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How To Watch Local Channels Without Cable TV

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How To Watch Local Channels Without Cable In 2020

How to Watch Local Channels Without Cable

If youre a sports fan or newshound, chances are you wont want to miss out on any local channels. Thankfully, you dont have to invest in a cable subscription to watch primetime shows, games, and more. There have never been more ways to cut the cord and stream local channels online. So whether youre looking for a live TV streaming service with an expansive local line-up or a free way to watch local networks, youre in luck. Read on for everything you need to know.

Do You Care About Watching Sports

Most live sports are back and sports fans have an increasing number of options they’ll want to follow live. Unfortunately, sports fans will have the toughest time cutting the cord.

Some channels devoted to pro baseball and basketball teams, known as RSNs , are only available to cable subscribers. Live TV streaming service AT& T TV’s $85 plan is the best option if you want to watch your local RSN, but coverage varies widely by sport, team and city. To find out if the service carries your team’s games you’ll need to visit AT& T’s website here.

NFL pro football games are usually carried on local networks, but you’ll typically need an antenna, a live TV streaming service or Paramount Plus to watch them. One exception? Amazon Prime Video will carry some 2021 NFL games for free, and will host Thursday Night Football exclusively from 2022.

Get Local Channels Through Mobile Apps

You can also get local channels through your smartphone apps such as Fox Now, CW, ABC, CBS all access, NBC app, and PBS video. You can then connect your Smartphone to your TV set by using a high definition internet cable and On-the-Go USB adapter. Everything is for your home with the internet plan, therefore, you need unlimited internet plans for home.

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How Do You Get Local TV Channels On A Smart TV

There are many ways of accessing local TV channels on your smart TV.

The first way is through an HD antenna.

  • Getting an HD antenna is the cheapest way to get local TV channels on your smart TV. They usually cost around $20.
  • Antennas have improved in quality, and you will rarely encounter grainy images with HD antennas today.
  • Remember that the antenna needs to be mounted outdoors with minimal interference or structures surrounding it. Thus, if you set up an HD antenna by your window but are surrounded by buildings taller than your position, you wont get decent broadcasts. And in some cases, weather conditions can interfere with the stability of the broadcast.

You can also get local channels through cable TV subscriptions.

  • A cable TV subscription is one of the most stable ways of getting local channels on your smart TV. You dont need to worry about high buildings or weather interferences, as you would with antennas.
  • The disadvantage of a cable TV subscription is the cost. Youre probably going to end up watching only 10 percent of the channel selections of your cable TV plan, but youll be paying for the full suite.

And theres also Satellite TV for local channels.

  • Like cable subscriptions, Satellite TV also offers local channels. Unfortunately, it is also prone to unclear quality during weather disturbances, and you will be paying for channels you dont need.

You can also use your Internet connection to access some local channels.

TV Shows From Nbc On Peacock

How to Watch Local TV Without Cable

Peacock, the new streaming service from NBCUniversal, has a free tier that carries current seasons of NBC shows, news and sports. You wont find your local news station, but the NBC programming is free.

Under the free plan, current NBC shows will air new episodes one week after they air on cable and live TV services.

The free plan on Peacock may not have your local NBC station, but you will get highlights from NBC Nightly News, NBC Sports, Meet the Press, CNBC, MSNBC, E! News and Noticias Telemundo.

Peacock also has two other plans. Peacock Premium has more movies and TV shows. New episodes of NBC shows air one day after they appear on cable.

Peacock Premium Plus has all the same shows and movies, but removes most advertising except for a select few.

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Share A Video Streaming Service Account

Sharing streaming passwords with friends and family happens all the time. In fact, a Reuters poll conducted last year reported that a full one-fifthof young adults shared their streaming logins. So, is sharing passwords considered piracy? Unfortunately, theres no clear answer. Even streaming companies have differing stances on the practice.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in 2016 that sharing streaming account logins is par for the course for its streaming service.

Amazon Prime, meanwhile, says on its website that Amazon Household allows you to share Amazon benefits with another adult, teens, and children in your household. In your household is the operative phrase there as it leaves room for interpretation.

If youre unsure what you want to do, rely on your judgment. But if you have decided to share your password with a friend and yourefeeling guilty about it, dont.

Which Streaming Services Do Not Offer Local TV Stations

The only mainstream live TV app that does not let you watch local TV channels on its service is Philo. Because local TV rights can be expensive to negotiate and Philo is a budget live TV service, the company has decided the trade-off is not worth it.

