Many of us are paying for expensive streaming services and cable TV packages. But you cut the cable and paid streaming and still have more than enough content to watch.

Surveys show that most users who subscribe to cable or satellite TV watch just a few of the channels included in their package and most providers do not allow you to customize a package that includes just the channels you want. They are almost always bundled packages, so you end up paying for content you never use.

This is how you can watch TV for free after an initial investment in some equipment which will pay for itself very quickly.

Purchase an indoor or outdoor OTA TV antenna. There are many different models available. The one I purchased was less than $50.00. It is an outdoor antenna and I pick up over 50 local channels.

antennaweb.org is a website that is helpful in determining what OTA channels you will receive in your area and what type of antenna would work best for you.

You can purchase an Amazon Firestick or Roku to watch free streaming services.

Here are some free services to choose from

  • YouTube: YouTube offers a lot of free content. Movies, TV shows, music, documentaries, how to videos, comedies and more.
  • Hoopla and Kanopy: Both offer free movies, documentaries, TV shows, eBooks and Audio books, magazines and newspapers and more. All you need is a library card to log in and borrow content.
  • Linkedin Learning: Formerly known as Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning provides how-to and educational videos from professionals on nearly every topic imaginable. You also use your library card for Linkedin Learning.
  • The Roku Channel: One of the best free services out there. It offers a wide range of content from old and new TV shows, movies, documentaries and more and you don’t need a Roku device to watch. The app is also available on Amazon Fire TV.
  • Crackle: Crackle is owned by Sony and Chicken Soup for the Soul productions, so it has access to movies associated with those companies. Crackle features films and TV shows, some of them on an exclusive basis, mainly from Sony Pictures and its subsidiaries, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. Crackle also features “Crackle Original” series such as On the Ropes, Going from Broke, Hidden Heroes, The Oath, and Snatch. Crackle’s content changes each month as titles are added and taken down.
  • Peacock:  A lot of great content from TV shows to movies. Their free service is more than enough but they do offer paid options as well.
  • Tubi: Tubi offers thousands of TV shows and movies. They are arranged into categories which includes a “Not on Netflix” collection to help you better appreciate what you’re not paying for.
  • Amazon Freevee: Also offers free movies, TV shows, comedies, documentaries and more.
  • Plex: Choose from movies, shows, sports, music, documentaries, AMC series, Live TV and more.
  • Pluto TV: Offers a lot of recognizable content from brands such as MTV and Comedy Central, plus local news stations programmed by CBS affiliates. Also offers dozens of categories from DIY, Anime, Classic TV and movies and more.
  • STIRR: Offers TV shows, comedy, news, talk shows, game shows and other content.
  • Xumo: Very similar to Pluto TV has over 200 channels. Xumo says they have over 10,000 movies to choose from.
  • DistroTV: Offers a lot of unique content from news to documentaries, movies and more. Lots of foreign movies to choose from.
  • CW Seed: Watch full seasons of dramas and comedies that are not currently in production. You get access to 56 long-running series and limited series. The network is home to television series from a wide range of genres, from thrillers to action series to dramas.
  • PBS Video: The free service provides access to thousands of hours’ worth of on-demand programming from flagship PBS series, such as PBS NewsHour and Frontline, tons of documentaries and more.
  • Popcorn Flix: Offers tons of free movies and TV shows.
  • Sling: Sling is a paid service, but they also offer over 5,000 movies and TV shows totally free of charge.
  • NewsOn & Haystack News: Tons of news content.
  • Shout Factory TV: Watch classic films, TV series, live streaming and Shout Factory original content. You can watch on Samsung Smart TV’s, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Firestick and more.
  • Scream Factory: Watch cult classic horror, sci-fi films, new movies and original content.
  • Comet: Watch science fiction TV shows and movies including horror, thrillers and science fiction classics.
  • Court TV: Watch live coverage of court trials, a library of iconic trials from the past, true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows and more.
  • Documentary+: Numerous categories of documentaries including documentary series.
  • Globi: Offers numerous foreign films from over 20 countries. Not all are in English but most that are not include English subtitles.
  • VUit is a free streaming service that provides access to local TV channels and on-demand content. It is tailored for your location. You can view the content via the VUit website or by using the app. Since this is a free service, you will have to tolerate advertisements. Sign up is optional, you can watch without registering but signing up offers benefits like creating a list of favorite channels and the ability to save progress on the shows you are watching. VUit streams directly on its website and the app is available for Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Apple iPhone and iPad, Roku TV and Android devices.

These are just a few of the many free streaming apps available. With all of this why pay for TV?