TV’s system.
YouTube TV: This full cable replacement service offers ABC in most areas and all the related channels.
ABC App: In order to watch live TV with this app, you will need to have an account with a cable TV provider or streaming service that uses TV Everywhere. But this is handy to have.

TVs and Mobile Devices for ABC

Now that you’re familiar with streaming services for ABC, let’s take a look at supported devices where you can watch ABC online.

FuboTV Devices

Smart TVs: Hisense, LG TV, Samsung, Android TV
Streaming Media Players: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast
Browsers: Most
Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android
Game Consoles: Xbox One.

Hulu + Live TV Devices

Smart TVs: LG TV, Samsung, VIZIO SmartCast, Android TV
Streaming Media Players: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast
Browsers: Most
Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android
Game Consoles: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch.

Vidgo Devices

Smart TVs: Android TV
Streaming Media Players: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku
Browsers: Most
Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.

DIRECTV STREAM Devices

Smart TVs: Android TV, Samsung
Streaming Media Players: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast
Browsers: Most
Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.

Sling TV Devices

Smart TVs: LG TV, Samsung, Android TV
Streaming Media Players: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast
Browsers: Most
Mobile devices: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.
Game Consoles: Oculus, Xbox.

Superpower Your Live TV Streaming With a VPN

You can’t beat a VPN for privacy, security, and access. We have used them for years as an important part of our streaming toolkit and we recommend ExpressVPN.

i	See our VPN Buyer’s Guide for complete information on how to choose the best VPN for your needs.

Wrapping Up

ABC is a great channel to catch up on the news, sports, entertainment, award shows, and so much more!

FuboTV is our recommended choice to watch ABC. FuboTV allows you to try out its service free for 7 days.

How to Watch Other Local Channels Online without Cable

Want to get information on how to watch other local channels without cable? Check out the guides below.

FAQs

What TV shows can I watch on ABC?

ABC offers a huge variety of content including award shows like The Oscars, the Country Music Awards, and The American Music Awards. Some of its most popular shows are:

The Bachelorette
Black-ish
Dancing with the Stars
The Goldbergs
The Good Doctor
Good Morning America
Grey’s Anatomy
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Shark Tank
The View.

Where can I watch ABC shows?

Since ABC is a broadcast network, it is literally in the air for you to watch for free. You just need to hook up an antenna to your TV to watch. If you don’t want to bother with that, you can watch ABC via most of the major live TV streaming services. You can also watch ABC shows on demand through services like Hulu.

Can I access the ABC website and app if I’m outside the US?

You cannot access abc.com or the ABC app if you’re not physically present inside the US or its territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Island, and American Samoa. You may still be able to watch ABC content (but not live streams) from different providers.

How can I watch ABC if I don’t have a TV provider for it?

Unless you live in the market of an ABC affiliate, you can’t get access to its live feed. However, you do have options. One is that ABC provides access to many of its shows on its website 8 days after they air. You can also find shows through on-demand services like Hulu.

When it comes to ABC Sports, you can watch virtually every event live via ESPN3. You can watch it via the ESPN app as long as you have a TV provider that includes ESPN. It is simpler is to sign up with Sling TV, which provides ESPN3 in its Sling Orange plan.

How can I stream the other entertainment channels without cable?

See the list below for other entertainment channels:

How can I watch other sports channels besides ABC?

These guides show you how to watch other sports channels:

How can I watch other news channels besides ABC?

Here are our guides for watching other news channels:

Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut 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, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me

Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at Psychotronic Review — and many other places.