If you have a Philo subscription and want to watch local TV, you will have to use some of the other methods outlined below.

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At& t TV Is Now Available To Bundle With At& t Internet Get $300 In At& t Visa Reward Cards When You Bundle At& t Internet & At& t TV

EARLY TERMINATION FEE OF $15/MO. FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., $19.95 ACTIVATION FEE, EQUIP NON-RETURN & ADDL FEES APPLY. New approved residential customers only. Excludes DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers.

AT& T TV: AT& T TV requires high speed internet. Recommend minimum 25 Mbps for optimal viewing . Limit 3 concurrent AT& T streams.

Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT& T Internet services. Not all speeds available in all areas. Call to see if you qualify.

$300 IN REWARD CARDS FOR AT& T TV/INTERNET BUNDLE: Subj. to change and may be discontinued at any time. Must purchase through Red Ventures. For new residential customers. Excludes AT& T TV NOW. Residents of select multi-dwelling units not eligible.

  • $200 Reward Card for AT& T TV: Requires purchase of qualifying AT& T TVpackage .
  • Additional $100 Reward Card for Internet Orders: Requires purchase of Internet 100M or higher plan .

AT& T Internet: Subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms.

Offers may not be combined with certain other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers.

Streaming Local Channels Free

How to Watch Local Channels Without Cable: 3 Ways to Do It!

I understand that not everyone wants to use an antenna. Many are looking to steam their local channels. The streaming service Locast used to be the best option for streaming local networks free. Unfortunately, Locast suspended operations after losing a court decision to ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. While there isnt a long-term solution to steaming these local solutions, you could take advantage of free trial options from the services in the list below. They all stream local network channels in TV markets across the US if you need a more short-term solution to watch something on local channels now.

More details and information on these services are provided in the next section.

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Setup Instructions: How To Watch Local Channels Without Cable

To watch local TV without cable, simply connect the indoor HDTV antenna cable to the input connector in back of the television. The flat antenna should be placed at the nearest windows , and higher the better. Watch video below

Where to Buy

If the cable length isnt enough to place the flat antenna on the window, check Amazon and buy an extension. Otherwise, the antenna can be place in an open area near the TV to get a good reception. You will have to experiment. The antenna can be positioned around the wall or somewhere away from the wall. Keep moving the antenna around for the best reception, while watching a television channel.

How to get TV without cable requires one more step. Grab the TV remote and hit either the Input or Source button or whatever applies. Open the input options window on the television screen. This is where different types of inputs are available that devices can be connected to the television. You should see HDMI, TV , Cable, etc. Select TV, and then find the other menu section to scan TV channels on the television. This feature will scan and find all local over the air channels from television stations in the area.

Note: Scan for OTA TV channels again when satisfied where your antenna is positioned to get the best reception. There may be additional channels out there to find.

To get your hands on a FREE ebook download that delves much further into how to get local channels without cable, .

Discover Your Local Channels And Their Signal Strength

To find out which TV channels you can get over the air for free, we recommend visiting a site called TV Fool and using their signal locator tool. Simply enter your address and click on Find Local Channels.

Give it a few moments to load the next page. Once it loads, youll see what looks like a round diagram with various lines inside, as well as a list of channels off to the right, highlighted in different colors.

It can be a bit daunting trying to figure out what it all means, but the only thing you really need to pay the most attention to is the circular diagram. The lines you see are in various lengths, and each line represents a channel. The longer a line is and the closer it is to the center of the bullseye, the better the signal is for that channel based on your location.

The direction of the lines are important as well. The diagrams cross represents north, south, east, and west. As you can see from my diagram above, most of the broadcast signals are coming from the northeast, which means I should ideally place my antenna in the northeast corner of my house so that I can get the best signal possible.

From the list of channels on the right-hand side, you really only need to focus on the distance of the broadcasts signals, which tells you how far away they are.

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Best Way To Get Local Channels

This may be the obvious choice, but a lot of people dont even think about it. Almost all major networks with local stations have their own dedicated channels on YouTube where they upload the latest videos.

To find your local stations YouTube channel, search for local channels name followed by YouTube channel, like so:

KMOV YouTube channel

Now, I should mention that this is best for watching local news. You wont probably see TV shows that air on local channels on YouTube, but you can see all the videos from their news programming. Some of them may even simulcast live news programming on YouTube.

How To Watch Local TV Channels Using A Streaming Service

How to Watch Local Channels Without Cable

Customers have a dizzying array of live TV streaming services to choose from. The wide variety of apps makes it very difficult to choose the best streaming service for your needs, especially because they all have different channel line-ups. You also need to consider the costs. Some services are free, while others require a monthly subscription.

