5 Of The Cheapest Ways To Watch Live TV Without A Cable Subscription

As nice as it is to have access to various on-demand streaming apps and their enormous catalogs of content, you don't always want to have to choose what you watch. That's one of the appeals of live TV – you can just pick a channel and see what the airwaves throw at you.

That said, as more people cut the cord, cable subscriptions are starting to become obsolete, not to mention potentially expensive depending on where you live. Of course, one of the reasons for that is that you don't actually need a cable subscription anymore if you want to watch live TV. As long as you have an internet connection, there are plenty of ways you can get your live TV fix, many substantially cheaper, not to mention more convenient, than getting a cable box hooked up. With that in mind, the only thing you still need to think about is how much content you want versus how much you're willing to pay.

The majority of streaming TV services generally cost around $75 a month, give or take. While you usually get a good amount of content for that price, perhaps you're in the market for something a little leaner, just enough to cover the major channels that you know you'll actually watch. If you're feeling a little more budget-conscious, Sling TV is a good live TV option.

Sling TV offers two packages, Orange and Blue, which give you access to an overlapping catalog of 30-50 channels, each for $40 a month. These channels include most of the major news networks, entertainment channels like TBS, sports channels like ESPN, and family channels like Disney and Cartoon Network. If you're not sure which channels you want, you can skip the guesswork by getting their combined package for $55 a month, netting you 51 channels in total. Plus, every Sling TV plan comes with DVR storage, allowing you to record and rewatch anything that's aired on the live schedule.

Your particular needs for a live TV streaming service can vary wildly depending on your precise television tastes. For one thing, the vast majority of live TV services include a myriad of sports channels for just about every sport you can think of. If you're not much of a sports fan, though, you can actually save big on your entertainment costs by signing up with a more entertainment-focused service. One affordable service with a good range of non-sports channels is Philo.

For $25 a month, Philo gets you access to a respectable range of 60 cable-grade channels, including popular picks like Comedy Central, the BBC, the Hallmark Channel, and more. The only thing that's not included in the package are dedicated sports channels like ESPN, so Philo is best suited for the kind of viewer that enjoys everything except for sports coverage. As long as you're not planning on watching the World Cup at your house, Philo should get you what you need.