9 Cost Effective Alternatives To Cable TV

Nothing beats lounging on your sofa and binge watching a great tv show.  It is the best way to relax; however, when the cable bill comes you may be a bit more anxious than relaxed.  With cable being so expensive, you may want to consider alternatives to save money while still being able to enjoy your tv shows.  Here are 9 great cost effective alternatives to cable television.

1 – HDTV Antenna

All you need is an HDTV Antenna for this option.  These antenna’s used to look like bunny ears; however, they are now all digital.  It is still best to see what channels you can receive with a HDTV antenna before you go buy one.

2 – YouTube/Vimeo ( Free )

YouTube is notorious for hosting tens of thousands of videos that go viral.  It is also a wonderful place to watch educational videos.  You can also watch movies and TV shows!

3 –  Library ( Free )

Here’s a shocker, the library has movie and television show rentals!  That’s right.  All you have to do is create a library card and you can rent and watch for free!

4 – Hulu

Hulu is a great alternative because you can watch shows that aired just the day before.  Hulu also offers great Hulu Original series shows.  The catch?  If you don’t want to update to the commercial-free version ($12), then you’ll need to sit through several commercials.  So if commercials bother you then you will have to pay an additional $4 to skip them.

5 – Netflix

Netflix is the most popular out of all the alternatives listed here.  Netflix has some of the most popular television shows.  Also, they are putting  a lot of money into their Netflix Original series television shows.  Some of these shows have won awards.  The great thing about Netflix is that they constantly add new content.  There are three package levels costing from $8.99 – $15.99.  In addition, your first month is free.

6 – Amazon Prime

Streaming has become a huge market, which is why of course Amazon had to get in the mix.  If you have an amazon membership, you automatically have access to Amazon Prime Video.  An Amazon Prime Video membership provides you access to a choice of films and TV shows, and a lot of Amazon original shows.  If you shop a lot on Amazon, you should become a member so that you can get the perks of Amazon Prime Video.

7 – HBO/STARZ/SHOWTIME

After HBO created its own streaming service for its shows, Starz and Showtime followed.  Their streaming services are $14.99 per month and you can cancel and restart service anytime you want.

8 – Sling TV 

Sling gives you access to shows on some of the most popular TV networks.  Some networks you have access to are AMC, TNT, Comedy Central and more.  You also have access to live television.  Sling is also a great way to watch sports.

Sling offers a lot of promotions for free streaming devices when you initially sign up and pay for the first few months of service.  There are 3 plan levels ranging from $25 -$40.

9 – Disney +

Are you a huge Disney fan? If you are then Disney + is for you.  You can watch all of the classic Disney movies, TV shows and new releases.  Disney own some other network, which will help you get access to:

• Marvel
• Star Wars
• National Geographic
• Fox Classics
• Pixar

As you can see, you are not stuck to cable.  These are 9 great option that can take the place of cable and save you money in the process.  Check them out further to see which alternatives have your favorite television shows.