Broadcast and Local TV Resource Guide
Broadcast TV and Local TV Channels are a wonderful source for television content. An antenna will tune in many free channels.
But not everyone can use an antenna. Tall buildings, building construction, hills, and even trees can all inter-fear with the transmission signal. So this list also includes additional resources to view this content.
If subscribing to a live TV streaming service is too costly, many streaming sites sell access to streaming an entire series of episodes of the same content.
The Humble TV Antenna
If you haven't used a TV antenna for lately, give it another try. The FCC auctions caused channels to move to different frequencies on the radio spectrum. Because of this, you may find signal reception on some local channels may see improvement.
This Digital TV antenna guide will help you get the best reception possible at your location.
Live TV Streaming Services
Live TV subscription services are another alternative to watch these same channels. But these are very expensive. Sometimes, subscribing to cable TV during a new customer promotion may be more cost effective than live TV streaming services.
Before you sign up, consider any additional fees. These may include cable box rentals for each TV set you own, local taxes, broadcast fees, and sports fees. Cable companies like to offer one price shown to customers. Often they are not up front on how much all the additional taxes and rental fees cost in their promotional pricing.
The cost for live TV bundles keeps going up. As individual channels keep raising prices. Forced bundles are another problem. Often there are many plain bad channels included with the few good ones worth watching. Bundled sports channels are notorious for driving up the price of cable TV bundled channel packages as well.
For one of the most affordable live streaming TV services, check out Philo TV. They don't bundle sports, or news channels and this has kept the cost of their live TV bundle affordable.
English Language Broadcast Channels:
| Channel | DTVStream | FuboTV | Hulu Live TV | Sling | YouTubeTV | Vidgo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y* |
| CBS | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
| FOX | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | Y* |
| NBC | Y | Y | Y | Y* | Y | N |
| PBS | N | N | N | N | Y | N |
| CW | ? | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
*This denotes that these may only be available in limited markets. But in some instanses using the channel's TV Everywhere app will give you access to some on demand and possibly live content even if the local broadcast channel is not available in your geographical area.
Spanish Language Broadcast Channels:
| Channel | DTVStream | FuboTV | Hulu Live TV | Sling | YouTubeTV | Vidgo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telemundo | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | N |
| Univision | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| UniMas | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| Estrella TV | N | Y | N | N | N | N |
Note: Fubo TV, Sling TV, Hulu, and Vidgo have additional content or add-ons for Spanish cable/streaming channels.
Other Streaming Channels that have Live TV Content from Provider Partners
Buzzr: Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV, Amazon Prime, Stirr, IMDb and Sling TV.
Circle: Peacock, Roku Channel, Xumo, and Frndly.
MyNetworkTV: DIRECTV Stream, Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV
Comet TV: Fubo TV, Sling TV, Apple TV, FuboTV, YouTubeTV, Roku, and STIRR.
Heroes and Icons: Sling TV
getTV: Philo, fuboTV and Frndly TV.
Start TV: Sling TV and YouTube TV.
World: Varies by market. Some content available in either PBS or PBS Passport.
Useful Links and Lists of Local Markets for Live Streaming Services:
Free Broadcast Websites and Apps
Source Reddit CordCutters
These will, in most cases, only unlock a few on-demand episodes. Content may also vary by device. We can view most episodes from 2 to 8 days after the episode airs live. News/daytime content is often available on the same night or next morning.
As more channel content providers have built their own streaming services, there is now more limited content available on 3rd party content providers channels.
ABC: While the live stream (except ABC News) is locked, there are a lot of unlocked episodes. Although newer shows won't have a lot of unlocked episodes, there are some "throwback" shows that have full seasons. You will find shows from ABC, Freeform, FX, Nat Geo TV, as well as news and movies. Apps.
