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Top Streaming Services That Can Replace Your Cable Cheaper – What’s On?

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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.

March Madness First Four Starts Tuesday!

Jalen Lindsey (Providence) Nicola Akele (Rhode Island)
Image cropped from Jalen Lindsey (Providence) Nicola Akele (Rhode Island) by Ken Jancef under CC BY 2.0. NCAA College Basketball

March Madness begins this week — 68 men’s teams and 68 women’s teams compete in knockout tournaments. See our March Madness Guide. And look below for daily matches as soon as they start on Tuesday, March 19th!

  • No games today!

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

MLB Spring Training!

Texas Rangers
Michael Young with the Texas Rangers by Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season isn’t until Thursday, March 28th. But until then, Spring Training is on with a lot of great action!

None

If you are wondering how teams can play two games at the same time, this is because the games feature split squads (often marked with SS in schedules) where half the team plays in one game and half in the other.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

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

It’s time for March Madness! This weekend is Selection Sunday and then the games begin on Tuesday!

The cheapest option to stream it is Sling TV — Sling Blue for the men’s or Sling Orange for the women (although the Orange plan offers most men’s games too). It doesn’t include CBS, but you can get that via an antenna or with Paramount+ Premium.

If you sign up now, you can watch it all for half off!

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Other Sporting Events This Week

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Movies and TV Shows This Week

The 36th season of CBS‘s The Amazing Race is set to kick off Wednesday at . Look forward to 90-minute episodes all season, Mexican rodeos, Colombian paragliding, and Argentinian rally racing, plus a visit to Rihanna’s childhood home in Barbados.

13 teams, no non-elimination legs — don’t miss it! You can watch it all on Fubo!

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

TLC‘s got your drama reality check:

  • 7 Little Johnstons Season 14 returns Tuesday at
  • 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 8 premieres Sunday at

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour hits Disney+ on Friday.

Masterpiece fans, clear your calendar Sunday, because PBS has some treats from across the pond for you:

  • Call the Midwife Season 13 ()
  • Nolly starring Helena Bonham Carter (new limited series, )
  • Alice & Jack (new limited series, )

Hulu + Live TV and DIRECT STREAM both include PBS in their channel lineups. Tea and crumpets optional.

And Shondaland rules Thursday nights on ABC, with Grey’s Anatomy launching its 20th season at and its spinoff Station 19 Season 7 follows at . Look for Meredith Grey to get demoted from the star to a “recurring character” (Ellen Pompeo will still provide voiceovers for every episode), and a couple of familiar faces will return.

What Else Is New?

Culinary poker, true crime, NAACP Image Awards, Marc Summers spilling tea, several new Lifetime Originals, Paul Simon, and tons more:

  • Tuesday (Mar 12)
    • Fixer to Fabulous: Italiano (new series, 8 pm on HGTV)
    • Wildcard Kitchen (new series, 9 pm on Food Network)
    • The Lionheart (new documentary, 9 pm on HBO)
    • Password Season 2 (10 pm on NBC)
    • Never Seen Again Season 5 (Paramount+)
  • Wednesday (Mar 13)
    • Teen Mom: Family Reunion Season 3 (8 pm on MTV)
    • Little Wing (new movie, Paramount+)
  • Thursday (Mar 14)
    • 9-1-1 Season 7 (8 pm on ABC, previously on Fox)
    • Killing All My Sisters (8 pm on LMN)
    • True Crime Story: Smugshot (new series, 10 pm on Sundance TV)
    • Apples Never Fall: Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty and starring Sam Neill, Annette Bening, and Alison Brie. (Peacock)
    • Comic View: Revival of the classic standup series hosted by Mike Epps. (BET+)
    • Justice, USA (new series, Max)
    • The Girls on the Bus (new series, Max)
  • Friday (Mar 15)
    • America’s Backyard Gold (new series, 9 pm on Discover)
    • Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch (9 pm on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
    • Frida (new animated documentary on Prime Video)
    • Manhunt (new limited series, Apple TV+)
  • Saturday (Mar 16)
    • 55th Annual NAACP Image Awards (8 pm on CBS/BET)
    • Friday Night Sext Scandal (8 pm on Lifetime)
    • The More Love Grows (8 pm on Hallmark)
    • Critter Fixers: Country Vets Season 6 (9 pm on NatGeo Wild)
  • Sunday (Mar 17)
    • Sweetly Salted (7 pm on UPtv)
    • Killing for Extra Credit (8 pm on Lifetime)
    • Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (new series, 9 pm on ID)
    • Yellowstone Wardens (new series, 9 pm on Animal Planet)
    • In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (new docuseries, 9 pm on MGM+)
  • Monday (Mar 18)
    • An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution (8 pm on ABC)
    • Photographer (new series, 8 pm on NatGeo)
    • Stormy (new documentary, Peacock)

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, FuboTV 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?

Sling TV Sports Android
Sling TV makes it easy to watch TV on your smartphone and other devices.

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:

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

  1. Pick the right streaming service
  2. Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
  3. Supercharge your internet provider

That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!

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