Best Free Live TV Streaming Sites 2021
Online streaming has brought in a paradigm change in our daily entertainment schedule. Gone are the days when we had to rack our brain and decide on the most economical cable TV package as you can now enjoy countless digital content from around the globe and that too without spending a single dime on the same. One of the greatest and fabulous web surfing works is figuring out the sites where you can stream live TV Shows and Movies for Free. There are numerous streaming sites available online from where you will find your favourite and all interesting web series and episodes without paying any cost.
We are here to share a few details of interesting best free TV streaming sites 2021 which can help you to make your boring day enjoyable
Where We Got Our Info
As discussed earlier, we limited our analysis to the Big 4 networks ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC as well as other networks with large national broadcast footprints: Univision, UniMás, Telemundo, The CW and MyNetworkTV.
Wikipedias list of US television markets summarizes the state of major network coverage across all 210 television markets in the United States. We used the streaming services own look-up tools to check availability of local network streams in the thirty largest of those markets.
One final note: The local coverage in this list is accurate as of late October 2017. All of the streaming services are trying to get more local stations on board. DirecTV Now, for example, expanded into 155 local markets in mid-September. Conditions in your area may have changed by the time you read this. Here are links to each services channel lookup page so you can check which channels you can get right now:
- YouTube TV: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, The CW
New York, New York
- DirecTV Now: ABC, CBS, FOX, MyNetworkTV, NBC, Telemundo, WLNY
- fuboTV: CBS, FOX, MyNetworkTV, NBC, WLNY
- Hulu with Live TV: ABC, CBS, FOX, MyNetworkTV, NBC, Telemundo, WLNY
- PlayStation Vue: ABC, CBS, FOX, MyNetworkTV, NBC, Telemundo
- Sling TV: ABC, FOX, NBC, Univision
- YouTube TV: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Fubotv: Best For Sports Fans
The Basics
Team Clarks Full Review of fuboTV
3 Key Things To Know
- Starter vs. Elite: fuboTV has two main package offerings, so the first thing youll need to decide is whether youre good with the Starter package detailed above or prefer to spend an extra $15 per month for an upgrade. The Elite package gives you 1,000 hours of DVR space, 10 concurrent streams and 45 extra channels.
- Sports live here with one notable exclusion: fuboTV prides itself in offering a large menu of sports channels, so youll find all of the professional sports leagues and college sports leagues represented by their networks as well as the ESPN and FS1 families of networks. The one thing missing that many fans will want is access to regional sports networks such as Bally Sports South . Those are available to stream only on DIRECTV STREAM as of this writing.
- Channel count confirms theres more than just sports: While that list of sports channels is impressive, youll also get news stations including Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC. For entertainment, youll get HGTV, Food Network, A& E, Bravo, Discovery and more.
Is It Worth It?
If you have a couple of sports nuts in your house, you may be able to satisfy them with the large channel list offered in fuboTVs basic package.
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What We Dont Like
- Lots of ads
Free live TV cable channels
First of all, similar to The Roku Channel, you dont even need to sign up or create an account for Pluto TV. You can just start watching TV when you open the website or app.
Pluto TV is the best free service for live TV with more than 250 channels. Its a cable-like streaming service with the following channels:
- BET
- Nick Jr.
- Stadium
Also, there are channels dedicated to one particular TV show, such as Tosh.O, Degrassi, and Deal or No Deal.
And perfect for Spanish speakers, there is a Latino section with Peliculas, Telemundo Telenovelas Clásicas, and Nickelodeon Latino.
Tons of on-demand content
The massive amount of content Pluto TV offers includes 70 different movie genres. Anyone will find something to watch when youre waiting in the long line at the grocery store or when you need to kill some time at home.
Movies include Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, What Lies Beneath, Bull Durham, and all of the original James Bond movies.
The on-demand shows on Pluto TV include The First 48, Hells Kitchen, Rosanne, and Leverage.
Watch Pluto TV on the app, on your computer, or with one of these devices:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Ads are minimal
Over 10,000 movies and TV shows for free
Vudus free titles are well-known. But keep in mind, they seem to exist in the late 80s to early 2010s.
Download the Vudu app to watch Black Hawk Down, Mr. 3000, King Arthur, Magic Mike XXL, and Road House.
Rent movies for a few dollars
Ads arent placed in the middle of your movie
Best For Mix Of Live And On
Pros
- Excellent selection of TV series
- Extensive live TV channel lineup
- Robust cloud DVR option
- Available on nearly every media streaming device
Cons
- Base on-demand plan includes ads
- Offline downloads feature requires premium account
- Fewer high-quality originals than competitors
- Missing most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
Pros
- Excellent lineup of sports, news, and entertainment channels
- Robust and easy-to-use DVR features
- Intuitive interface
- Supports three simultaneous streams per account by default
- Excellent add-ons
- Lacks most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
- Only basic parental control options
Pros
- Tons of live sports and on-demand entertainment content
- Reliable streaming
- No A& E, Bally Sports, or Turner channels
- Most live streams limited to 720p
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How To Choose The Best Free Streaming Service For You
Luckily, since they are all free, you dont need to choose just one of the best free streaming services. However, you may find it difficult to balance a bunch of different apps and want to focus on just one or two.
