It seems like every month or so, we hear about another option for watching TV without having to pay those high cable or satellite fees. As new options pop up, it can be hard to keep track of them all. If you’d like to “cut the cord” or simply want to explore your non-cable choices, here are some of your best options.
1. Your Good Old Antenna
TV antennas have come a long way since that big hunk of metal you had on your roof as a kid. With today’s antennas, you can get up to 50 channels, sometimes more, without paying for anything else. Your channel selection will vary by location and the type of antenna you have, but the longer the range, the better. Even if you pay $150 for an antenna, you’ll save that in just a couple of months without paying for cable.
2. Amazon Prime
If you have an Amazon Prime membership, did you know it comes with video streaming? This offers up thousands of movies and TV shows that you can stream to your computer, TV, or device for no additional cost. You can even opt to pay for the video membership only, for $9 monthly.
3. Hulu
You’ve probably heard of Hulu, but did you know it starts at jut $7.99 per month? You get unlimited access to stream TV content and movies on your devices, with limited commercials. If you pay a few bucks extra, you get it commercial-free. Hulu can also be had with live TV for $39.99 monthly, with 50+ channels. The drawback? You may not be able to get your local news or sports, but you can always switch to your antenna for that.
4. Netflix
The ever-popular Netflix is about $10 per month, which will allow you to stream on two devices in your home at once. You can pay a few bucks less if you only want to use one device at a time. For up to four devices streaming simultaneously, it’ll still only cost you $14 monthly. There’s a ton of TV shows, movies, and even original series available, and you don’t have to watch commercial. If you like, you can still add a DVD plan for as little as $5 monthly. You can stream Netflix on a number of devices, including Amazon’s Fire Stick, Playstation 4, Roku box, Chromecast, or Apple TV. Might as well take your Netflix membership to the gym with you and make that time on the treadmill go faster!
5. DirecTVNow
This is like a cable service in that you get lots of live channels, but it’s internet based, so it’s not technically cable. Another way it’s not like cable is the price. You get 60+ live channels for $35 per month, and there is no annual contract. You can even get a free trial to check it out for zero dollars. We’ve been using this at our house for about a year now, and we really like it. There is also some on-demand movies and content included in that price. Now go — binge on the Food Network and learn how to improve your chef skills.
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