CBS: We aren't talking about Paramount+ in this case (See below). Yes, CBS has a website and apps that have unlocked episodes from recent shows. What isn't included is Star Trek or older classic shows. For some popular shows, episodes are locked. For those that want watch an occasional Star Trek episode, Pluto TV has a Star Trek channel and a Featured Paramount+ channel (which had earlier episodes from Lower Decks this week). Note this is strictly CBS and CBS News content not any cable tv properties - which typically have their own websites. This is no longer limited to mobile apps and the CBS website. The app is CBS not Paramount+.
Charge!: Live stream on its website and also on STIRR.
Comet TV: This OTA sci-fi broadcaster has its own live streaming website and apps. On some devices, it can also be found a channel on STIRR (same parent company). Wikipedia states "Comet is also available via streaming services, Apple TV, FuboTV, YouTubeTV, Roku, Sling TV Satellite Company Dish Network channel 289 and Sinclair's Stirr."
Court TV: This OTA/digital channel which has true crime and legal dramas, and coverage of prominent criminal cases, has its own live stream. It is also on some streaming services like Pluto TV and YouTube TV.
Court TV Mystery: See its website for live stream.
DABL: This OTA channel owned by ViacomCBS has a live stream on its website.
FOX: Fox requires a cable or streaming service subscription to access content on its website and its app. Its app is Fox Now. Note that Fox owns the ad supported TubiTv service which now has some older tv shows which are owned by FOX.
Estrella: Available on Fubo TV. See its website. Wikipedia says it has a YouTube channel as well.
NBC: While the NBC website and apps still have some unlocked content, NBC launched Peacock so more content is now locked than previously. Availability may vary depending on your device. Again, live tv is not available without cable tv or a live streaming service subscription.
PBS: Their website has select unlock episodes - what is available depends on your local PBS affiliate. In some markets, a PBS live stream is also available. There is a separate PBS Kids app on streaming devices. See PBS Passport below to unlock additional content.
Quest: Has a website and apps with on demand content.
Retro TV: Its website and apps have a live stream.
The CW: The CW is an ad-supported website so its content is unlocked but not all seasons may be available for some shows. It also has apps.
Telemundo: This network is owned by NBC and as result content should be on the Peacock website too.
Stadium: besides its websites and apps, see this list of streaming services and ad supported services that have a Stadium channel.
Univision: Although the introduction states that you need a cable tv subscription, at least some on demand content is unlocked on a PC.
Shopping channels: Most have their own websites and apps that will allow you to watch/buy online.
Streaming ServicesMany of the broadcasters have a streaming service that some of their live/on demand content with additional exclusive originals only available on their respective streaming services. Some have live streams of local affiliate channels that will stream everything except for content like syndicated shows (such as certain game or daytime shows) and certain sporting events that the streaming service doesn't own streaming rights. Many consider these services an alternate form of a DVR as well.
Hulu: The on-demand version of Hulu offers on content from a variety of broadcast channels. Go to its TV hub on its website (or Hub on its apps) to locate each channel's shows. ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and Telemundo all have some content, with ABC having the most content. Ad-supported and Ad-free plans available. Except for ABC News Live, there is no live content in the base Hulu plans. For live streaming channels, you will need to get "Hulu with Live TV" listed in the chart above.
Paramount+: This streaming service is owned by ViacomCBS. Unfortunately, only the Premium plan has a live local CBS stream. Premium does not have ads. The less than helpful Essential plan has ads and no local live stream, although it has live NFL games. (Account holders who have the old "Limited Commercial" plan which had both ads and a live stream should not cancel because they will lose that plan). If you just want to watch Star Trek/Paramount+ originals, current shows, and classics but not local live TV or local news, the Essential Plan may be sufficient - otherwise if you need a live local broadcast and other sports, get the Premium plan. Both plans do include live national news programming. Also note that, unlike the CBS App, Paramount+ includes content from CBS, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and the Smithsonian Channel.
