A few years ago while I was going through some tough times financially I studied a lot on how to get free cable tv. I learned a lot during that time and I want to share with you some ways you can get quality free cable tv.
I am a television fanatic something which annoys my spouse very much as we have different television tastes. I am more into news, sports, and nature sometimes while she is into movies, reality tv, and the like.
So when I am looking for free tv my mind is usually on finding free news and sports channels. While it is easy to find news channels, it is another matter when it comes to sports channels.
To avoid getting into trouble with her I also looked for movie channels and discovered that there are actually a number of them. While most are not purely movie channels you can easily find ones that offer movies as part of the package.
I was actually surprised to find channels that show movies from the 1990s to even movies that came out only a few years ago.
The only problem was to find channels that show live sports. These are definitely few and far between. This is because more and more leagues are preferring paid cable tv where they get more money.
So it is possible to find some quality free cable tv that offer quality tv programmes. Alternatively you can find Alternatives To Cable TV.
And to be honest, even if you have the money, it is not a wise use of resources to be spending $100 on cable tv. That money can best be used to buy stocks and other investments.
If you spent $100 dollars every month buying stocks at 8% return you will have at $186,000 in 30 years’ time. It is a principal of compounding where 8% will on the capital plus the returns year after year.
If you paid this money to a cable company for 30 years you will get nothing in return apart from the 1 or 2 hours you spend on tv every day. A time that can best be spent on family bonding.
Related Post: How To Live Your Best Life
Table of Contents
How To Get Free TV
Below are some of the ways you can get free tv for you and your family. Some of the ways mentioned will help you get quality movies that are only a year old.
1. Take Advantage of Netflix Free Trial Period
If you are looking at watching free quality Hollywood movies and series then picking up Netflix 30 day free trial is the right platform for you.
You only have to make sure that at the end of the trial period you cancel your subscription.
Netflix is a streaming service that offers, TV series, documentaries, and feature films in various languages. Currently, they have 158 million subscribers from 190 countries.
The cool thing about Netflix is that you will watch your shows without being bothered by commercials.
One can choose to watch in standard definition for the Basic subscription, high definition for Standard subscription, and Ultra High definition for the Premium subscription.
If you choose to continue the service after the 30-day free trial you can choose one of the three subscriptions.
The basic subscription is now at $8.99 per month. And the standard subscription is at $12.99 per month and the Premium subscription is at $15.99 per month.
2. Amazon Prime Video
Did you know that if you are an Amazon Prime member you can have access to Amazon Prime Video for free?
Amazon Prime Video is another streaming service where you can enjoy great movies and TV shows.
These include award-winning Amazon originals such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and kids series Tumble Leaf.
Of late Amazon Prime has been showing some major sports events on its platform. For example for soccer lovers, they have been showing some live matches from the English Premier League.
They also showed the US Open Tennis championships recently in some countries.
If this goes on watching sports on Amazon video could be among the cheapest available. And you too can take advantage of this by being strategic on when you pick up the free trial.
This service launched int 2013 and was initially available in United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Austria. At the moment Amazon Prime video is available in almost all countries of the world.
One can watch this service through its website or through apps on mobile devices, Roku, Amazon Fire, video game consoles, and smart TVs.
If you are not an Amazon Prime member you can subscribe to it for $12.99 per month. The good thing about Amazon Prime subscription is that you can cancel it anytime.
3. Roku Streaming Service
One of the companies that popularised streaming devices is Roku. The day I bought my Roku I was surprised at its size. I expected a big device.
With the Roku device, you can stream free tv, live news, sports, and thousands of movies and TV episodes on free and paid channels.
Free channels you can find on Roku include;
NewsOn
On NewsOn you can watch live tv newscasts for free. So if you are interested in the news in your local area you will need to add this channel to your Roku. Besides live news, you can also watch previous newscasts. As a news fan, this is a gold mine for me.
Crackle
Crackle is another channel for free movies. More details about this in its own section below.
Xumo
With Xumo you will have access to over 190 different channels. These are free live and on-demand streaming entertainment.
They have a huge streaming library containing thousands of Hollywood movies, 24/7 network news, popular TV shows, sports coverage, and educational kids programming. And you will have this much entertainment at no cost.
Some of the paid channels you can watch on Roku include, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Disney, and NBS.
4.Crackle
Crackle is another streaming service for those interested in watching free movies. It is a joint venture between Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Sony Picture Television.
You can install Crackle as an app on your phone or your tv and you will be ready to watch. One can also watch Crackle by adding it to Roku streaming devices.
If you are interested in watching big box office movies for free then Crackle is for you. Here you can watch Hollywood’s best actors and actresses doing what they know best.
All genres are catered for. Whether you are interested in Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Crime, and Comedy, you will find all of that there.
The service rotates the content on a monthly basis. However, they have tons of content that you will not be able to watch everything within a month.
Unfortunately, because the service is free, the company uses ads to make money. As a result, you will have to make do with ad breaks as you watch. This is however a price worth paying.
5. HDTV Antenna
If you thought antennas are for a different period then you are mistaken. The antennas are now making a comeback with an increasing number of Americans now resorting to the antenna for their TV viewing.
The good thing is that the quality has also gone up. Such that you can easily use an indoor antenna and still be able to watch your favorite local tv channels.
We have two types of antennas now, omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas.
Omnidirectional antennas receive signals in the same from all directions of the campus. And Directional antennas receive signals better from one direction.
If you live in an area where all the towers are in one direction then you might opt for a directional antenna. Whereas if you live in an area where the antennas are in different directions then you should opt for the omnidirectional antenna.
Which is the best HDTV antenna?
According to the Wirecutter website, Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse omnidirectional indoor antenna is the one that outperformed event the larger models in their test this year.
They say it has a discreet design and can stick to your wall without any hardware or tape.
For those short of cash they recommend, 1byone Flat Indoor Antenna. This one they say pulled in almost as many channels as Eclipse but the problem is that it can’t be relocated easily. And also the fact that the cable isn’t detachable.
You can get both of these from Amazon.
About Author
