Local News · Live Sports · No Cable Contract · All U.S. Options
Most households can get their local ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX — plus live sports on ESPN and NFL Network — for somewhere between zero and $50 a month. The trick is knowing which combination of tools actually covers your situation. This guide walks through every real option, what each one actually costs, and what it can’t do.
📡 The Honest Starting Point — Before You Sign Up for Anything
Before spending a single dollar on streaming, plug a $25 antenna into your TV and run a channel scan. In most U.S. cities, this delivers free over-the-air HD broadcasts of ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, and dozens of sub-channels — including live local news and a significant portion of NFL, NBA, college football, and college basketball games that air on broadcast networks. People in metro areas frequently receive 40 to 60+ channels. Check your specific address at fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps before spending anything. If the antenna gets you 80 percent of what you need, you may only need to add one inexpensive streaming service for the sports and news gaps that remain.
💰 Every Real Option — What It Costs and What You Get
The options below range from completely free to around $65 a month — far below the $100+ monthly cable bills most households are used to. No contracts are required on any of these. Prices reflect standard monthly rates; promotional pricing may reduce your first few months in some cases.
| Option | Monthly Cost | Local News | Sports Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV Antenna (OTA) Start Here | $0/mo foreverOne-time antenna cost: $25–$50 | ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS in HD — live local news | NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball on broadcast networks — free |
| Free Streaming Apps | $0/moAd-supported — no sign-up required | Haystack News, NewsON, Local Now — on-demand & some live clips | Limited; mostly highlights and replays, not live games |
| Peacock (NBC) | $7.99–$13.99/moPremium & Premium Plus tiers | Live local NBC affiliate (Premium Plus, select markets) | Premier League, NFL Wild Card, Olympics, some NASCAR |
| Paramount+ (CBS) | $7.99–$12.99/moEssential & with Showtime tiers | Live local CBS affiliate (select markets) | NFL on CBS, March Madness, Champions League, SEC on CBS |
| Sling TV Essentials | $19.99/moESPN, ESPN2 included — 50 hr DVR | No CBS; ABC/NBC/FOX in select markets via add-on | ESPN, ESPN2 — cheapest way to stream ESPN with no bundle |
| ESPN Unlimited | $29.99/moStandalone — no TV bundle needed | No local news channels included | Full ESPN family: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC, ACC, ESPN Deportes |
| YouTube TV Sports Plan | $64.99/moNew customers: $54.99/mo first year | All major local affiliates in 98%+ of U.S. markets | ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX sports — unlimited DVR |
| Sling Blue | $45.99/moFOX, NBC, locals in select markets | FOX, NBC local affiliates in select markets; no CBS | NFL Network, FS1, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, TNT, TBS |
⚠️ Local Channel Availability Varies — Always Check Your ZIP Code First
Every service above includes a channel checker on its website — enter your ZIP code before subscribing. Local affiliates for CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC are available in most major markets through streaming services, but smaller towns may have gaps. If a service doesn’t carry your local station online, an antenna fills that gap for free. The most common smart approach: combine a $25 antenna for free locals with one affordable streaming service for the sports channels the antenna can’t deliver.
📋 Key Facts — The Questions People Search Most, Answered Directly
Cable companies don’t make it easy to understand your options. The questions below cover the most common situations — each one gets a direct answer before the longer explanation.
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1
What is the absolute cheapest way to watch live local news without cable? A TV antenna — one-time cost of $25–$50, then zero monthly cost forever · Delivers local ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS in HD · Best picture quality of any optionA flat indoor antenna you can buy at any electronics store or online for $25 to $50 plugs directly into the coaxial port on the back of any TV made after 2006. You run a channel scan from your TV’s menu and within minutes you have live local news in high definition — often sharper than what cable delivers, because the broadcast signal doesn’t get compressed the way cable signals do. Most U.S. households get between 20 and 60 channels this way. The FCC’s reception map at fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps lets you enter your address and see exactly which stations broadcast in your area before you buy anything. For people in rural areas or more than 25 miles from broadcast towers, an outdoor antenna mounted in an attic or on the roof costs $50 to $100 and dramatically improves signal reliability. Once installed, your local news is free permanently — no monthly bills, no passwords, no price hikes.
