Streaming 411

If you are a sitcom fanatic or a sports officiando who lives for your daily dose of entertainment, you might not want to cut the cord just yet.  But living cable subscription free can be an alternative for many of us who are willing to find those free (and legitimate) sources online.  Why legitimate?  Make sure you check out our article on piracy to find out why free isn't always the best choice.

However, there are a plethora of free streaming options if you don't want to pay upwards of $60 per month for television.  In fact, with a Netflix or Hulu subscription coupled with these great free sources listed below can provide a decent selection of small screen entertainment for anyone looking to trim their cable budget.

Free Television

Hulu.com is still a great free option to catch new releases of your favorite TV shows.  Missed the last episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live?  You can access the last four episodes for free before they move the content over to Hulu Plus.  Below are just a handful of dozens of networks available to access the latest content.   Click on the image below to see all of your free network choices. Of course, if you want to watch older episodes, or even an entire library, then a Netflix or Hulu subscription is a nice complement.

Free News

Hulu.com is also a great resource for nationwide network news like ABC's Nightline or Good Morning America, but it is definitely not your only option.   The major networks all offer free news streaming, including:

• ABC News
• CBS News
• PBS News Hour
• CNN
• C-SPAN
• Bloomberg

You may even be able to find some local news.  For example, I live in Chicago, and was able to stream my local news via ABC 7 News for free as long as you tune in during the news cast.  They do not provide previously-recorded footage, however. . So you are bound by their schedule, and you don't have the convenience of recording the newscast on your DVR and watching it later.

Free Sports - Well, You Can't Beat 'Em All

This genre is quite a bit more difficult to get for free.  You can get an occasional freebie like the Superbowl or on Thanksgiving Day, but in general, you're going to have to ante up by purchasing premium cable or satellite television plans.  You can watch live sports via ESPN, BUT you can only get access IF you can prove you are a cable or satellite television subscriber already.  So no freebies there.  But if you need your sports fix and don't want to pay upwards of $60 a month, all of the major sports leagues offer subscription options to stream live games through your computer, mobile devices, or even Roku or Apple TV.  Monthly and annual subscription options include:

• Major League Baseball
• National Football League - Game Rewind
• National Basketball Association League Pass
• NASCAR Fan Vision

A combination of the free and subscription options above will give a decent selection of entertainment options that can facilitate would-be cord cutters into making it a reality.  But there are some important cord-cutting considerations that may need to be addressed first:

1. Do you have an adequate broadband data plan with speeds that test at greater than 3 Mbps?
2. Have you removed all bottlenecks to make sure your device is getting enough bandwidth?
3. Do you have a streaming device that you can be happy with over the long haul? 
   

So there you have it.  If you guys have any great suggestions, please drop them into the comments below!