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Free TV Apps That Could Replace Your Cable Bill

Stop wasting money and paying for your television when you can download any of these free TV apps that work even better than your average fiber optics or cable.

By Alfred TaerzPublished 6 years ago 10 min read
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It's the new cable: more channels and no monthly bill! The next step in televised entertainment, much like how music has been revolutionized with streaming, comes a whole new way of watching movies and TV on your mobile device. While not every streaming service is free, nor does every app boast a massive list of titles to choose from, there's still no shortage of possibilities or content when it comes to the digital broadband network. While television sets themselves may not be gone for a long while, how we actually view those sets, thanks to smart applications, widgets, and the like, has slowly moved into a time that disallows for cable and harkens on the objectivity of watching whatever you want, whenever you want.

In other words, how we view television may drastically change in the coming years, and not by a little. I'm talking about the revolution of televised and commercial broadband concepts. Just look at Pennsylvania broadband at the speed of light; even government tactics and the routes to which we can access quality broadband networks is holistically changing, thanks in part to the fall of net neutrality. What we are used to watching on our TV is, and if not now will be, available to stream on your device with such apps that center around either network content, specific genres, or uploaded videos. Take, for instance, one of the most illustrious of applications around, YouTube has fared well in the ideal video market, whether by way of random uploaded content, or through the all-new Google acquisition that has paved the way for more streamlined movie and TV content on the site. Other, more obvious sites that cut the cable cord include Netflix and Hulu, but these require a subscription that isn't too expensive, despite the fact that you can get these free TV apps right now without paying a dime.

As the NFL nears closer and closer to 2018's most prized sporting event, Superbowl LII, football fans must find the most probable and cost efficient route to watch this historical showdown. One such application, Yahoo Sports, has allowed for free streaming on all playoff games over the past few weeks, which is pretty daunting to say the least.

Not only is it among the best free TV apps, Yahoo Sports will also list all of your favorite teams' scores, the available times, headlines, and alert you on everything you need to know. You'll not only be able to stay on top of the ball, you'll literally be a part of the game with Yahoo Sports, seeing that you can watch games from practically any sport, whether it be MLB, MLS, golf, or even MMA.

Like YouTube is to the funny cat video, Crunchyroll is our anime and manga universe among free TV apps. It may be focussed to one niche corner of entertainment, and I have to say this isn't always a bad thing, but Crunchyroll proves to helm this genre with character of its own. There's tons of Japanese anime and mostly foreign content on Crunchyroll, so much so that it's practically the only place where you'll find it all under one free application.

You don't have to be a fan of the series to know the story of Goku and his quest to gather the legendary orbs, called Dragon Ball, or even the long drawn out history condensed under Naruto; these are franchises that Crunchyroll boasts, including many more. There is a premium option, but that doesn't men the free version is limited by any means. You'll have hours worth of videos and movies to watch after downloading Crunchyroll.

If entertainment isn't what you're seeking, NewsON has many different live and on-demand broadcasts, both of which are on local and national news streams. We're not talking about a few nonsensical clips, or outdated videos, this is in the hundreds of possible streaming channels dedicated to bringing you quality news in the palm of your hand. All, of course, on one of the most sophisticated news streaming free TV apps.

NewsON utilizes your location and provides a host of various outlets to choose from in categories like sports, weather, business, and more. You can even download it on your Roku, pairing your favorite news streaming channels straight to your TV. This is certainly letting you cut the cord and throw away the remains. NewON is reshaping the way broadcast news is watched and should not be overlooked in the future.

Not only can you stream your favorite entertainment from a vast library filled with an array of content, Flipps is also compatible on various platforms, from the Android and iOS, to Apple TV and even the Xbox One. You may have a hard time finding quality shows and movies, since their library tends to be a mixture of obscure and otherwise unknown titles. It is among the free TV apps still with loads of content, after all; unfortunately it just may not be for everyone.

Don't let this fool you though. While Flipps may only offer independent entertainment and some extreme sports, there's also 100 channels of streaming content to enjoy. Not only that, it's changing the way we interact with our smart TVs in providing some of these platforms with a free downloadable app that can be synced to your smart phone. This, in effect, then makes your iPhone or Android your smart TV remote, as well, a forward step in interconnected smart technologies.