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2
Is there a way to watch local sports — NFL, college football, local team games — without cable? Yes — more NFL and college games air on free broadcast TV than most people realize · An antenna gets you everything on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS at no cost · For cable sports like ESPN, Sling Essentials ($19.99/mo) or ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/mo) are the cheapest paid optionsA large portion of the NFL regular season airs on NBC, CBS, FOX, and ABC — all available free with an antenna. Monday Night Football on ABC, Sunday Night Football on NBC, and most Thursday Night Football games on FOX are antenna-accessible. College football’s biggest games on FOX and ABC are also free. What the antenna can’t deliver is cable-exclusive sports: ESPN’s Monday Night Football games, the SEC Network, ACC Network, NFL RedZone, and NBA games on ESPN and TNT. For those, Sling TV’s new Essentials plan at $19.99 a month covers ESPN and ESPN2 — the cheapest ESPN access from any service. ESPN Unlimited at $29.99 a month covers the full ESPN family including ESPNU, SEC Network, and ACC Network without requiring a full live TV bundle. Combining a free antenna with one of these paid options covers nearly everything most sports fans watch for well under $50 a month.
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3
What is the least expensive live TV streaming service that includes local channels? Sling Blue at $45.99/mo includes FOX and NBC locals in many markets (not CBS) · YouTube TV’s Sports Plan at $64.99/mo gives the most complete local channel coverage — ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX in 98%+ of U.S. markets · Peacock ($7.99/mo) covers just NBC affiliatesThe local channel picture with streaming services is complicated by geography — the same service may carry your NBC affiliate in one city but not in another. Sling Blue at $45.99 a month carries FOX and NBC local affiliates in many markets but no CBS. That’s the least expensive service with any meaningful local coverage. YouTube TV’s Sports Plan at $64.99 a month has the broadest local channel coverage — it reaches ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliates in over 98 percent of U.S. TV households, which is about as close to universal as any streaming service gets. For people who only want one specific network, the cheapest single-network options are Peacock Premium ($7.99/month) for live NBC or Paramount+ Essential ($7.99/month) for live CBS — but local availability through these apps still varies by market. Enter your ZIP code on every service’s website before subscribing to confirm your specific local stations are included.
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4
What is the free streaming service with local channels? NewsON and Haystack News offer free local news clips and live streams from many local TV stations · Local Now is another free option · None of these are truly live in the same way a broadcast antenna is — they’re best for catching up on local news segments, not replacing live TVSeveral apps offer free local news content without any subscription: NewsON aggregates local news broadcasts from hundreds of U.S. TV stations and lets you watch recent newscasts and some live streams at no cost; Haystack News offers a curated local news feed; and Local Now provides free streaming of weather, news, and some live content. These apps work well for catching a local news segment you missed, following breaking weather, or watching highlights. They are not equivalent to a live TV broadcast — you won’t get the 6 p.m. newscast the moment it airs with the same reliability as an antenna or a live TV subscription. For people who are mainly curious about local happenings and don’t need strict real-time coverage, these free apps are worth trying before spending any money. All three are available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and as phone apps.
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5
How do I watch local channels on a smart TV without cable — and without an antenna? YouTube TV Sports Plan ($64.99/mo) has the broadest local channel coverage of any streaming service · Sling Blue ($45.99/mo) covers FOX and NBC locals in many markets · Hulu + Live TV ($88.99/mo) includes locals · Peacock and Paramount+ cover single-network locals for $7.99–$13.99/moEvery major smart TV platform — Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, and built-in Samsung or LG TV apps — supports all the services listed in this guide. You don’t need a cable box, an antenna wire, or any extra hardware. Just download the app, sign up, and your local channels stream directly to the TV. The catch is that local channel availability through any streaming service varies by ZIP code in ways that a physical antenna does not — an antenna picks up whatever broadcasts from nearby towers, period, with no geographic licensing complications. If you’ve already checked and a streaming service carries your specific local affiliates, then watching on a smart TV without any antenna is entirely practical. YouTube TV is the safest choice for most markets because it has the most consistent local channel coverage across the country, though at $64.99/month for the Sports Plan it costs more than a $25 antenna.