The first consideration should be whether you want to be able to watch live channels. If thats the case, you should use Pluto TV, Sling Free, Xumo, Peacock or check to see if the Roku Channels new live TV guide is available for you. If you only care about finding movies and TV shows on-demand, then try Peacock, Crackle, IMDBtv, Tubi or Vudu.
Content selection is the other major thing that distinguishes the free streaming services from each other. Aside from Peacock, with its library of name-brand content, almost all of them have the same core of free TV shows, like Hells Kitchen and Roseanne. But some, like Crackle and Vudu, have more robust movie libraries. Others provide access to top past shows, like IMDBtv and Roku Channel. So, peruse the available titles and see if the streamer has options that appeal to you. After all, even if these services are free, doesnt mean they have stuff you want to watch.
How To Choose The Right Service For You
Everyone has different needs. Here are my thoughts on which service is best for who.
- Best all-around: Sling TV, with YouTube TV right behind it. If you like storing movies and series for watching later, YouTube TV takes the lead.
- Best for a budget: Philo easily gives you the most for the least money.
- Best all-in-one live TV and VoD: Hulu + Live TV is the only contender.
- Soccer and other European sports fans: FuboTV
- AT& T Customer: AT& T TV
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Whats The Best Streaming Service For TV Shows
We like Hulus wide selection of next-day cable and network shows, but, for original TV shows, HBO Max and Apple TV+ are tough to beat. HBO Max features its own exclusive originals and series from HBO proper, and Apple TV+s small-but-growing stable of in-house productions are favorites with critics and tech review sites .
What Do We Like About Hulu + Live TV
- You can bundle Hulu Live with ESPN+ and Disney+
- Hulu Live gives you live channels and lots of on-demand content
Everyone in the family will love the ultimate entertainment bundle
Who wouldnt love the live TV channels and on-demand library from Hulu, live sporting events from ESPN+, and all the Disney+ movies youve ever dreamed of?
And the best part? The bundle is only $6 extra on top of your Hulu Live package.
So enjoy The Mandalorian or the Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox game with the family, then watch one of the great Hulu originals afterward.
Hulu + Live TV gives you a huge on-demand library and live channels in one service
Hulu Live has more than 65 popular channels you can turn on in the background while you work from home, including the following:
- Animal Planet
- TNT
- USA
Hulu Live has the biggest on-demand library out of all of the live TV streaming services. So this service is perfect for those who want to watch The Bachelor in real-time or binge last season.
Other TV shows you can stream on Hulu Live include the following:
- 9-1-1: Lone Star
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Hulu And Hulu + Live TV Promotions And Deals
You can bundle Hulu , Disney+, and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month for a savings of $5.98 monthly . This bundle deal also applies to ad-free Hulu , ad-supported Hulu + Live TV , and ad-free Hulu + Live TV .
College students can bundle ad-supported Hulu with Spotify Premium and SHOWTIME for just $4.99 a month, an overall savings of $21.98 monthly.
Sprint Unlimited Wireless customers can get Hulu for free with a Sprint mobile plan .
Which Is The Best Live TV Streaming Service In 2021
Published By Dennis Restauro
A question we often receive is, What is the best live TV streaming service. The answer to this question will vary based on the type of TV viewer. A sports fan will prefer a different streaming service than someone interested in entertainment channels. If you have an antenna, you may not be interested in streaming local channels. Ive taken these concerns into account and put together a definitive ranking of which live streaming service is the best out of Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, fuboTV, Philo, Vidgo, and DIRECTV Stream.
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What Is The Biggest Streaming Live TV Service
11 May 2021
Hulu with Live TV continues to outpace its competition by a pretty wide margin.
There’s no shortage of streaming services that provide live TV in the United States. Otherwise known as a multi-channel video programing distributor , these are services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, AT& T TV Now, Sling TV, FuboTV, and Philo. They have multiple channels some have multiple packages of channels and other bells and whistles that they’re happy to sell you for a monthly subscription.
So which is the largest live TV streaming service in the United States? Here’s how it breaks down as of May 11, 2021:
3ulu with Live TV is the largest provider of streaming live television in the United States, with some 4 million paid subscribers. It’s been buoyed in no small part by the massive success that is Disney+, which has brought more eyeballs to Hulu thanks to a pretty major bundle that includes Hulu’s video-on-demand service with ESPN+ and Disney+ for just $12.99 a month.
If you get it on its own, Hulu with Live TV runs $64.99 a month.
For more, be sure to check out our YouTube TV vs. Hulu guide. And don’t forget about the YouTube TV free trial.
Second place appears to have fleshed itself out a bit. Google on Oct. 29, 2020, announced that YouTube TV has more than 3 million subscribers. There’s a good chance that if it knew it had more than Hulu with Live TV’s 3.4 million subs, it would have said so.
