How To Watch TV for Free: Extreme Cord Cutting 101

Updated: May, 2025 with contributions by Chris Boylan

In our article “Does Cord-Cutting Make Sense Financially” we discussed how the cost of cord-cutting can be as expensive as, and sometimes even more expensive than a cable or satellite bill as a result of the number of services you can subscribe to and how often streaming services may raise their fees.

However, there are also two free TV options available that might satisfy some or all of your entertainment fix. One system requires you live within a certain distance of over-the-air broadcast towers, the other requires access to the internet. But that said, either approach can provide you with a decent selection of programming without expensive monthly subscription fees.

Getting something for free always sounds good, but does that mean you are getting what you are looking for? Let’s Discuss. 

Option #1: Free Streaming Services – “FAST”

In addition to subscription-based streaming services, there are a growing number of streaming services you can watch for free. These are referred to as “FAST” (Free Ad-Supported Television) and they come under a number of different brands.

In many cases, TV and device makers such as LG, Samsung and Roku provide their own FAST channels, and their built-in streaming platform integrates promotion of these channels into the user interface. Other popular FAST channels are owned by a traditional studio or network, providing a source for ad income for content which is in lower demand. Pluto is one example of this, as they are owned by Paramount who also offer a premium streaming channel (Paramount+).

Most free services place ads at the beginning and/or within the show or movie you are watching, just like you would see on broadcast TV channels. That is how they pay the bills without requiring a subscription fee. 

Free streaming services normally don’t have the most recent movies and many times don’t have the most recent seasons of popular TV shows. However, some of these services include a small selection of free sports channels that may have replays or, in some cases even live events.  

Some of the content available on free streaming services overlaps. This means that although a specific free streaming service may have some exclusive content, a lot of the TV shows and movies are available on multiple free services. This is usually due to the copyrights of this content expiring and entering the public domain or the licensing fees being extremely low.

• TIP: Keep in mind that although there is a lot of free streaming content, you still have to pay for your internet service. 

We’ve compiled a list below of the popular free video streaming apps that provide movies and shows on-demand from their libraries, with some also providing live TV viewing options.

TIP: Some of these services may suggest or require a sign-in or account set-up, but it’s free. Sometimes extra navigation, content recommendation or content organization features are provided for those with accounts. 

Click on any to explore:

• Tubi
• Pluto TV
• DistroTV
• XUMO
• LG Channels
• Samsung TV Plus
• Vizio Watch Free
• Crackle
• The Roku Channel
• Roku Live TV Zone
• FilmRise
• Comet TV
• Plex Stream For Free
• YouTube
• IMDB TV
• Vudu (Movies on Us)

TIP: In addition, some local broadcast TV channels have their own free streaming apps that allow you to catch up on local news, sports, and other select content. 

Free Option #2: Over the Air Broadcasts

Another free TV viewing option is to watch free over-the-air (OTA) TV. Back in the old days, before cable and satellite TV and streaming, this was the only way to watch TV. But now, 86 years after the first public broadcasts, OTA can provide dozens of local digital channels in High Definition 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolution and even up to 4K resolution with HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Dolby Atmos surround sound in some markets.

To receive these signals, you’ll need to have an ATSC 1.0 or ATSC 3.0 tuner, either built into your TV or as a separate component. Then you’ll need to connect an antenna to your TV or tuner and scan for all your available local TV channels (consult your TV’s or tuner’s user guide for details on how to do this). This will enable you to access local news and weather, as well as programs from major national or regional networks, such as ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, MeTV, COZI TV, and Antenna TV.

Depending on whether you’re near or far from a broadcast tower, you may need a simple indoor antenna or a larger, more powerful outdoor antenna. There is no such thing as an HDTV or 4K TV antenna. That is all marketing hype. Any TV antenna that can receive both VHF and UHF TV broadcast frequencies will work. However, there are some things that do affect TV reception. 

Distance

TV signals are like any radio transmissions – they lose strength the further you are from the transmitter. However, modern OTA TV signals are transmitted digitally just like computer data (1s and 0s). This means that the quality of the signal doesn’t fade gradually as distance increases like analog broadcasts used to do. You’ll receive full quality all the time, intermittently, or not at all. The location at which the signal is not receivable is referred to as “the digital cliff.” A powered (amplified) antenna can help receive signals that are borderline but if you’re more than 60 or 70 miles from the closest broadcast tower, you’re probably out of luck.