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6
What is the cheapest live TV streaming service for sports specifically? Sling TV Essentials: $19.99/mo — ESPN and ESPN2 only · ESPN Unlimited: $29.99/mo standalone — full ESPN channel family · YouTube TV Sports Plan: $64.99/mo — broadest coverage including locals, FS1, NFL Network, TNT, TBSThe answer depends entirely on which sports you’re trying to watch. If you need ESPN and ESPN2 and nothing else, Sling’s new Essentials plan at $19.99 a month is the cheapest any streaming service has ever offered ESPN access. If you want the complete ESPN family — including ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, and ESPN Deportes — ESPN Unlimited at $29.99 a month is now sold directly by Disney without requiring any other live TV bundle. If you want everything in one place — locals, ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, NBA on TNT, March Madness on TBS and CBS, and unlimited DVR — YouTube TV’s Sports Plan at $64.99 a month is the most complete single-subscription sports option available. Fubo also covers sports well but is currently crediting customers $15 a month while its NBC dispute continues, making it harder to recommend until that situation resolves. For regional sports networks (your local NBA, NHL, or MLB team’s home games), DirecTV remains one of the few streaming options with RSN coverage in many markets, though at significantly higher prices.
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7
Can I get local channels on a smart TV with just an antenna — even without internet? Yes — an antenna works completely independent of the internet · Any TV with a built-in tuner (virtually all TVs made after 2006) receives free broadcast signals · No Wi-Fi, no streaming account, no monthly bill neededThis is one of the most overlooked facts in the cord-cutting conversation. A TV antenna is entirely separate from your internet connection — it works whether your Wi-Fi is working or not, and requires no account of any kind. You plug it into the coax port on the back of your TV, run a channel scan from the TV’s settings menu, and that’s it. If your internet goes out during a big game, your antenna keeps working. The picture quality of broadcast TV received over the air is often better than cable or streaming because it’s uncompressed HD directly from the broadcast tower. The limitation is obvious: if a game or news program airs on a cable-only channel like ESPN, TNT, or CNN, the antenna can’t get it. But everything that airs on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and The CW comes through free and in true HD. For seniors or anyone who finds streaming apps frustrating to navigate, an antenna plus the regular TV guide on their broadcast stations is the simplest possible setup with no recurring costs.
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8
What if I want to record local news or sports to watch later — like a DVR? Antenna + Tablo DVR device ($99–$149 one-time): records OTA channels for free · YouTube TV Sports Plan: unlimited cloud DVR included · Sling TV: 50 hours free DVR on Essentials; unlimited for $5/mo moreIf you want to record what comes over an antenna and watch it later — the same way a cable DVR works — you need a device called an OTA DVR. Tablo is the most popular brand: you plug your antenna into the Tablo device, connect it to your home Wi-Fi router, and then watch and record live TV on any TV in your house through the free Tablo app on your Roku, Fire TV, or smart TV. The Tablo device costs $99 to $149 one-time, and the service includes access to the free program guide with no monthly fee for 14 days of guide data. For people who prefer streaming services, YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR storage that saves recordings for nine months — you can record anything and watch it any time from any device. Sling TV includes 50 hours of free DVR with most plans. The antenna plus Tablo combination costs more upfront but nothing ongoing after the device purchase, while streaming DVR comes included but requires the ongoing subscription cost.
📊 The Four Approaches — What You’re Really Choosing Between
📡 TV Antenna (OTA)
$0/mo
$25–$50 one-time · All broadcast locals in HD: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS · Works without internet · Best picture quality · No app, no account needed
💰 Slim Streaming Bundle
$20–$30/mo
Sling Essentials ($19.99) for ESPN · ESPN Unlimited ($29.99) standalone · Pair with antenna for full coverage · Month-to-month, no contract
📺 Full Live TV Streaming
$45–$65/mo
YouTube TV Sports Plan or Sling Blue · Includes locals + major sports networks + DVR · Replaces cable entirely · Still $40–$60 cheaper than cable
🆓 Completely Free Apps
$0/mo
NewsON, Haystack News, Local Now · Local news clips and some live content · No live sports · Good supplement, not a cable replacement
🔍 Which Setup Is Right for Your Situation?
I mainly watch local news and don’t care much about sports — what’s the simplest setup?
