Streaming TV Services That Can Replace Cable TV

I personally watch a lot of stuff on YouTube.com (the original free website, not the pay version). It’s a great source of free older TV shows, concerts, documentaries, and quality original content.

For example, I was able to watch a good number of some older full episodes from the Discovery Channel just by searching YouTube. All of the episodes of the vintage sci-fi series, “Space:1999” are on YouTube. For product reviews and “how-to” videos, I turn to YouTube. You never know what you will find.

You can watch it on your TV using Apple TV, most modern Roku devices, Chromecast, or Amazon Fire TV. For more hints on what to find on YouTube, check out this article. I highly recommend YouTube as a source for totally free video! It’s my favorite streaming service.

Pluto TV is one of the best free streaming TV services, offering both an on-demand and a live-TV-like viewing experience. You can watch on their website or on a your streaming device. The movies are older, of course, but they’re better quality than what many other free streaming services offer. Since this is free, there are commercials though.

Let’s not forget full episodes available free on the major network websites (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, PBS). Be careful to distinguish between “full episodes” and “clips”. Also, more and more sites are requiring “cable TV login”, which means you have to have cable TV to view some of the shows, unfortunately. But, there are still a good number of current shows available for free on the networks’ sites (I usually watch the Big Bang Theory that way).

You can find links to free video on the ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, PBS and much more at my Free Internet Video Links page.

Peacock is NBC’s online streaming service. It has a free tier (which requires creating an account) with some good NBC shows and movies with commercials (they claim no more than five minutes of commercials per hour). The premium plan for $4.99/month gives you more content still with commercials. For an additional $5/month, you can get rid of most of the ads.

I think the free Peacock service is well worth adding to your free streaming library. Peacock is now available on most streaming devices and some smart TVs

Sony Crackle is a source for free (and legal) Hollywood movies and TV shows. The selection is mostly older stuff, more modern B and C-level stuff, but there are some gems in there. You can watch on your computer from the website, or on your TV; all of the major set-top boxes have a Crackle app built-in. Check it out!

Similar to Sony Crackle, Popcorn Flix offers older movies for free, both on their website and in their Roku app (also available on other platforms).

Roku is getting into the media business with The Roku Channel, offering free older movies and TV shows on their website and Roku app. It’s not bad and definitely worth checking out.

Vudu, formerly a video-rental-only service, now offers a selection of free movies! Navigate to the “Movies on Us” section to find a bunch of movies that are “free with ads”. Okay, these aren’t recent releases, but you might be able to find an oldie that you like, and there seems to be a better selection than the other free movie sites.

Philo TV is a great streaming service available for most set-top boxes and mobile devices for those who are not into sports. Since sports channels cost disproportionately more than other channels, this can save you a lot of money!

Cost is $25 per month for 63 channels, which is a great deal. Includes unlimited DVR to save shows for up to a year. There is a 7-day free trial.  See channels below.

Bottom line, if you don’t need sports channels, Philo might be a good choice for you!

Sling TV is an ideal low-cost solution if you already get the major network stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.) using a broadcast TV antenna, or if you just don’t want those channels.

The “orange” plan is geared towards sports fans and families. It is $35/month.

The “blue” plan is geared towards news and entertainment. It is also $35/month.

You can get both plans together for $50/month.

Each plan offers 50 hours of DVR included, expandable to 200 for $5/month. Overall, Sling TV is a good deal and many cord-cutters use it. It’s available for all of the major set-top boxes and mobile platforms. Click the button below for more information:

If you love the Hallmark Channel, then frndly is for you. They also offer A&E, History, Lifetime and other family-friendly channels live and on-demand. Unlimited DVR included. All for $6.99/month. It’s a great service that’s not weighed down by expensive sports channels. Try for seven days free.

You can watch CBS and other television shows live and on-demand with Paramount Plus starting at $4.99/month with limited commercials or $9.99/month for no commercials. This could be useful if you can’t get free broadcast TV. If you subscribe for a year at a time, you get a 15% discount.

There are some shows, like “Star Trek: Discovery”, and “Star Trek: Picard” which you can only watch on Paramount Plus and not on broadcast TV.

Paramount Plus also has some Viacom channels including MTV, Smithsonian, Nickelodeon, BET, and Comedy Central, so it’s not a CBS-only streaming service!

Fubo TV started in 2015 as a streaming service specializing in soccer channels but they’ve added mainstream channels to become a legit all-around streaming service. They’re still heavy on sports with the recent addition of ESPN.

Starting cost is $69.99 per month for 118 channels and $79.99 for 173 channels, which is in the same ballpark as cable TV, so you should really think about whether you need all of these channels. If you’re into sports and need local channels (i.e., you can’t use an antenna in your area), it may be worth it.

