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Cutting the cord but still need ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC? In this video, I review the best options for streaming local stations in 2025: standalone apps, skinny bundles, full bundles, plus free and cheap alternatives.
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0:00 Biggest Problem for Cord Cutters
0:28 Standalone Apps
1:34 Free Apps (PBS, CW)
1:46 Skinny Bundles
2:06 DIRECTV MySports and MyNews
3:17 Fubo Sports & Sling TV
4:17 Xfinity Sports & News Plan
4:41 Full Bundles
5:17 Reality Check (Why It’s So Expensive)
7:29 Free and Cheap Alternatives
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
It's got to be one of the biggest, most
0:02
expensive problems for cord cutters who
0:04
don't have an antenna streaming your
0:06
local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations.
0:11
We've got some new options to talk
0:13
about. So, I reviewed them to see if
0:15
they can actually save you money, and
0:17
pretty quickly, I noticed they've got
0:20
something in common. In this video, I'm
0:22
going to cover standalone apps, skinny
0:24
bundles, full bundles, and even some
0:27
free streaming options. Let's get
0:29
started with those standalone apps. And
0:32
starting in the fall of 2025, you can
0:34
now stream three of the four major
0:37
networks 24/7 through standalone apps.
0:40
The newest addition is Fox 1, and that
0:44
gets you your local Fox station.
0:46
Paramount Plus Premium, that still gets
0:48
you your CBS station, and there's
0:50
Peacock Premium Plus for NBC. That just
0:54
leaves ABC. And there's a new partial
0:57
solution. With the new ESPN Unlimited
1:00
app, you get access to live ESPN on ABC
1:03
content, ABC Sports, but not a 247 feed
1:07
of your local ABC station. And if you've
1:10
got Hulu, that is still the place to
1:12
stream ABC shows the day after they air
1:15
on broadcast TV. Now, if you're looking
1:18
for all four locals, I wouldn't
1:20
recommend subscribing to a handful of
1:22
standalone apps. It's inconvenient and
1:25
it's expensive. But let's say you get
1:27
partial coverage with an antenna and
1:29
only need one network. These standalone
1:32
apps can fill in the gaps. And before we
1:35
move on, two free standalone apps worth
1:37
mentioning, PBS and the CW, but only the
1:41
PBS app has a live stream of your local
1:44
station. But if you want more than one
1:46
or two broadcast TV networks, you'll
1:49
probably want to look into Skinny
1:50
Bundles. and I've reviewed a bunch of
1:52
them on the channel lately. Depending on
1:55
where you live, they could include all
1:57
your local stations for a cheaper price
2:00
than a full cable TV replacement. So,
2:02
don't dismiss these until you see what
2:04
I've got to share. I want to start with
2:07
the DirecTV My Sports genre pack because
2:10
this one has increased its local
2:12
coverage since it first launched. Maybe
2:14
worth a second look. If you live in a
2:17
big city, chances are you'll get all
2:19
four locals. But even in some smaller
2:22
cities, DirecTV has made deals with
2:25
station owners to make more locals
2:27
available. This plan doesn't only
2:29
include locals, though. It features
2:31
cable sports and cable news networks,
2:34
which drive up the cost for a so-called
2:37
skinny bundle. If the price is too high
2:39
for you, and I definitely understand,
2:42
there's another plan from DirecTV to
2:44
check out. This one is called My News,
2:47
and alongside cable news channels,
2:49
you'll find local broadcast TV stations
2:52
in this plan. I entered a lot of zip
2:54
codes using this tool. And from what I
2:57
can tell, in some cities, the My News
2:59
plan doesn't offer as many locals as the
3:02
My Sports Plan, but many markets still
3:05
three or four locals available. If you
3:08
care about locals and locals only, this
3:11
one is worth a look because My News is a
3:14
lot cheaper than the My Sports plan. So,
3:17
remember the standalone apps I just
3:19
mentioned? Well, you may need at least
3:21
one of them to get complete local
3:23
coverage with the next two skinny
3:25
bundles I want to tell you about. The
3:27
first one is called Fubo Sports. ABC,
3:31
CBS, and Fox in select cities only. And
3:34
Fubo tells me it's continuing to launch
3:37
in new markets. So if you don't see this
3:39
plan today, you might see it tomorrow.
