How to Watch Free Cable TV Online – Part 2

I’m back with a follow-up article on how to watch free cable TV online.

Just to summarize, in the first article (check it out here), we talked about several high tech ways to watch cable (or alternatives) without paying those nasty fees.

How to Watch Free Cable TV Online – Summary from Part-1

Here is a short summary of what we covered in part-1 (sorted from cheapest to most expensive):

• TV Network’s Websites
• YouTube
• Over the Air Antenna
• Hulu
• Netflix
• AmazonPrime
• Mini-Android PC with Google TV
• Roku HD
• Apple TV
• Panasonic Blu Ray Player
• Laptop

How to Watch Free Cable TV Online – Other Options

So, if you’re still looking to save money on cable and learn how to watch cable TV for free by switching to online TV, keep reading!  With the costs of cable and electronics these days, one of the above options may not be realistic for you if you really need to watch that latest cable show, but you don’t have the cash buy a new laptop or establish a Netflix account.

The good news is that there are a ton of cable TV alternatives out there that are free!  While I’m not exactly sure how legal these options are (an exercise I’ll leave up to the reader to determine), there are literally dozens upon dozens of internet sites out there that let you watch your old and new cable TV shows for free online.  Assuming you have some sort of computer/tablet there really is absolutely no reason you should be paying for cable!  With many new TV watching websites cropping up all the time, there is definitely near 100% probability you’ll be able to find a site that has the free cable TV show that you’re looking for!  There’s a lot of crap sites out there that I’ve tried to sort through to save you time.  Without further delay, here’s the list on how to watch free cable TV online from your computer:

How to Watch Free Cable TV Online – The Big List

1. Justin.tv – there are a bunch of home web videos here, but it is also a great place to find sports games/events that you can’t get with and over the air antenna.  People will record their own TV sets and broadcast it to the site so that you can join them.  Sounds kinda shady to me, but hey – it’s out there…
2. Crackle – Great collection of free movies and shows
3. Share TV – This is similar to Hulu, but they have more videos available.  Almost 15,000 episodes are available across almost 500 TV shows.
4. OVGuide – Full TV episodes online with a guide.
5. Free TV Online – Combines Facebook, Hulu, You Tube, and other viral videos together into one package.  A cool idea and worth a check. (requires an app download)
6. TV.com – Free full episodes and clips, show info and TV listing guides
7. SideReel.com – Free TV shows and movies from all the major networks.
8. MovieWeb – Full free TV show episodes
9. BeelineTV – watch live TV from around the world.  They have all kinds of stuff!
10. TV Video – All your favorite network TV shows are here
11. CastTV – All kinds of stuff sorted out alphabetically.
12. BigFileTV – TV shows from around the world.
13. Spreety – This one is supposedly 100% legal – provides links to all kinds of popular and classic TV shows.
14. TV Land – The website for all the old TV Land types of shows if you’re into that sort of thing.
15. TevoOtv – More TV shows from around the world.  The layout is pretty confusing, but it works.
16. MyEasyTV – Lots of old and strange shows…
17. WWITV – TV Channels from around the world
18. Find Internet TV – Movies, live TV, shows, sports – this place has it all
19. Stream – Streaming TV channels from around the world – based in Russia.
20. Mevio – Social media, audio, video, podcasts, music combined into one experience.  Not really TV – but, they have some pretty cool stuff.
21. wfiTV – More TV shows from around the world.  I have some limited success here.

  How to Watch Free Cable TV Online – The Big List

There you have it.  Some of the sites are a little bit of a chore to get what you’re looking for, but there really is no reason to pay for cable when all of your favorite shows are at your fingertips.  I hope you found this How to Watch Free Cable TV Online guide helpful.  Does anyone else know of other good sites I should add to the list?!?

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Why are you still paying ridiculous amounts for cable TV?

There are a ton of ways to save money out there if you keep an open mind.  Saving money on cable TV is one of the best ways to quickly get your expenses down.

Have you ever considered getting rid of your cable TV service and moving into the 21st century of streaming shows through the internet?

If not, read on to see what options are out there for how you can watch cable TV for free and other ways to save money on cable by switching to online TV!

 Money Saving Breakdown – Save Money on Cable by Switching to Online TV

• Difficulty (Super Easy/Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert): Easy
• Average Savings per Year ($/year): 700
• Time Required (mins): 15
  
• Savings for your time ($/hr): 2,800

 The Background

I recently ran across a great article over at DigitalSpikes (now down)  titled How to watch cable TV for free and ways to save money on cable.  I’ve been meaning to cover the topic on why you should cut cable for awhile because it is one of the easiest and quickest ways to save yourself a bundle.  We’re talking $700+ a year here!  What are you waiting for?

