Nowadays you will find every household with one or more Smart TVs available. With the rise of Smart TV, the decline of cable networks has reduced to a great extent. Everyone is adopting a more affordable way of subscribing to streaming services to watch their favorite TV shows and movies. Today, we will be taking a look at how to watch local channels without cable.
Now, if you are someone that has recently been using the cable network method for watching local TV Channels, then you might already know how expensive these bills can get. And with how everything is going on, it is only sensible to keep the costs down. When there are many alternative ways to watch local Tv channels, why choose the more expensive one? So, if you are one of the new cord-cutters out there figuring out how to get access to your local TV channels, this is the guide for you.
Watch Local TV Channels Without Cable
How to Watch Local Channels with TV Antenna
Prerequisites
- Smart TV with built-in channel tuner
- Set-top Box or DVR if said TV has no channel tuner
- Indoor Antenna for TV
- Wall friendly Adhesive
Setup Indoor Antenna
If you do not have an indoor antenna, you can buy one off Amazon for cheap. Some antennas are available for $20.
Now that you have the antenna, make sure to place it in an area that you think will get you good reception. It is suggested to stick the antenna near your window or any open space in your house that is close to the TV. Once you have finalized the antenna’s placement, connect the cable from the antenna to your Smart TV. Or, you could connect it to your Set-top box or DVR.
Searching Local TV Channels on Antenna
Now that your antenna is connected to either your TV or Set-top box, it is time to now search for local TV channels that are free to air in your locality.
Steps – If connected to the TV
- If your Smart TV has a built-in channel tuner, it is time to grab the TV remote.
- Now, open up the Settings menu on your TV and there should be an option that says search for channels.
- You will be able to choose between a manual or auto frequency scan. Choose the auto-scan option.
- The TV will now scan for channels that are freely available on the air in your locality.
- Once the channels have been found, you can simply use the channel up and channel down buttons on your TV remote to browse through various channels.
Steps – If connected to the Set-top Box
Now if you have a TV that does not have a built-in channel tuner, you can connect the cable to your Set-top box and then connect the set-top box to your Smart TV.
- Power up your TV and your Set-top box.
- On your TV, make sure to switch to the right input source for your Set-top box.
- Now, grab the remote for your Set-top box and press the Menu button.
- Navigate to Settings and then you should see an option that reads scan for channels.
- Select the option and now your Set-top box will begin to search for channels.
- Once it has found all the channels, you can simply use the Channel guide on your Set-top box to browse through the various channels you have found in your locality.
Watch Local Channels without Cable with Streaming Services
The best thing that has ever happened with the rise of smart TVs is streaming services. There are so many streaming services that you can use to stream your favorite TV shows and movies. But, what if I told you that there are also a good number of streaming services that you can use to watch a bunch of your local TV Channels? Well, there are free options as well as paid options. So let’s take about a few of these streaming apps that let you watch local TV Channels.
Paid Streaming Services with Local TV Channels
There are a good number of paid streaming services that not only offer you local TV Channels but additional features such as being able to record your shows and maybe purchase a few add-on packs.
Local TV Channels on YouTube TV
Now, we all know about YouTube and how it’s a great platform for content consumption. Apart from just watching your favorite content creators, YouTube now offers you a service that lets you watch a number of local channels for a monthly subscription of $64.99. You can get access to channels such as ABC, FOX News, and a good number of sports channels like beIN Sports, etc In fact when you enter your area Zipcode, you will get to see a proper list of available channels that YouTube TV has to offer for you. You can read more about YouTube TV by heading here.
- Price: $64.99
Local TV Channels on Hulu + Live TV
Just like YouTube TV, Hulu + TV is another streaming service that offers users to watch a good number of local channels. With the perfect Hulu+ TV plan, you can, not only watch your TV shows and movies but also stream local TV Channels such as ABC, ESPN, Fox News, and a good number of sports channels. You can get yourself a Hulu + TV plan for $69.99 a month. The list of all Hulu+TV Channels can be viewed over here.
- Price: $69.99
Local TV Channels on Sling TV
If you want to stream your local channels at a cheaper price, Sling TV might be the best one for you. It works even better if you have an HD Antenna that you can use to connect to your TV. Given that it is available for $35, Sling TV will offer you around 100+ TV Channels. Curious about what channels and plans Sling Tv offers? Here is the list of channels that you can watch on Sling TV.
- Price: $35
Free Streaming Services with Local TV Channels
While those were the best-paid streaming services to stream local channels, there are also free alternatives that you can use. Now yes, while they are free, you will have to watch some amount of ads and it isn’t that bad.
Local TV Channels on Peacock TV
Peacock TV is a great platform for those who are completely new to the world of streaming services. This is an ad-supported platform, so you might have to deal with a few ads here and there. But, with that being said, you can watch up to 50 local channels and around 40,000 hours of content like various movies and TV shows all for free. You can check out more details for Peacock TV by heading here.
Local TV Channels on Samsung TV Plus
This is a great service provided you own a Samsung smart TV. If you have a Samsung Smart TV, you can simply get access to a large number of local channels that range from sports, news, entertainment, and everything in between. The service is completely free and has no ads as well. The best part is, that it comes pre-installed on your Samsung TV and you d not have to create an account or enter in credit card details to begin watching your Channels. Samsung TV plus is available in a large number of regions. You can check out the list of channels by heading here.
Alternatively, you can use Amazon News and NewsOn to watch free local channels, both services many free local TV channels to watch on a smart TV without a Cable or antenna.
Use Dedicated Streaming Services to Watch Local Channels
Apart from getting streaming apps to watch local channels, you can also purchase dedicated streaming devices such as the Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon Fire Stick, or Google Chrome cast. These are simple plug-and-play devices that connect to your TV’s HDMI input port and also to a power source. Once you have t setup, you can go ahead and watch your favorite local channels right away.
Conclusion
And there you have it! Multiple ways that you can follow to watch local channels on your TV without a cable or antenna. So, if you are someone planning to cut the cord, go ahead and use any of the above-mentioned ways to get access to your local TV Channels. It’s cheaper, faster, and a lot easier than your regular old cable network service.
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