3:42
Just enter your zip code on their
3:44
website. That's how you'll see if Fubo
3:46
Sports is available. And in cities where
3:49
you get ABC, CBS, and Fox, you could
3:52
always supplement with Peacock Premium
3:54
Plus for NBC. And second, Sling TV is
3:58
another skinny bundle worth mentioning.
4:01
You get anywhere from zero to three
4:03
local stations, ABC, Fox, and NBC in
4:08
networkowned markets. But Sling does not
4:10
carry CBS in any markets, which means
4:13
it's never a complete local solution by
4:16
itself. There's one more skinny bundle I
4:19
want to highlight today, and it's from a
4:21
provider I do not usually mention for
4:24
streaming TV. This is the Xfinity Sports
4:27
and News TV plan available in Xfinity
4:30
Markets. It offers full local coverage
4:33
alongside cable sports and cable news
4:36
channels. Reminds me of Direct TV's My
4:38
Sports and also similarly priced. All
4:41
right, so that covers the Skinny
4:43
Bundles, but full cable TV replacements,
4:46
they are still available and they're the
4:49
easiest way to get all your local
4:51
stations. No compromises. YouTube TV is
4:55
the most popular by far. And there are
4:57
also full bundles from Direct TV, Fubo,
5:01
and Hulu Live. Problem is, some of these
5:04
are creeping closer to $100 a month for
5:07
the starting price. I have noticed more
5:09
deals for these plans, though, as new
5:12
standalone apps and skinny bundles have
5:14
become available. We'll see how long
5:16
that lasts. So, what do all these
5:19
options for local stations have in
5:21
common? Well, they're either incomplete,
5:24
too expensive, or both. I want to show
5:27
you this poll I put up on YouTube. Most
5:30
of the people who responded said they
5:32
aren't willing to pay more than $20 a
5:34
month for a localsonly plan. The
5:36
overwhelming majority of people. And
5:39
that leads me to something I found while
5:41
doing my research. Xfinity is now
5:43
charging nearly $60 a month for a plan
5:46
that includes only 10 channels, mostly
5:50
local stations. That is an outrageous
5:53
price and for channels some people can
5:55
get free with an antenna. So why is it
5:58
this way? Well, there's a few reasons.
6:02
ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, they're all
6:05
betting big on sports. They've paid for
6:08
the rights, so now they have to make the
6:10
money back through subscriber fees and
6:13
advertising. The parent companies of the
6:15
broadcast TV networks also don't want to
6:17
allow too much flexibility because of
6:20
their ties to cable networks. For
6:23
example, Fox owns Fox Broadcast Network,
6:26
FS1, and Fox News. So, it's no surprise
6:29
that even in some of the new skinny
6:31
bundles I mentioned, all of those
6:33
networks are included, not just one. And
6:36
you may already know most local stations
6:38
are not owned by the networks. They're
6:41
affiliates. And that means there's a
6:43
whole lot of dealmaking that has to go
6:45
on to offer local broadcast TV stations
6:48
in every city. And that brings us to the
6:50
reality check. What it actually costs.
6:53
And the way I see it, we're looking at
6:55
$50 a month and up, sometimes way up, to
6:59
stream your local stations without an
7:01
antenna. Based on how things are right
7:03
now, I still recommend looking into an
7:06
antenna, indoor or outdoor, even if you
7:08
only get partial coverage, because you
7:11
could always get a standalone app for
7:13
any channel that you're missing. And if
7:15
recording local TV is important to you,
7:18
you could add a DVR like a tableau. One
7:21
underrated perk of using a tableau is
7:23
that you only need one antenna for your
7:25
whole house and then you can stream
7:28
using the Tableau app. A lot of this
7:30
comes down to sports, but outside of
7:32
that, much of what's on broadcast TV can
7:35
be replaced with either free or cheap
7:38
options. For local news, download your
7:41
station's app or stream straight from
7:43
their website. For national news, free
7:46
streaming services have plenty of
7:48
dedicated news channels, and many of
7:50
them focus on headlines, not political
7:53
commentary. Those free services also
7:56
cover a lot of daytime TV. Court shows,
7:59
crime shows, even game shows. And if you
8:02
want the most popular game shows, even
8:04
Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are now
8:06
streaming, available the next day with
8:09
affordable standalone apps, both Peacock
8:12
and Hulu. I put together a monthly news
8:14
update video. That's where I'll have any
8:17
new options for streaming local
8:19
stations. You can also find deals on my
8:22
website michaelavesdealss.com.
#Online Media
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