LOCAL NEWS · SIMPLE
A $25 antenna is everything you need, and it’s the simplest TV setup that exists. Plug it into your TV’s antenna port (the small round hole on the back, sometimes labeled “ANT IN”), go to your TV’s settings, find the option for “channels” or “broadcast TV,” and run a channel scan. Within a few minutes your television lists every broadcast channel it can pick up — typically your local NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, PBS, and a dozen or more additional channels showing classic TV, movies, and local programming. Your local 6 o’clock and 11 o’clock news, morning shows, and weather all come through live and free indefinitely. There are no apps to navigate, no passwords to remember, and no bill that arrives at the end of the month. If you live in a spot with weak signal — inside a building with thick walls, or more than 30 miles from broadcast towers — an amplified indoor antenna ($35–$45) or an attic-mounted outdoor antenna ($60–$100 plus simple installation) solve the problem. Check your ZIP code at fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps first to see what should be receivable at your address before buying anything.
📡 Antenna: $25–$50 one-time — then free forever
🗺️ Check coverage first: fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
📰 Free apps: NewsON, Haystack News, Local Now
💡 No Wi-Fi or internet required for antenna TV
I want NFL football, college games, and ESPN — what’s the cheapest way to get all of it?
NFL · SPORTS FAN · BUDGET
For most football fans, the cheapest complete setup costs $19.99 to $30 a month — and an antenna brings that down further by covering games that are already free on broadcast TV. Start with the free antenna: NBC’s Sunday Night Football, FOX’s NFL games, ABC’s Monday Night Football, most Thursday Night Football on FOX, and college games on ABC and FOX are all broadcast over the air. That alone covers the majority of NFL games each season without paying for anything. For the ESPN-exclusive games — ESPN’s Monday Night Football matchups, SEC Network, and other cable-only sports — Sling TV’s new Essentials plan at $19.99 a month gets you ESPN and ESPN2 at the lowest monthly price any streaming service has ever offered. Alternatively, ESPN Unlimited at $29.99 a month as a standalone subscription covers the full ESPN family including ESPNU, SEC Network, and ACC Network without requiring any other streaming service. For someone who wants everything under one roof — local channels, ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, and unlimited DVR — YouTube TV’s Sports Plan at $64.99 a month (first year $54.99 for new subscribers) is the most complete single package available.
📡 Antenna: NBC SNF, FOX NFL, ABC MNF — free
🏈 Sling Essentials: $19.99/mo — ESPN + ESPN2
⚡ ESPN Unlimited: $29.99/mo — full ESPN standalone
📺 YouTube TV Sports: $64.99/mo — everything bundled
I already cut cable but I’m still paying $80–$90 a month for YouTube TV or Hulu — how do I cut that down?
OVERPAYING · REDUCE BILL
If you switched from cable to a live TV streaming service and still feel the monthly bill is too high, you have real options to cut it nearly in half without losing what you actually watch. The first move is to add a $25 antenna if you haven’t already — it covers your local affiliates and removes any need to keep paying a streaming service specifically for ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX locals. Once locals are covered by the antenna, downgrade to a cheaper streaming tier focused on the cable channels you actually use. YouTube TV’s new Sports Plan at $64.99 a month covers sports without paying for the full 100-channel main plan. If you mainly watch ESPN, switching to Sling Essentials at $19.99 a month saves $60 to $70 a month compared to YouTube TV’s main plan. The key discipline is watching what you actually use for 30 days and logging it — most people discover they watch 10 to 15 channels regularly despite paying for 100. Cancel the full bundle, rebuild with an antenna plus one focused streaming service, and the monthly savings typically land in the $40 to $70 range.
💰 Add antenna: covers free locals, reduces streaming need
📉 Downgrade YouTube TV: Sports Plan saves vs. main plan
🔄 Switch to Sling Essentials: $19.99 vs. $82.99/mo
⚠️ Check: does the new service carry your local affiliates?
I want to watch my local team’s NBA, MLB, or NHL games — are those covered without cable?