Peacock: This is NBC's streaming service. It does not have a local affiliate feed, although it has live sports coverage and on demand content from the channels owned by NBC. There is a free tier with limited content, a Premium plan that unlocks all of its content, and then a Premium Plus plan that removes most of the ads (see the footnote on the website that explains that due to certain licensing agreements, a few shows still have a few ads). Some popular shows are apparently only in the two Premium plans. Unfortunately, there is no local live affiliate channel feed like there is in Paramount+. This review will help answer your questions about ads and content. One downside is that even the free plan requires you to create an account and provide personal information. I use the NBC app instead or my antenna.
PBS Passport. This is not technically a subscription service, as it is actually a donation. If you donate to your local PBS affiliate via Passport, you will gain access to additional content (how much/what depends on your local PBS affiliate) that is not available through the free app.
Univision Now: This service offers live and on demand content from Univision and UniMas. Note that this isn't a duplication of these channels as live streaming feeds - rather, it has content from both channels. It has a three-day catchup feature.
Local News and ContentLocal affiliates own the rights to their local news broadcasts and special shows they produce. As a result, several local affiliates have agreed with various national apps or third party apps/websites. Some also have their own website and Roku, Fire TV, or mobile apps with a live local news stream available for free. See their websites for the devices they support. Some may also have a YouTube channel and social media feeds.
NewsOn: This app has agreements with many local affiliates across the US. It streams live news broadcasts as well on demand complete versions of the same broadcasts you would get via cable tv or antenna. Typically, most of the channels are ABC or Fox.
Haystack: this app creates a custom feed of curated news clips/stories from local and national channels that you chose. No closed captioning. Also includes weather.
Pluto TV: This is owned by CBS so the local, regional news channels on Pluto are streams produced by CBS affiliates. You will find the at the very end of the channel directory, under Local not News. Most major metro areas are covered. You will also find a variety of national news streams in News. Its channels aren't duplicates of cable or OTA channels, but are tailored for its streaming service.
TubiTV: Tubi is now owned by Fox Entertainment so it now has local news feeds from local fox channels. It also has national and international news channels. Like Pluto, these seem to be tailored for the streaming service rather than duplicates of local news broadcasts.
STIRR: STIRR has several national news feeds and in some markets has a local affiliate news feed.
Vuit: See this article for more information. While there are local news and weather broadcasts for a few markets, they also have podcasts, local sports (high school sports etc.) Events, local special programming, food, cars, business and political channels too depending on the market.
LocalBTV: See this article for more information. This is in about 12 markets and doesn't have major broadcasting channels, although it is local content.
Local Now: See this page for more information. One of its partners is The Weather Channel, so most/all markets have a local weather broadcast produced by the Weather Channel. Local Now used to require login credentials but presently its website says it is free. It has on demand channels like Pluto TV. Select markets have local live news broadcasts.
Other National NewsNational Broadcasters: Most have their own websites and apps. CBS, ABC, and NBC offer free news broadcasts. Fox News requires a subscription,, although it recently launched Fox Nation streaming service with Fox News related content. Regarding cable tv channels, some have content on apps like Pluto TV or their own websites/apps that are unlocked. This year, CNN announced they will launch a paid subscription service in 2022. Many of the national broadcasters or cable channels have partnered with at least one free ad-supported or paid streaming service above to provide alternate digital content similar to their regular channels. However, because of lucrative licensing agreements with cable tv providers, they can't or won't duplicate their existing channels.
Frndly Tv: This service's claim to fame is having both Hallmark channels and The Weather channel. It also has Local Now too.
Philo: Philo has no local news and is fairly light on national news. However, it has BBC World News.
Redbox: Yes, Redbox's free "live" tv section includes national news, most notable is CBC News. Also has a free on-demand section of movies and tv shows including family content.
XUMO: Carries national/international and no local news along with PBS Digital Studio.
Adult Streaming Channels
Here are many adult streaming channels. Watch on your large screen TV.