What Dont We Like About Youtube TV
- Record everything you want, but you cant save your recordings indefinitely
YouTube TV deletes your recordings after nine months
We stand by our statement that YouTube TVs DVR is the best.
We just have to warn you that your recordings will be deleted after nine months. So you wont be able to record The Hobbit and save it in your library indefinitely to watch today and in a year from now.
But if you plan on deleting your recorded TV episode after watching it, you dont have to worry about YouTube TVs ninth-month-deleting spree.
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Local Channels On Hulu
Hulu + Live TV features over 70 entertainment and sports channels, including most popular cable networks, as well as local stations that carry ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW.
But local channel availability varies greatly by area, and very few ZIP codes get all of themcheck with Hulu for whats available in your area. Sorry, Riverdalefandom: The CW is the least-available livestreaming channel on Hulu Live lineups across the US. Double sorry, Antiques Roadshow buffs: PBS isnt on Hulu + Live TV .
Local livestreaming channels :
- ABC
- The CW
- Telemundo
MIA CW? If Hulu Live doesnt get the live channel in your area, you can still catch The CWs stream of all of its shows the day after airing for free through its app and website. For other missing local channels, theres always the over-the-air antenna solution.
What We Look For In On
On-demand subscription services, like Netflix, popularized streaming by providing a larger library of on-demand movies and shows than cable providers could offer, and at a cheaper price. Subscribers gain instant access to thousands of titles rather than paying more for dozens of channels or rental fees for new releases. Many streaming services have also launched their own exclusive programming that you can’t see anywhere else.
Since the goal is entertainment, choosing the best on-demand streaming service for your needs will largely come down to your personal tastes. However, we can judge the different on-demand platforms based on a few common factors, like their library size, selection of critically acclaimed exclusives, video quality, app functionality, and price.
The best on-demand streaming services have set a standard for 4K video quality, with support for HDR color and contrast on compatible TVs. TV channels rarely broadcast in 4K, so we have lower expectations for live TV streaming services, which still use HD resolutions like 1080p or 720p.
Quality can still vary based on the movie or show being streamed, and you’ll need a strong, stable internet connection to stream consistently at 4K. Even if you don’t have a 4K TV, these services will still deliver the best possible quality for your setup.
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What Product Features Does Peacock Have
- Up to three devices can stream Peacock simultaneously from a single account.
- Peacock won’t require accounts to register devices with the service, nor will it limit the number of devices a single account can use to stream.
- Peacock won’t support high-end formats like 4K resolution, high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound at launch, but they’re on the roadmap to be added.
- It won’t support profiles yet, a feature that typically allows for various members of a household to keep their viewing and recommendations separate. That feature is also on the roadmap, Peacock said.
- Parental controls are managed by a PIN.
- Mobile downloads are available for those who subscribe to its top tier, Premium Plus.
- The app’s user interface will be in English only. The programming on Peacock will support any language audio or subtitles tracks that come with a specific title. At launch, it’ll have some content with Spanish language tracks and subtitles.
What To Look For In A Streaming Service
There are two types of streaming services on the market: live TV and on-demand.
If you no longer want to pay for a cable or satellite TV bill, a live TV streaming service might be the best option for you. If youre going to binge-watch TV series and movies, youll be satisfied with an on-demand service.
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Pros Of Hulu + Live TV
Upgrading to Hulu + Live TV is easy if you already have a Hulu account. Plus, you can add the Hulu app to your Roku, Fire TV stick, and many other streaming devices for easy access to your content. You can also add Spanish language content or additional entertainment channels with add-ons that cost under $10.
Is Peacock Free
Peacocks basic tier, with ads, is free for anyone with access to the app to stream. Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus both offer a free trial period of seven days.
Xfinity and Cox cable subscribers can get Peacock Premium for no extra charge with their service, or Peacock Premium Plus for $4.99 a month. Learn more in our How to Watch Peacock with Xfinity guide.
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Why We Chose It
Best-in-class channel lineup
The best channel lineup is highly subjective, but we think Hulu + Live TV is the best option for most people. According to research from Nielsen, Americans receive 197.4 channels on average, but only watch 20.9 of them. While it has fewer total channels than comparable packages from YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV has more of the ones people actually want to watch.
Of the top 10 most desired channels in Tivos survey, Hulu was the only live TV streaming service to include all ten two more than any of its competitors. That means youll get all the local channels, plus other big names like the Discovery Channel, History, FX, A& E, TNT, and TBS.
Includes Hulu on-demand
Hulu + Live TV has one perk that no other live TV streaming service offers: When you sign up for Hulu, you also get its vast on-demand library of TV shows and movies, which we named the best on-demand streaming service for network shows. The $45 version of Hulu + Live TV includes Hulus ad-supported on-demand plan, but you can upgrade to the version with no ads for $51.
Airs most live sports
50 hours of DVR storage
Hulus 50 hours of cloud DVR storage is solidly above average compared to its competitors. While PlayStation Vue offers unlimited storage, each program expires after 28 days. Everything in Hulus DVR is good for as long as you subscribe a relief for those of us saving that one show were definitely going to get around to soon.