 The Alternatives to Cable TV

Assuming you have a HDTV and you’ve made the 15 minute call to cancel your cable service, what are some entertainment alternatives to be had?  Here are just a handful of the more popular choices:

• TV Network’s Websites: Pretty much every major TV network (Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC) has their own website for streaming the TV episodes for free to your computer.
• YouTube: Another free service can offer just as much – or even more – entertainment than your regular network TV shows.  This comes built in to most digital devices (TVs, Blu-ray Players, etc.).
• Over the Air Antenna: All the major networks have converted over to digital broadcasting.  While not very sexy, you can still hook up those old rabbit ears into your HDTV and get your normal network television stations for free.  You can get by with a $10-$20 normal antenna here.
• Hulu: If you’re looking for the absolutely free entertainment in a more organized spot, you can start with the basic Hulu.  The free version is ad supported – I tried it once a couple of years ago and it was OK.  They also have a Hulu-Plus service that runs $7.99 a month.  The Hulu TV episodes are up-to-date than what you’ll find on Netflix.
• Netflix: This is what our family uses.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.  You can get unlimited streaming to your TV for only $7.99 a month.  They have thousands of movies and shows, and they’ve just started creating some original series that can only be found through their service.  I highly recommend this one.
• AmazonPrime: Costs $6.59 a month, you get unlimited streaming of their movies and shows combined with free 2-day shipping with anything you order off of the Amazon website.  It also lets you borrow Kindle books for free (1 each month).  This is a really good package and something we’re probably going to look into going forward because of the lower price and the enhanced offering.

Set-Top Boxes & Other Devices

If you’re unsure how to exactly get these services to display on your TV, then hopefully this list of potential devices can clear it up for you a bit.

Antenna Choices

• Something as simple as this RCA Basic Indoor Antenna will do the job for only $8.

Streaming Devices

• Mini-Android PC with Google TV – you’ll need to buy your own keyboard/mouse or remote – $44.
• Roku HD – handles all the major TV and radio streaming services (720p) – $58.
• Apple TV – iTunes & Netflix (1080p) – $99.
• Panasonic Blu Ray Player – Pretty much any blu ray player has this capability now, I’ve just linked this Panasonic one as an example (1080p) – $80 – $250.
• Laptop – Any laptop computer with an HDMI port can be hooked up to your TV for streaming fun (1080p) – $400.

New HDTVs

• Just about any HDTV that’s been made in the past 2 years has these sorts of streaming options built in.

 Final Thoughts

We made the decision several years ago to save money on cable switch to watching TV online.  We went with a paid option, but there are several free methods to choose from.  By eliminating our cable, we’ve saved thousands of dollars and limited the amount of commercials our family is exposed to.  It has been great for our family (even our 4-year-old knows how to work Netflix), and I can’t recommend it enough – it really is a no-brainer.  Below is a simple video I made that highlights everything I’ve covered above here for you.

How are you watching TV these days?  Have you moved to a free or cheaper platform to watch your TV through the internet?

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Just listen to what our friend George Carlin has to say about advertising!

Companies implement advertising strategies to brainwash you nearly every second of every day!  On the TV, on the Radio, on billboards, in magazines or newspapers you read, junkmail in your mailbox, spam in your inbox, on the Internet; it’s everywhere!

Advertising is necessary, right?  How else are we going to find out about those new products and services that are going to make our lives better and happier?

The truth is, that 99% of the stuff you hear or see advertised you really don’t need.  Or if you do need it, you probably already know what it is, where to get it, and why you already like it.

My Dad has always maintained that the amount of advertising for a product or service is indirectly related to its amount of necessity.  That is to say, the products or services you really don’t need are advertised way more that products your really do need!

Think about it for a minute…  When is the last time you saw a commercial for a plain old bag of rice, or a simple item like an umbrella?  Now count of one hand, if you can, how many new car commercials you run across in an hour of watching TV.  I bet you’d need three hands if your watching prime time TV!!

What happens when our brains get saturated with advertising?  We end up convincing ourselves to waste money purchasing things we don’t need!   We may not even really want it, but we feel the need to consume.

That’s all well and good you say.  Those typical advertising strategies don’t work on me; I can tune it out.  WRONG!!!  Each year companies spend BILLIONS of dollars trying to outdo each other to brainwash you into buying their products or services with your hard earned money.  There are hundreds of thousands of people who go to college for years to learn how to win at advertising.  They put this training to work daily with the sole intent to penetrate your brain and influence your actions!

The first step to protect yourself, and your loved ones, from influence is to recognize this issue and be aware of the warning signs that you’re being manipulated.

In researching this topic, I came across the book Influence by Robert Cialdini.  In it, he outlines the six key principles of influence.  When you learn to recognize these easily, you will be amazed at how cunningly companies use these advertising strategies against you.  Here is a high cut from the wikipedia article:

1. Reciprocity – People feel obligated to return a favor.  This is why free samples can be a trap.  Let’s admit it, we probably all feel a little akward when taking a free sample with no intent to purchase when the free sample person goes into detail about the product.
2. Commitment and Consistency – If someone can get you to commit verbally or in writing to an idea or goal, then you will be more likely to honor it.  This is because you feel the urge to preserve your self image of being honest.  This is the idea of the 30-day money back guarantee.  If you’ve already agreed to try something, hardly anyone will go back on their word and return it.
3. Social Proof – Most people are like sheep and will follow what others are doing.  An example of this common to TV commercials is: “discover what the millions of our customers have already found out…”
4. Authority – People will tend to follow or obey people in authority.  Four out of five doctors recommend blah, blah, blah…
5. Liking – People are easily convinced by persons that they like.  Examples of this include celebrities or spokespersons for random products.  If you see a a celeb/spokesperson pushing a product, then run for the exit!
6. Scarcity – If people believe there is a scarcity of something, this can generate demand.  Examples include: for a limited time only, while supplies last, hurry before this offer expires, etc.

