How To Watch Local TV Channels On Apple TV
Owning a streaming platform like Apple TV comes with a lot of perks. In this age of convenient entertainment, individual streaming services are aplenty, and each is rife with unique and unmissable content. So, many people own subscriptions to multiple streaming services to access as much content as possible. Apple TV acts as a platform you can use to combine all your streaming apps together in one place (just as long as the streaming service is supported by Apple TV).
But even with unlimited access to tons of movies and shows from multiple streaming services, you still would want to be able to watch your local news channel or catch the weekend game easily. Local TV channels are the quickest and easiest ways to access this content, plus some great shows. But for Apple TV owners, watching local TV channels is impossible unless they also get a cable subscription. Or is it?
Surprisingly, your Apple TV has multiple ways to watch the local channels, including the modern streaming option and the old broadcast TV option with an antenna.
Go old-school with an antenna
Now you might feel a little iffy about using an antenna to watch TV, and quite understandably so. It immediately conjures images of climbing onto your roof and moving that spindly metal device haphazardly while your friend yells directions below. But nowadays, Antennas are much easier to use than that. Modern over-the-air antennas are hardier, better at receiving signals, and even offer 4K resolution. Having an antenna also means you won't have to spend a single dime on local TV channels.
You can always directly plug the antenna into your TV, but using it with your Apple TV puts all your content in one place and means one fewer HDMI cable. The process is a little complicated, but it's a small price for free TV. You can use either an OTA DVR or Plex media server.
With an OTA DVR, you connect the OTA antenna to it and record live TV feeds from the antenna on it. The DVR saves this content and allows you to stream that using the OTA DVR app on your Apple TV.
You can also use a TV tuner to connect your antenna to a computer with the Plex media server app already installed. Then you can record local TV content on the server and stream it live on the Plex app using Apple TV. However, you do need to subscribe to Plex Premium.
Stream Local TV channels using your Apple TV
If you do not want to go through the process of sorting through and connecting hardware to watch local TV channels with your Apple TV, you can always stream them online. Many streaming services offer a feature that can stream Live TV, which consists of a specific bundle of local TV channels.
You would need an internet connection and a subscription to a streaming service that offers local channels for live TV streaming. Many streaming services offer an affordable option with only a select group of channels called "skinny bundles." If your location is eligible, you can access all the essential major local TV networks with the right streaming service. Most of these Live TV streaming services offer a free trial which you can use to check if you get the channels that you want.
The streaming services offering local TV channels supported by Apple TV include Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV, and Paramount Plus. Download the respective app on your Apple TV, make sure you have the correct subscription, and watch.