The last few years have seen a revolution in TV. It is no longer necessary to be tied to a cable provider with a long contract. There are many live TV streaming services that are as good, or better, than what the cable companies provide. All this for a lot less money.
In a hurry? There’s lots of information below, but if you just want to start enjoying TV more while spending less money, you can’t go wrong with these services:
- Fubo (formerly FuboTV): Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 150+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- Sling TV: Offers 40+ channels, including a couple of local network affiliates, for just $40.00/mo. Save 50% on Sling TV now!
- DIRECTV STREAM: The king of RSNs, this is the streaming service for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans. Check out its Choice Plan if you want to watch every game! A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Hulu + Live TV: This industry leader in on-demand streaming offers 85+ live channels, covering a broad range of sports, entertainment, and family content. Try one month for $76.99.
Table Of Contents
2024 NBA Playoffs: Round 2
The NBA playoffs have entered Round 2:
Date | Time (ET) | Teams | TV |
---|---|---|---|
Sat May 11 | 3:30 pm | Thunder vs Mavericks | ABC |
Sat May 11 | 8:30 pm | Celtics vs Cavaliers | ABC |
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Round 2 of the NHL playoffs have started. Don’t miss out!
Date | Time (ET) | Teams | TV |
---|---|---|---|
Sat May 11 | 7:00 pm | Stars vs Avalanche | TNT |
Sat May 11 | 7:00 pm | Rangers vs Hurricanes | TNT |
What’s Streaming Now?
We provide simple but detailed information for cord-cutters to get the best possible experience without cable. You will learn where and how to stream different channels, what individual streaming services offer, and how to be cost-effective with your chosen streaming device.
Whether you’re a sports fan, movie buff, parent with curious kids, or just a general TV consumer, we provide you with everything you need to leave your cable contract behind.
Here’s the stuff we think deserves attention. It’s by no means complete, however! All times are Eastern.
Sporting Events This Week
Even without all the excitement of Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has been rocketing up in popularity. And just as the NBA season comes to an end, the WNBA season is starting. Opening day is Tuesday, May 14th with 4 games spread out over ESPN2 and ESPN3.
You can stream all of these games, although you will need to use the ESPN app if you don’t have Sling Orange. Get the rundown on ESPN3 in our guide.
Here are the opening day games:
- Tue May 14 : New York Liberty vs Washington Mystics (ESPN3)
- Tue May 14 : Indiana Fever vs Connecticut Sun (ESPN2)
- Tue May 14 : Minnesota Lynx vs Seattle Storm (ESPN3)
- Tue May 14 : Phoenix Mercury vs Las Vegas Aces (ESPN2)
Other Sports Streaming
- NBA Playoffs: Don’t forget about the NBA playoffs!
- Stanley Cup Playoffs: Or the NHL playoffs!
- Track & Field: Get ready for the Paris Olympics with the Outdoor Championships for the Big Ten (Big Ten Network channels) and Pac-12 (Pac-12 Network channels) this weekend. All these are provided by Fubo.
- Goodyear 400: Check out the Cup Series as NASCAR moves to Darlington, South Carolina for the Goodyear 400. It airs live on Sunday at on FS1.
Other Sporting Events This Week
- Mar 15 – Nov 3: NWSL Regular Season ( NWSL Guide)
- Mar 30 – Jun 2: UFL Regular Season (UFL Guide)
- May 4 – May 26: Giro d’Italia (Italy) – UCI Men’s World Tour (Cycling Guide)
- May 6: Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery (Boxing Guide)
- May 7 – May 8: Semifinals second leg (UEFA Champions League Guide)
- May 7 – May 18: Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome -WTA (Tennis Guide)
- May 8 – May 19: Rome Masters, Rome -ATP (Tennis Guide)
- May 9: Premier League Darts: Night 15 – Leeds (Darts Guide)
- May 9 – May 12: Wells Fargo Championship (Golf Guide)
- May 9 – May 12: Cognizant Founders Cup (LPGA Guide)
- May 10: Arnold Gonzalez vs Esneiker Correa (Boxing Guide)
- May 10: Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (NASCAR Truck Series Guide)
- May 10 – May 12: Itzulia Women (Spain) – UCI Women’s World Tour (Cycling Guide)
- May 10 – May 12: Grand Prix de France — Le Mans (MotoGP Guide)
- May 11: Finals (AFC Champions League Guide)
- May 11: Ivana Habazin vs Kinga Magyar (Boxing Guide)
- May 11 – May 15: Matchday 37 (Premier League Guide)
- May 11: Vasyl Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jnr (Boxing Guide)
- May 11: Erika Cruz Hernandez vs Nazarena Romero (Boxing Guide)
- May 11: Jessica McCaskill vs Lauren Price (Boxing Guide)
- May 11: UFC St. Louis: Lewis vs Nascimento (UFC Guide)
- May 11: Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 (NASCAR Xfinity Series Guide)
- May 11: Music City 150 (NASCAR ARCA East Series Guide)
- May 12: Goodyear 400 (NASCAR Cup Series Guide)
Movies and TV Shows This Week
Sling TV has a super-exciting new opportunity for TV watchers. Watch with Sling for 30 minutes, get entered to win prizes. It really is that simple. May’s Grand Prize is a trip to the US Open golf tournament.
Wondering what kind of shows you can watch on Sling? Here are some tasty new releases for this week, all available for the low, low price of $40/mo!