Unlike apps like Crackle and Tubi TV, Twitch is more of a video streaming application dedicated to the gaming universe. While it may not strictly be centered in this capacity, this app is more of a social media platform for both gamers and fans to connect through the uploading and discussion of self-recorded content. These videos most often revolve around either one or multiple people playing video games, anywhere from Fallout 4 to Rocket League.

While you might be looking for something with more broadband, cable TV network content or feature films, Twitch is still an interesting application that brings all types of gamers together across platforms in order to share and watch their favorite moments from cherished video games past and new. When you think about that, it's rather ingenious and applauding for something that's among free TV apps.

Tubi TV is one of the newest and brightest forms of digital entertainment that intends to reroute how we look at broadband television. They have a number of deals with major studios, like that of Paramount and MGM, not to mention loads of foreign content. You're not looking at a subscription fee, either, it's one of the most innovative free TV apps of its time.

While most other free streaming services have a host of content that is lackluster at best, Tubi TV is not like that. They have some quality movies and TV shows that really make you think about how online televised content will be changing in the next few years, since the creation of Plex and other multi-media sharing sites that have evolved the concept of cutting the cord. You want the best in must watch internet culture documentaries, Tubi TV probably has it.

Kid friendly content in videos is rather slim, or relatively obsolete when it comes to the world of free streaming services. There's the all-too familiar network cable TV applications, like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, but they necessitate the payment of cable subscription fees. This is all done away with thanks to one of the most child centered free TV apps now available.

Unlike these sites, PBS Kids takes kid friendly entertainment to a whole new level, allowing for endless education, colorful concepts, and even makes it easy for the kids themselves to work its simple interface in no short of time. You won't have to worry about your child watching shows on this application, because you'll know they will be engaged by the most age-appropriate concepts.

YouTube is one of the most prominent free streaming services around and has so many various videos, it can get pretty hectic sifting through them all. Whether it be uploaded user content, music, anime videos, or even feature length films, YouTube has it all, and whatever it is you're looking for is sure to be provided.

You can even watch live TV shows, oftentimes provided by YouTube channels or simply uploaded by random users, so there's no limit to the possibilities of what you can or can't watch; it's practically all there on one of the most interactive of free TV apps. While I wouldn't go and cancel my network cable subscription simply in the face of YouTube, there are many more capabilities provided by this app that can effectively help you save money on your cable bill.

With such popular shows as Arrow and Supergirl, who wouldn't want to download a free application that plays all of your favorite cable TV programs straight through your phone? It's that simple, and costs you nothing, seeing that the CW application is not only free, it doesn't even require a cable network subscription, either.

Besides that, you'll also receive some pretty cool forms of content not even found on TV, what with its various web-only series taken from the CW Seed. Unlike most free TV apps, the CW also has a host of content. It's not just four TV episodes, a short snippet, and web-only stuff, you're getting practically everything the network itself has to offer, all for nothing. That's pretty sweet, if I say so myself, but if you're not so keen on watching CW shows all the time, you might want to find something more fitting.

Probably one of the forerunners in streaming broadband entertainment, Crackle intends to shake the game and revolutionize this subset of mobile culture by making an application akin to YouTube, but with far more available content for movies and TV. To be a free application without a single subscription fee, Crackle's immense and daunting list of titles is almost as time consuming as going over Netflix's, sending me into a time lapse as always.

However, with Crackle there seems to be a divide. Unlike YouTube, and vastly superior to Netflix's form of user-viable likes, Crackle actually tracks and abides by the videos you watch. You're not getting the same old stupid content that's overly advertised, or seemingly lost its appeal like on other applications. Crackle intends to make your experience perfectly yours without constraint. It is, after all, among the most downloaded free TV apps available right now.

While most network applications tend to require a cable subscription, Discovery GO holistically vies away from this concept and lets you stream anything from Naked and Afraid to Mythbusters all through a free application. Of course, there's only a select number of videos and episodes, but it's still among free TV apps that work with you, rather than against you when "cutting the cord," so to speak.

There's also a really slick schedule to abide by, that is if you're a huge Discovery Channel fanatic, which I tend to be from time to time. There's a lot of content to sift through, and a lot to learn, as well. Discovery GO makes it easy for you to switch from broadband to streaming services without paying a single penny, or requiring a cable network. Like most of its rivals, you just have to open it for discovery, of course.

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About the Creator

Alfred Taerz

English psycho therapist. I like to help people and oftentimes do, when people take my advice seriously. It's all in the mind, you'll see...

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