The Cheapest Streaming Services with Local Channels

Sling is establishing itself as a viable cheap alternative to cable, with many local as well national channels available at as little as $35. Sling allows to manage packages, so for example if you don't watch a lot of sports you can remove that package and save a good amount of money. Getting Sling when you're trying to cut the cord is the closest thing to an "à la carte" service, you only pay for what you use.

Frndly TV is a streaming platform focused on family-friendly live TV channels, with an attractive price starting at $6.99. There are three plans, Basic, Classic and Premium, which respectively cost the $6.99 starting price, $8.99, and $10.99. The Basic plan only allows for SD streaming, but both other plans allow for HD. The basic plan doesn't allow for DVR recordings, but the other plans allow for 3 months and 9 months respectively. And lastly, the basic plans allows for only one simultanious stream, but the Classic allows for 2 and the Premium allows for 4.

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (previously Paramount+ Premium) is mostly a Netflix-style streaming service, offering movies and TV shows on-demand like The Good Fight and Yellowstone. It gives you access to Live TV from CBS: CBS local channels, CBS News (CBSN), CBS Sports, ET live, and some live sporting events like NFL on CBS Live. It also offers on-demand access to programming from Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Pictures, and Smithsonian Channel. As of 2023, it increased its monthly price to $11.99, but with that comes a significant upgrade: members now have access to all of Showtime's content, which includes movies and shows like Billions, Dexter, and Yellowjackets, as well as live coverage on sports including boxing, football, and MMA. Since Showtime shut down its standalone service in early 2024, this Paramount+ plan is now one of the few ways to watch Showtime without cable.

Now TV is the new cable alternative from Comcast (owner of Xfinity). For $20/month, you get over 40 live channels, 20 hours of DVR, and watch on up to three devices. It also doubles as a bundle since you get Peacock Premium included at no additional cost. No need to pay an extra $8/month. And of course, no minimum commitment and you can cancel anytime. To get it, you have to first subscribe or already be a subscriber to Xfinity Internet. You can then add it at checkout. At $20, it is one of the cheapest cord-cutting services out there, especially considering the channels that it offers. It's also one of the few services that offers Netflix in some of its bundles (for more on that, you can check this link).

Spectrum TV Choice is an internet television service that is only available to Charter Spectrum internet customers. 

It costs $29.99 per month plus a mandatory "flat tax" for local channels of $23.20. The channels available to you will depend on your location, but usually you can choose 10 more channels to add to your plan. Please be careful that after 30 days, you might not be able to change the list of 10 channels you choose.

Designed as an alternative to cable scubscriptions and on-demand streaming platforms, Spectrum TV Choice offers a combination of major cable channels and on-demand content that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players, and mobile apps. In the channel line-up, our editors chose 15 typical channels available to stream. You can read more in our dedicated explainer here: Spectrum TV Choice Explained: Plans, Pricing, Channels.