- OutDaughtered S10 (9p Tue, TLC)
- Crimes Gone Viral S5 (9p Tue, ID)
- In Pursuit With John Walsh S5 (10p Wed, ID)
- Mommy Meanest (8p Sat, Lifetime)
- Naked and Afraid XL S9 (8p Sun, Discovery)
- Expedition from Hell: The Lost Tapes (10p Sun, Discovery)
- Blood, Sweat and Cheer (8p Sun, Lifetime)
- Interview with the Vampire (2022) S2 (9p Sun, AMC)
- Smiling Friends S2 (midnight Sun, Adult Swim)
- Summer Baking Championship (8p Mon, Food)
Also streaming this week:
- Eurovision Song Contest 2024: An annual multinational music contest going back decades, Eurovision is a huge deal in Europe, but it didn’t hit American radars until 2020 when Will Farrell released a movie about it. Stream the 2024 edition on Peacock, live from Malmö, Sweden, starting at Eastern on May 7, 9, and 11 (Tue, Thu, and Sat).
- Dark Matter: Joel Edgerton stars as Jason Dessen, an ordinary physics professor in Chicago, who is kidnapped into an alternate reality by an alternate version of himself, who then tries to steal his family and life. The first two episodes stream starting Wednesday on Apple TV+.
- The Chi (Season 6, Part 2): If you’ve been waiting for the second eight episodes of Season 6 of Showtime’s The Chi, your wait is over. Episode 9 will premiere on Friday on Paramount + with Showtime, and will air on Showtime‘s channel at 9 pm on Sunday.
- TIME100: The World’s Most Influential People: ABC’s now-annual peek inside the TIME100 Gala, hosted this year by Taraji P. Henson, will air on Sunday at 10 pm Eastern. Honorees and attendants include Colman Domingo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jack Antonoff, Kylie Minogue, 21 Savage, Patrick Mahomes, Maya Rudolph, and more, with live performances from Dua Lipa and Fantasia Barrino. You can stream it Monday on Hulu.
Why Get Rid of Cable TV?
Some reasons for getting rid of cable are obvious. But there are some that may not have occurred to you.
- Time: Too much television is a waste of time. If you cancel cable and only watch your favorite TV shows, you can spend more time with your friends and family.
- Money: A cable or satellite subscription costs many times more than it does to grab a simple on-demand plan with Hulu and Netflix. Cable is also more expensive than online cable replacement services with live TV channels, like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
- Technology: Video streaming is the future of TV. Soon, all video entertainment will be via an online connection. You might as well get on board now, learn the tricks, and save money in the process.
- Information: Be more informed. Rather than be at the mercy of local news anchors, you will revert to more reputable news feeds like PBS, Bloomberg, CBS News, and LinkTV. For example, Fubo provides 13 news and information channels, along with all the local affiliates in its base plan.
- Freedom: Cable and satellite providers normally tie you into a long contract, only to give you prices that are still higher than comparable streaming services. Getting rid of cable means getting rid of the contract. Go month-to-month and be flexible.
- Dignity: Stop getting ripped off! Calling up the cable company and canceling your cable will simply make you feel good.
Looking for missing conservative news channels? Check out Sling TV!
Best Streaming Services
Choosing the right streaming service is probably the most important decision that a cord-cutter will make. There is no absolute “best” streaming service. It all depends on what you want with your live TV streaming plan.
Some streaming services are free, like Peacock TV (although they have a premium plan). Sling TV offers value plans that are low-cost but offer a lot. And the full-featured plans of Fubo, Hulu Live TV, and DIRECTV STREAM) provide what you would expect from a standard cable plan, but with different bonus features designed to appeal to all sorts of viewers’ needs.
Get access to all our detailed and up-to-date reviews of the major streaming services. You will also get links to free trials so you can make sure a service suits you before you buy.
Internet Without Cable?
Most cable TV subscribers also get their internet access from the same place. In many cases, there are other options for the internet. In some cases, cable is literally the only game in town.
We’ve put together everything that cord-cutters need to know about getting internet service. Even if your cable provider is tied in with your internet, you can probably get a reasonably-priced internet-only plan via a downgrade.
Cord-Cutting Wisdom
There are a lot of aspects of cord-cutting that newbies may be faced with. These range from what’s worth watching, to getting access to particular channels, to buying and installing specialized streaming and recording devices.
We discuss it all. Here are some of our most popular articles:
- How to Watch Local News Without Cable
- Setting Up your Streaming Service Parental Controls
- The Best DVR Without Subscription Fees
- The Best Ways to Get Internet Without Cable for Cord Cutters
- Watching Television in Spanish Without Cable.
Stream Major Events
Major TV events are still a big part of our social lives — just look at Facebook and Twitter during the Super Bowl or Academy Awards. Cord cutters have full access to these events.
For those just starting out, we have primers on how to stream the biggest happenings:
Stream Sports
Most major streaming services offer good access to live sports. The standout is Fubo. But a good low-cost newcomer to the industry is Vidgo. We have articles about everything related to live streaming sports like:
Stream TV Shows
With live TV streaming, you never have to miss your favorite shows, mini-series, and films when they are broadcast live. Here are some of our articles about streaming some recent must-see TV titles:
Get Started Now
We understand that dumping cable is intimidating. So we’ve written a detailed step-by-step guide to the process on How to Watch TV Without Cable.
It also gives you an overview of all the top streaming services, desirable features to look for, and answers to the most frequently asked questions from to-be cord-cutters.
What are you waiting for? Get started now!
Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord
- Pick the right streaming service
- Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
- Supercharge your internet provider
That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!
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