Sunday, February 2, 2020

Top streaming services to help you cut the cord in 2020

All you need to take advantage of these top streaming video services to help you cut the cord in 2020 is a high-speed internet connection and a Roku device. Alternately you can use other devices like an Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV, etc., but all of these may not be available on other devices. I'm basing this off of my personal experience with a Roku. There are a ton of other free "knock-off" channels, but these are my favorites as of the time of this blog post.

  • PlutoTV has hundreds of "live" channels that feature movies, TV shows, sports, music and Latino selections as well as a video on demand section.
  • Tubi - Features a rotating selection of movies and TV shows each month.
  • *Vudu - Movies and TV shows from every genre are available on a rotating basis each month.
  • Crackle - Sony's streaming service that includes original content as well as a rotation of top movies and TV shows each month.
  • Roku Channel - Features movies and TV shows from all genres on a rotating basis each month.
  • WeatherNation - 24/7 weather coverage
  • NASA - Live feed of the NASA channel, featuring special coverage of live events and informational programming
  • **Curiosity Stream - Features hundreds of documentaries, expanding their library every month.
  • CBS News - Live internet news feed as well as feeds from several cities across America.
  • FOX News - Features clips from various news programs over the last 24+ hours.
So, you're probably wondering what the catch is, right? I mean, if people pay for services like Netflix and Hulu, how can all of these be free? It's simple. These streaming services have gone back to a tried-and-true method of generating revenue - advertising. Just like in the old days of broadcast television (which is still available in most areas, btw), the advertisements pay for the actual service in the hopes that their ads will reach a certain number of eyeballs and drive sales of their products and services. 

Depending on the speed of your internet connection, your mileage may vary. I recommend, as a bare minimum, 15 Mbps, which is pretty slow by today's standards. This leaves out DSL for the most part. While you may have some mixed success through wireless line-of-site or satellite internet services, a fiber or cable connection is best.

Have you already cut the cord? Share your best FREE streaming services with us in the comments!


(*Vudu has a great selection of movies that are free to watch with commercials; **In my area this is provided free if you are a Suddenlink internet subscriber)

No comments: