What is the most affordable way to watch TV?

Due to the increasing cost of subscribing to cable and satellite TV networks, more people are seeking ways to fill this void. Fortunately, there are many low- or no-cost solutions available that can help you continue to watch your favorite television programs and films without going into debt.

Here are some of the most budget-friendly options for watching TV

Use an HD Antenna
Live, over-the-air television is as cheap as it gets, and all you need is an HD antenna. With an antenna, you can tune to your favorite broadcast stations including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and PBS at a crystal clear high definition wholly free. All you have to do with this type of digital TV is to link an indoor or outdoor antenna to the television and look for channels. What you will receive depends on your location and signal quality, but you can receive over 50 free channels. Initial costs for antennas are generally below $10 for a one-time investment. It is not the most advanced choice, but if your primary need is to have a connection to local news and network shows, then it works.

Watch Free Streaming Services
Other streaming internet services that provide free movies and TV shows include Pluto TV, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, and Freevee(previously known as IMDb TV). The drawback is that you have to watch commercials, but if one does not mind it is a perfect way to watch materials without subscriptions. These free platforms usually have older movie titles and older TV shows, but they add more content all the time and the convenience factor makes it worth it.

Join the Free Trial Periods Today
Every streaming platform, including Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, and HBO Max, provides their users with free trial accounts for a week or a month. Don’t pass up that opportunity! Subscribe to watch their originals or watch whatever you want during that trial period. However, as with most subscription trials, do not forget to set a notification to cancel the trial if you do not wish to subscribe. This tactic enables you to always be shifting between services so that whenever you are out of new content to watch, the other service providers have just what you need.

Rotate Your Streaming Subscriptions
While yearly subscription for all the major streaming platforms sounds great in theory, paying for each of them all year round is rather pricey. The only way to save money is to sign up for 1 or 2 streaming services and watch all the best shows or movies from each before they cancel the subscription and switch to the next different service. Switching between platforms is beneficial because there’s always new content to be consumed. By doing so, you get to be a subscriber for as little as 1-3 months in a year and pocket a lot of cash, yet you don’t miss anything.

Disclose Passwords to Family and Friends
Some of them cut costs by borrowing their relative’s login details to connect to streaming services. Even though the platforms are slowly trying to combat the phenomenon of password sharing, this is still a rather widespread practice to divide the costs of subscriptions between several households. This lets you stream to your TV and devices like an individual subscriber provided that the primary account holder has no issue with it.

Explore Free Streaming Apps
However, there are also numerous free (or nearly free) options for streaming apps beyond the familiar names like Netflix and Disney+. For instance, Hoopla and Kanopy are platforms where one can watch movies, and TV shows online for free, provided they have a library card. You can also watch the shows of the network through The CW app, movies and TV shows some free movies and Emmy-winning originals on YouTube, and an expansive on-demand library supported by ads on Crackle. The selection is not as broad and only a small part of it can be obtained from the free version but if financial issues dominate then free choices are the ones to be taken into consideration.

Watch Live TV Channels
OTT platforms like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or Sling TV act like your traditional cable TV provider but at a fraction of the cost. For $40-$75 a month depending on the platform, users receive live streaming and DVR access to 50-100+ cable channels. You can also stream on just about any device as well. These services allow you to cut the cord for good and pay a fraction of what you were paying for cable. However, you should know that regional sports and local channels are different and depend on the place.

Watch Stream Sports Live on OTA Channels or Apps
Sports aficionados can switch over the air dials to catch nationally broadcasted games on ESPN, ABC, and major networks. Most of the NFL games are broadcast on national broadcast stations while MLB, NBA, and NHL have games weekly broadcast on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and other cable channels. For fans in other markets, the NFL provides live streams of the important games on Yahoo Sports or via the NFL app. MLB.MLB.tv and NBA League Pass allow baseball and basketball fans to watch out-of-market games for cheap or even without any additional cost if they have T-Mobile phone service.

The Bottom Line
There are no longer times when you are required to pay a lot of money for cable TV just to be able to watch the most popular shows, movies, and live sports. From streaming platforms that offer free content but include advertisements, to streaming services that let you switch between accounts, or take advantage of free trials for 1-2 cheaper streaming services a month, there are so many ways to save money and still watch all your favorite shows. Spend less money but still not miss your favorite TV shows by learning all the cheap live TV and on-demand services out there.

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