Cable television is expensive. Sure, those big cable packages give you several hundred channels to choose from, but are you watching enough of them to justify the cost each month? For the majority of us, there are a handful of television shows or channels that we watch regularly. There may even be a few shows that we “can’t miss.” Have you thought about canceling cable to save yourself good chunk of change each month, but you can’t bear the thought of missing your shows? You can ditch cable and still watch tv!
How to Ditch Cable and Still Watch TV
As long as you have an internet connection, you can still watch television. Many of the tv networks post videos of their shows on their websites which are available to watch for free. There are a number of other websites which provide hundreds of television series links, and allow you to browse the shows and watch all from their website. Some of the sites provide the service for free, while others charge a few bucks a month to users but either way, you’re going to save a lot of money compared to your existing cable bill.
You can watch television series and movies on your computer monitor or laptop, but if you’re laughing at the thought of giving up your 47” television in favor of watching your shows on a small computer screen – don’t worry. You can still use your television when using the internet to watch tv.
Cancel cable and try cheap cable alternatives
Many of the newer televisions have connection options for hooking your television screen to your computer as the monitor. Once connected, you can navigate the internet, find and select your shows and hit play all while using your tv as the monitor. It’s a little more complicated with older televisions, but it can still be done.
Companies like Boxee.tv have a box that you set up with your tv to connect to the internet, while others have learned how to use S Video cables and DVD Player to get the connection established. If you have an Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii console – you can stream movies and television series directly from Netflix. Just follow the instructions in your Netflix account to set it up. Netflix offers options as low as $9.99 a month.
Websites Providing Individual Show Links:
Network Websites:
- ABC
- NBC
- CBS
- Fox
- Lifetime
- A&E
- MTV
- HGTV
- Discovery Channel (Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and TLC)
- PBS
You can also find many television shows on Youtube.com. The video sharing site is not actually intended for television shows, but many people take the time to record and upload their favorite television series. You will have to watch more than one video to get a complete episode, but they’re typically labeled with the name of the show, the episode number, and then “video 1” or “video 2”, so you can piece together the various videos you need to watch to see the whole show. While a little inconvenient, if the goal is to save money, even Youtube.com is a good option for cutting your $60 or $130 cable bill!
Also don’t forget your local library! Most libraries stock a wide range of videos and DVDs of movies and television series. You can borrow them for free just as you would books.
photo credit: horrortaxi.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting article. I think in some ways that cable may go the route the land phones. However, there is so much advertising money I do not think it will continue to be free. However, I think you will see lower costs in the next 5 years as cable and dish networks compete for internet business.
I travel some internationally for work, and I know I catch up with a lot of TV that I like over the internet now, provided I can get a decent internet connection.
It will certainly impact TV down the road, that is for sure.
BMT, many of the networks are actually raising the prices they charge cable companies because their revenues are down. It is having he opposite affect of your prediction, and many basic cable plans are becoming more expensive. The competition between the major providers is the only thing currently keeping pricing in check. We still have our cable for the time being, but I wouldn’t be opposed to dropping cable at some point – we rarely watch much TV. Unfortunately, the channels we watch most often are cable only channels!
I’m a big fan of the instant tv shows and movies that are available on Netflix. I recently bought a Roku box so I can watch those instantly on my TV. You can also do the same with an Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii, etc. This is a great free option if you already use Netflix and have an internet connection.
Hulu is the way to go! I hardly ever watch TV shows on TV anymore, too many commercials. Even if I want to watch a network show I wait until the next day to watch it on their website – the quality is good and they only run a 30 second commercial during the breaks, versus the typical 20 minutes of commercials during an hour long program.
We haven’t had cable for over twenty-five years. When we travel, we channel surf cable in the motel. Despite the number of channels, we rarely find anything that really grabs our attention.
We bought the adapter boxes for our old analog TV’s and watch broadcast digital. Our favorite channel is Retro TV. They broadcast old TV series (we’re old, too). Some good stuff. We have been disappointed in the quality of broadcast digital, however. The picture is constantly breaking up. We get “No Signal” way too often. Maybe it’s the cheap adapter or cheap antenna. Anyway, “not as advertised” by the government. The quality and reliability of broadcast analog was much better.
We supplement our entertainment with old movies on VHS tapes we buy at Goodwill for a buck a piece.
K.C. That’s a great way to save money, especially if you aren’t much of a TV watcher. I don’t personally watch much TV, but the shows my wife and I watch tend to be on cable – often the Travel Channel, Food Network, Discover, History, ESPN, and The Disney Channel for our little one. That said, I don’t think we would be heartbroken to cut the cord and go without – just as long as I can keep my fast internet connection!