If you are too close to a TV transmitter, the signal may overpower the tuner and this can also affect reception. In this case, a variable signal attenuator may clean things up. 

Geography, Buildings and Other Obstacles

TV signals are affected by physical obstacles, including buildings, hills and trees. The earth’s curvature can also affect TV signal reception if the station is far enough away. It’s best to get your antenna as high as possible (preferably on a roof) in order to avoid these obstacles and provide a clear path to the broadcast towers.

House Construction Materials

Stucco, concrete, aluminum siding, metal roofs, foil-lined ducts/conduits, and solar panels can limit the effectiveness of indoor or attic antennas. Even sheetrock or plaster/lathe walls can impact signal quality. If you can’t get your antenna outside on a roof, it’s best to position indoor antennas as close to your outer wall as possible, and preferably pointing in the direction of your nearest TV broadcast tower.

Other Factors

Weather, interference from electrical equipment, and cell towers may sometimes affect a TV signal. in some cases, specialized filters like FM traps and 5G filters can help clean up the signal.

If you use a splitter to connect more than one TV to the same antenna, you will experience some signal loss for all the TVs. Generally speaking, you lose about 3dB of signal strength (half the signal strength) for each split. You may actually create your own “digital cliff” just by using splitters so avoid unnecessary signal splitting.

Directionality also plays a factor in radio reception. You might have several TV stations in your local area, but their transmitters may not be in the same location as the actual TV studio or station building. As result, you might be receiving local station signals from several directions. While it is possible to use an omnidirectional antenna which can receive signals from multiple directions, these are typically not as effective as traditional directional antennas, particularly over long distances.

The type of antenna also plays a factor. In addition to directional vs. omnidirectional, antennas can be optimized for certain frequencies. Some are better at receiving VHF (very high frequency) while others are optimized for UHF (Ultra High Frequency) broadcasts. You may need to do a bit of research to determine whether your local broadcasters are using VHF or UHF frequencies.

• TIP: Here is an excellent guide that can aid you in deciding what type of antenna (indoor, outdoor, multi/omnidirectional, or straight directional) might work best for you. 

If you’re very far from your local broadcast towers (over 50 miles) and have broadcast towers located in different directions, a roof-mounted antenna mast and powered rotor may be necessary to pull in signals from multiple stations. But this is not usually an option for apartment or condo dwellers.

ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV

If you are buying a new TV check to see if it has a built-in ATSC 3.0/NextGen Tuner. TV broadcasting is in the process of changing to a slightly different system over the next several years, but there is no hard date where the current ATSC 1.0 system will be discontinued. ATSC 3.0 can support resolutions up to 4K with HDR (high dynamic range) as well as Dolby Atmos surround sound, but these are typically only found in more expensive high performance TVs. Most TVs today still include an ATSC 1.0 tuner, which can receive high quality high definition broadcasts up to 1080p resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV allows stations to broadcast in up to 4K resolution as well as offering internet-based and interactive content and other services. In the coming years, we expect more TVs to be equipped to receive the new signals though some manufacturers (such as LG) have begun omitting ATSC 3.0 tuners from even their most expensive TVs. Currently Sony, Samsung, TCL and Hisense include ATSC 3.0 tuners in select TV models. 

For TVs that don’t include a NextGen TV tuner an external box can be used, but that incurs additional cost. However, these external tuners frequently include DVR (digital video recording) option, allowing you to watch brodccast TV shows whenever you want and skip those pesky commercials.

One external ATSC 3.0 tuner/VDR that we like is the ZapperBox M1. It’s available on Amazon:

• ZapperBox M1 ATSC 3.0 Dual tuner DVR

Check out if stations are broadcasting with the new system in your city or when they will be. TV stations are currently required to transmit in both the current and NextGen systems until any actual switchover is mandated.  

• NOTE: There is also such a thing as receiving Pay TV channels via Antenna. Currently, it is very limited, but you may encounter more of it in the future.

The Bottom Line

In addition to subscription-based streaming services, you do have the ability to access free content via antenna or free streaming services. Either option offers a robust selection of both live and on-demand content, albeit with the need to watch (mostly non-skippable) ads.

However, if you don’t want to miss out on the latest Star Wars and Marvel shows on Disney+ (including IMAX Enhanced movies), Netflix/Apple TV+/Amazon Prime originals, or recently released theatrical films, then you’ll have to pay up. 

Related reading: Is it time to cancel your cable subscription?