One area where live TV services vary considerably is in the availability of local channels.

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How To Watch Local Channels Without Cable

If you are thinking about cutting the cord from traditional cable or satellite TV, you may be wondering how you can still watch your local channels.

Thankfully, paying gobs of money for a cable subscription is not the only way to access your local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS affiliates.

In this article, Ill explore some cost-effective solutions for getting the local news, sports and network TV shows that you enjoy on your local channels:

Things Needed To Watch Local Channels Without Cable Or Satellite

  • Indoor HDTV Antenna: Purchase this type of antenna to make the setup easy. No outdoor antenna is required, unless the goal is to achieve a much larger radius to receive more TV channels. Of course, a lot more installation work is required when installing an outdoor antenna. If a 50 mile radius or more seems good enough, get the indoor HDTV antenna. This antenna will make the setup a lot easier.To find out what channels from your location will be available to you .
  • Television: Any television or smart TV will do. The cable box or satellite receiver can be disconnected or remain connected
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    How To Get TV Reception Without Cable Or Antenna

    It is easy to get TV reception without cable or antenna because most of the channels even if pay channels are going live streaming. So the people may go live streaming of popular channels. In your cable connection, you dont surely like all channels. So it is really convenient to choose the channels that you prefer watching and you can watch according to your priority. However, getting TV reception without cable or antenna can be possible in two ways. These ways are-

    How To Watch Local Channels With An Antenna

    How to Watch Local TV Channels Without Cable

    Using an over-the-air antenna is often the first thing that cord-cutters consider when looking to end their cable subscriptions. It is the one way to get truly free TV. In another article, we explain how OTAs work and how you can get HDTV for no cost other than the purchase of an antenna.

    There are several antennas to choose from if you want to use one to stream local channels. Assuming you want these local channels in high-definition, you can start by checking out these TV antennas:

  • Mohu Antennas: This company offers ten different indoor HD antennas. Most of their antennas have a signal receiving range of 40+ miles and amplified indoor antennas are also among the products offered. If youre on a budget, you can get a Leaf Indoor Antenna for $24.99, often with a discount on top. Other Mohu antennas with better performance range upwards of $59.99.
  • Sling TVs HD Antenna: You can get this HD antenna worth $44.99 for free when you prepay Sling TV for two months. Sling TV costs $35 per month and you will have local channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC included . Learn more about Sling TVs free OTA and discounted Air device offers in our Sling TV review.
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    My Favorite Way To Watch Streaming Services On My TV

    If you want to watch streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Sling TV on your TV, youll need to get a streaming media player. These connect to your TV and require an Internet connection.

    There are many streaming devices available, including , Apple TV, and Chromecast. But the one that I am recommending for most people is Roku. It offers the most channels, voice search across many content providers, and headphone output, all at a reasonable price. Read my full Roku review here.

    My Favorite Indoor Antennas

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This site is not owned by any retailer or manufacturer. This is an independent review site that receives compensation from the retailer or manufacturer when you purchase through the affiliate links on this site. I personally test and/or research each product or service before endorsing it.

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    Cut The Cord Tonight And Say Goodbye To Cable TV Bills Forever: Here’s How To Do It

    It’s time to kick the cable box to the curb. Here’s how to cut the cord and replace it with streaming.

    The cable box may be a familiar part of your household, but it’s time to kick it to the curb. You don’t need cable to watch all of the TV shows, movies, news and sporting events live or on-demand. And if you’re used to your cable box’s DVR, live TV streaming services offer cloud DVRs of their own that work in the same way, no box required. All you need to cut the cord is a good internet connection and the apps built into your smart TV or running on an inexpensive streamer, such as a Roku or .

    More Americans than ever are cutting the cable TV cord in favor of streaming services such as Netflix, , Disney Plus, HBO Max and Hulu. There are thousands of TV shows and movies to stream on-demand, but that’s just the beginning. Direct cable replacement services like Sling TV and YouTube TV can stream most of the live channels, sports and news available on your cable box with no contracts to sign, so you can cancel anytime. And if you don’t want to pay at all, numerous other services stream free TV shows, free movies and even live news.

    Whether your favorite shows are on Netflix or NBC, Disney Plus or ESPN, Amazon Prime or your local ABC, Fox or PBS station, you can probably stream them without ever needing to use a cable or satellite TV box.

    Here’s how to get started.

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