Hulu with Live TV is the traditional Hulu streaming service plus a selection of over 50 live TV channels including the major networks and cable channels  It’s only available in “select markets”, which probably means major cities but not rural areas.  Cost is expensive, starting at $69.99 per month but may be OK if you need sports and the networks. 50 hours of cloud DVR storage is included. There is a one-week free trial period.

You also get Hulu’s inventory of streaming TV shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” and movies. This was a good deal, but with the cost increase, it starting to smell more and more like cable TV.

YouTube TV offers live streaming TV of the major networks plus some cable channels like AMC, along with DVR capabilities at additional cost. The base cost has increased significantly to $64.99/month which is approaching the cost of cable TV. But, if you love live sports, you might want to consider this. Otherwise, there are cheaper options.  There is a one-month free trial.

YouTube TV is available throughout the U.S.

Netflix offers a great selection of movies and hit TV shows like the global movie hit, “Squid Game”. Unlimited streamed programming starts at $9.99 per month for SD quality (only get this for viewing on a phone), $15.49 for HD on two screens at the same time, and $19.99 for 4K (Ultra HD) content and four screens at the same time.

To save cost, I subscribe for a month or two max, watch all of the good stuff, then cancel. Netflix does not have a free trial.

Hulu (the regular non-live TV version) is a very popular streaming service featuring a catalog of TV shows and movies for $6.99 per month with limited commercials and $12.99 per month with no commercials.

Hulu is increasingly investing in original programming like “The Handmade’s Tale”. I also enjoyed the story of one-time James Bond actor George Lazenby in “Becoming Bond”. They have a one-month free trial so there’s nothing to lose to try it.

If you’re a fan of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, or Star Wars, the Disney+ streaming service is a no-brainer, at least until you’ve watched all of the movies from these studios on your list. It also offers all seasons of The Simpsons and Muppets Content. For a Star Wars fan, “The Mandalorian” series is a must-watch.

Disney+ is only $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, an amazing price point compared to the competition. If you want to throw in Hulu and ESPN+, the price is $13.99 per month with ads or $19.99 with no ads.

Of course, Disney+ is available on all of the major streaming devices. Unfortunately, the free trial for Disney+ went away when Hamilton came out.

Amazon Prime is extremely popular for giving you free 2-day shipping on Amazon, but it also gives you access to thousands of movies and TV shows on Amazon. Cost is $14.99/month or $139/year. If you’re a student, you can be a member for $69 per year or $7.49 per month, a good deal! Standout original Amazon TV series include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “The Man in the High Castle”, and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”. There are also some moves, but they tend to be older ones than you’d find on Netflix.

It’s a good deal if you use what it has to offer. Many people I know swear by this service.

Starz is a good value at $8.99 per month. They offer a seven-day free trial. Starz is owned by Lionsgate films but offers movies by other major studios as well.

SHOWTIME is a great option for movies at only $11 per month! They have an amazing 30-day free trial; enough to watch a ton of movies for free! The Showtime app is available on many mobile and streaming devices. For a dollar more, you can bundle in Paramount+.

HBO Max is making waves by offering Wonder Woman ’84 and all of the 2021 Warner Bros. movies on the same day as theatrically release, at no additional cost! You can now watch HBO Max on all of the standard streaming devices, including Roku for $9.99 with ads or $14.99 per month without (I recommend paying a bit more to avoid ads). There is no free trial, but that’s not a big surprise given the number of new movies coming.

Lots of people have been asking about how to get HGTV lately. Discovery+ might be a bargain if you don’t mind watching episodes after the end of the season (with some exceptions that are available at the same time they air on live TV). Discovery+ does not offer live TV channels; it offers a library of shows from these channels on demand. Price starts at just $4.99 per month with commercials or $6.99 without. There’s a student rate of $2.99/month with verified enrollment.

Apple TV+ has the Emmy-award-winning hit TV series, “Ted Lasso”, which we really enjoyed. We also like “The Morning Show”. Definitely worth utilizing your free three-month subscription when you buy an iPhone, or even buying a one-month subscription at only $4.99. I would only keep it for a month or two, then move on and return maybe in a year when the content is completely new again, especially since there are not a lot of shows on Apple TV+ compared to other streaming services.

Amazon Prime Video offers tons of movies and TV shows for rent or purchase as opposed to a subscription. Movies range from 99 cents to $4.99 to rent. I personally use Amazon Video and like being able to occasionally watch paid content without a monthly subscription fee.

If you own an Apple device, you know about iTunes. TV shows are $2.99 to buy and movies are $4.99 to rent. This is about a dollar more than other services like Amazon. Selection of recent movies and shows is pretty good. You can watch them using your Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, or computer.