REGIONAL SPORTS · RSN
Regional sports networks — the cable channels that broadcast your local NBA, MLB, and NHL team’s home games — remain one of the genuinely hard problems in cord-cutting, and there’s no cheap universal solution. RSNs like Bally Sports, MSG, ROOT Sports, and YES Network are tied to expensive pay-TV deals that most streaming services can’t or won’t carry. DirecTV’s streaming service carries the most RSNs of any streaming option, but its plans start at $89.99 a month and the sports-focused tier that includes RSNs costs $94.99 to $114.99. Some RSNs have launched their own direct-to-consumer apps — Bally Sports+ and MSG+ are examples — typically at $10 to $20 a month, though availability depends entirely on which teams and which RSN applies to your market. For MLB specifically, MLB.TV at $24.99 a month covers out-of-market games (games not broadcast in your local area), and local blackout rules apply. The hard truth: if watching every local home game of your specific NBA, NHL, or MLB team matters to you, you may be looking at $40 to $60 a month just for that coverage, with RSN options remaining the most fragmented part of the streaming market.
⚾ MLB.TV: ~$24.99/mo — out-of-market games (local blackouts apply)
🏒 Check your RSN: Bally Sports+, MSG+, ROOT Sports
📺 DirecTV: most RSN coverage — starts $89.99/mo
⚠️ RSNs are the hardest cord-cutting problem — no cheap fix yet
I’m not very tech-savvy — is there a simple setup that doesn’t involve a bunch of apps and passwords?
EASY SETUP · SENIORS
The simplest possible setup is also the cheapest: a TV antenna with no apps, no streaming accounts, no passwords, and no monthly bill whatsoever. Modern flat indoor antennas look nothing like the old rabbit ears from decades ago — they’re thin, flat panels you stick to a wall or window with adhesive strips, and they connect to your TV with a single cable. Once connected, you run one channel scan and your TV’s built-in guide shows you every available channel just like cable did. The experience is exactly the same as regular TV — you press channel up and down, the guide shows what’s on, and live news and sports play in real time. For people who want something slightly beyond the antenna, a Roku device ($29 at most stores) plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and brings streaming apps like Peacock, Paramount+, or Sling into an easy-to-navigate on-screen menu without needing a laptop or phone. Roku is designed for simplicity and is the recommended option for people who find streaming apps frustrating on phones or computers but are comfortable with a TV remote.
📡 Antenna: no apps, no passwords, no monthly cost
📺 Roku device: $29 — simple TV remote interface for streaming
🗺️ Antenna check: fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
🛒 Find at: Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Amazon
📍 Find Equipment and Setup Help Near You
Use the buttons below to find stores carrying antennas, streaming devices, and tech help in your area. Before buying anything, check your free local channel coverage at fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps.
🔑 Quick Reference — Everything Worth Bookmarking
🗺️ Check free antenna coverage: fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps
🏈 Sling TV (ESPN from $19.99/mo): sling.com
⚡ ESPN Unlimited standalone ($29.99/mo): espn.com
📺 YouTube TV Sports Plan ($64.99/mo): tv.youtube.com
🦚 Peacock — NBC live ($7.99–$13.99/mo): peacocktv.com
📰 Paramount+ — CBS live ($7.99–$12.99/mo): paramountplus.com
📡 Free local news app: NewsON (search app store)
📡 Free local news app: Haystack News (search app store)
📻 Antenna + DVR: tablotv.com (record OTA channels)
🛒 Find antennas: Best Buy · Walmart · Target · Amazon
✅ 5-Step Checklist Before Spending Anything
- Step 1: Enter your address at fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps to see which broadcast channels are receivable at your home for free. This is the most important step — it determines whether a $25 antenna handles most of what you need.
- Step 2: List the channels you actually miss from cable. Most people find their list is 5 to 8 channels, not the 100+ in their cable package. Focus only on those gaps.
- Step 3: If ESPN is on your list, decide between Sling Essentials ($19.99/mo) or ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/mo standalone) — the two cheapest ways to stream ESPN.
- Step 4: If you want live local channels on a smart TV without an antenna, check your ZIP code on YouTube TV, Sling Blue, or Peacock/Paramount+ to confirm your specific local affiliates are available before subscribing.
- Step 5: Start with the antenna first. Buy a $25 indoor antenna, run a channel scan, and live with the free setup for two weeks. Most people discover the antenna covers more than they expected and need less paid streaming than they thought.
Streaming service pricing, channel availability, and promotional offers change frequently and vary by location. All prices shown reflect published rates as of late June and may differ from what you see when you sign up. Local channel availability through streaming services depends on your ZIP code and can change due to broadcast licensing negotiations — always verify using each service’s channel lookup tool before subscribing. This page has no commercial relationship with any streaming service, broadcaster, or electronics retailer mentioned.