Cord Cutting Help: Broadcast TV

[EACarlson]

Looking for some suggestions on how to get my local broadcast channels without paying $40/month for cable. My current antenna gets me two channels fairly reliably but it's very spotty on the other two. I'm approximately 50 miles from the broadcast towers so looking more for any kind of streaming options. Anything out there that might be usable?

 

[bcla]

What shows are you interested in? You might not be able to watch the live broadcasts, but Paramount Plus is $5.99 and Peacock is free for watching shows the next day (although I've got their premium tier through Comcast). I don't believe there's an equivalent right now for ABC or Fox, but maybe next day streaming for some programs?

 

[Moliphino]

Any local relatives or friends that will let you log into their apps? I use my parents' info to be able to watch football games during the season.

 

[kdonnel]

What kind of antenna?

If indoor you need an outdoor antenna.

If outdoor you need a bigger antenna.

You need to find out what kind of antenna is needed to pick up the channels you want.

https://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

 

[EACarlson]

What shows are you interested in? You might not be able to watch the live broadcasts, but Paramount Plus is $5.99 and Peacock is free for watching shows the next day (although I've got their premium tier through Comcast). I don't believe there's an equivalent right now for ABC or Fox, but maybe next day streaming for some programs?

Really the only thing I need it for is sports on FOX. I have Paramount+, Peacock and ESPN+ that gets me most all the rest of the games.

Any local relatives or friends that will let you log into their apps? I use my parents' info to be able to watch football games during the season.

That's what I've been doing, but my in-laws are cutting the cord next month.

What kind of antenna?

If indoor you need an outdoor antenna.

If outdoor you need a bigger antenna.

You need to find out what kind of antenna is needed to pick up the channels you want.

https://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

Currently have a big outdoor antenna that came with the house. I have ordered an amplified indoor antenna that is coming tomorrow.

 

[unrequited23]

My in-laws subscribed to YouTube TV to replace part of their digital cable package. It is $60/month but you are allowed to have multiple users in multiple locations with their own sub-accounts. For example, our household does not see any shows recorded by my in-laws or my SIL's family. The catch is that only 3 TVs can be watching the same thing at the same time. It's only a problem during football season when my in-laws want to watch the game on two separate TVs in their house.

Where we live $40 for cable/local channels is a good price.

 

[fla4fun]

I am sort of halfway between the Tampa and Orlando broadcast towers and use an antenna. To be honest, some days the networks come in fine, and sometimes they don’t. It depends a lot on the weather. I have simply learned to live with it. I can get my local news for three out of four channels through the free Tubi streaming service if necessary. I don’t watch sports, so I don’t know if Tubi would have what you are looking for in that area.

I did buy a signal booster that I placed between the antenna line and the tv. It doesn’t bring in a missing or really low signal, but it does help with the stations that are almost watchable. If you are getting an amplified antenna, you may see a similar affect in the quality of your channels.

Good luck with your cord cutting!

 

[kdonnel]

Currently have a big outdoor antenna that came with the house. I have ordered an amplified indoor antenna that is coming tomorrow.

That antenna may no longer be appropriate.

With the conversion from analog to digital, TV stations were given new transmit frequencies even if it appeared through virtual trickery that they retained the same channel number.

So if your big outdoor antenna is primarily a VHF antenna and your local stations are now broadcasting UHF, a very common conversion when things went digital, you need a long range antenna built for UHF.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

$40 for cable is a great price here. We just cut the cord with cable in favor of YouTube TV. So far it's going pretty well and our tv/internet costs are cut in half. Bit of an adjustment/learning curve but well worth it so far.

Wish I had better advice about antennas. I didn't really consider it as an option (not sure why).

 

[Nayan]

Head over to rabbitears.info and put in your address. They will tell you the exact kind of antenna you need and which direction to point it. You also have to take into consideration buildings, terrain, etc as those can have a big impact on whether channels come in or not.

Peacock and Paramount+ will get you NBC and CBS games. ESPN+ doesn't carry all of the MNF, so you would need a cable/sat that has regular ESPN for that. Thursday night games are on Amazon Prime (along with the first Black Friday game).

I would suggest you take a look at Sling and see if they carry your locals. I'm not sure which package it is but one of them does have ESPN and other sports channels for a decent price.

 

[dizneegirl]

With the Sling account (free or paid), you still need an antenna to get the local channels.

 

[bcla]

Fox Sports is going to be the tricky one. I don't think there's a way to stream that without some sort of programming package. You'd have to rely on an antenna to get your local station.

 

[sam_gordon]

As suggested, use either tvfool.com or rabbitears.info. Put in your address and find out what kind of antenna you need to get the station(s) you want. I have an amplified indoor, but I'm <5 miles from two stations and ~10 miles from the others.

 

[disneychrista]

What shows are you interested in? You might not be able to watch the live broadcasts, but Paramount Plus is $5.99 and Peacock is free for watching shows the next day (although I've got their premium tier through Comcast). I don't believe there's an equivalent right now for ABC or Fox, but maybe next day streaming for some programs?

Lucky you. I had premium but it went away at the end of June.

FYI - Hulu is ABC & FOX for next day streaming of prime time TV shows.

 

[bcla]

Lucky you. I had premium but it went away at the end of June.

FYI - Hulu is ABC & FOX for next day streaming of prime time TV shows.

I had to apply Xfinity Rewards. It was kind of tricky though as it gave me a link when I redeemed and I closed it quickly but realized I needed to activate ( which involved linking my Peacock account). But then I checked a day later and the Comcast website (or app) gave me the link again. But I look here and I should have checked the main email account,which I never use.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/peacock-subscription-faqs​

I’m enrolled in Xfinity Rewards as a Diamond or Platinum member. How do I get access to Peacock Premium?​

Xfinity Rewards Diamond and Platinum members with Xfinity Internet can redeem a special offer for Peacock Premium at no additional cost from the Xfinity Rewards website. You must be enrolled in Xfinity Rewards to take advantage of the offer. You’ll then receive an email with instructions on how to activate your offer.​

I don’t think premium is needed to access TV programming with a ton of ads. Might be limited in what can be viewed, like maybe only recent episodes?

 

[Cadiewampus]

What kind of antenna?

If indoor you need an outdoor antenna.

If outdoor you need a bigger antenna.

You need to find out what kind of antenna is needed to pick up the channels you want.

https://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

I had not seen this site before. Thanks for posting. I do have a digital antenna but its mounted outside but not rooftop. I get about 30 channels but CBS is the only one of the big three. I thought I really needed a roof top but this site just confirmed it

 

[EACarlson]

I got a new digital indoor amplified antenna and it found all the channels I was looking for. Have to give it a bit to see if it keeps them watchable. I don't think my wife would let me spend the money necessary to update the rooftop antenna to what would be necessary to get what I'd like.

 

[kdonnel]

I got a new digital indoor amplified antenna and it found all the channels I was looking for. Have to give it a bit to see if it keeps them watchable. I don't think my wife would let me spend the money necessary to update the rooftop antenna to what would be necessary to get what I'd like.

You might not know if it will be totally reliable until you have gone through fall and spring.

I found that reception of my local CBS station was problematic when the leaves were falling and when the leaves were growing out.

I managed to move my attic mounted antenna over a couple inches and that let me raise it about 6 inches and the problem went away.

Placement is VERY important.