These advertising tricks and more are all summed up by one of my favorite comedians, George Carlin (warning: offensive language):

In future posts, we’ll discuss ideas on how you can save money by shielding yourself from as much advertising as possible.  This will enable you to spend money on needs, and steer money away from “wants” to saving or investing.  And yes, I do recognize the irony that directly below this post and to the right you see ads.  As George Carlin said in the video, “you’re just gonna have to figure that shit out on your own!”

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A win-win solution?

Welcome to the third and final part of our series (Part-3) on how to negotiate cheapest Cable, Phone, and Internet Service Rates.  If you somehow missed Part-1 or Part-2 you can check them out here and here.

Time to Regroup

As you’ve seen I did get to the $15 off per month mark, but that is a little short of my goal. I would like to roll the dice again to see if I can get a nicer “retention specialist” who will work with me a little bit.  I’ve reviewed the first two videos and watched for the mistakes I made.  I’m pretty confident with my refined notes to guide me through the process I will be able to meet my goal of $45/month.  Let’s see how I do in the video below!

Woohoo!!!  I met and exceed the savings goal that I was looking for.  I went from $65/month to $35/month for a annual savings of $360.  If you look at the time I took, this is like saving $675/hour!!!  I did end up downgrading service from 20Mbps to 6Mbps, but I haven’t noticed any performance issues with this at all.  Overall, I am very happy with where things came out.  Below, I’ve included some additional bonus negotiations tips and the notes I used going into the negotiation to help me stay on track.  Feel free to download this and modify it to help you before you call up your provider(s).

More Bonus Negotiation Tips

• It can work well to use the “higher authority” trick.  Example: That sounds great… I’ll just have to check with my wife/husband, hold on a minute…  <long pause> Hmm… he/she says that is still too high.  What else can we work out?
• Try NOT to ask Yes/No questions.  Be vague and use something like: “Gee, we are so close, what else can we do?”
• Make use of the “nibble”.  If you reach agreement for a lower price and you have closed the deal, ask them for other small favors afterwards such as: extend the lower pricing for a longer term, refund last month’s difference, refund any change of service fees, etc.
• If you are not happy with the deal you were offered after giving it your best shot, call back and try again with someone completely new if you have the time.  If you are determined, sometimes on the fourth or fifth try you will make that breakthrough you’ve been looking for.  You’ll see in the third video how this worked for me even though other two guys wouldn’t budge.
• Be aware of diminishing returns.  You can usually get a quick $15-$20 off with almost no work.  If you are looking for more, be prepared to fight for it and spend more time.
• Make the whole process into a game and see how low you can get them to go.  Have fun with it and try not to take it so seriously!!

Just to wrap things up, this whole three part series took me much longer than I thought to compile (probably 12 hours total), but I think you have a very good plan that you can follow to get yourself some big savings in about 15-30 minutes of your time.  Please post in the comments if you plan to try this or let us know the results if you were able to negotiate for the cheapest rates!

Click here for notes on negotiating that I used specifically for these calls.  You use this as a guide to fill out and use for your own negotiating!!

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Things Are Getting a Bit Rough with Paco…

Welcome to Part-2 of our series on how to negotiate cheapest Cable, Phone, and Internet Service Rates.  If you somehow missed Part-1, you can check it out here.

Recap

If you have been following along with me,  then you already know that I am not doing so hot with Paco at Comcast after accidentally hanging up on Larry.  I’ve been able to get Larry/Paco down an easy $15/month ($180/year) so far, but I am looking for a little more of a discount.  However, Paco is proving a difficult “cookie to crack.”

Apparently, we are paying for the “Performance Level” internet service.  This is marketing-speak for 20Mbps download.  In doing a little bit of quick google searching, this seems to be overkill for what we need.  We typically stream Netflix to one TV at a time, so a 5Mbps service should be able to stream in 1080p quality and then some.  Before moving to our new house I believe we were on a slower rate plan that worked well for us, but I am not sure.

So, let’s watch the Part-2 video and see how I fare against Paco!  Be sure to check out the bonus negotiating tips I put together after watching the video.  These are sure to help you out with your negotiating!

Alright, you can see I didn’t really get anywhere with Paco.  That’s OK.  You may have to call your cable, phone, or internet service company multiple times until you get someone that will work with you.  I still have the energy to give this another try with someone else.  Join me in Part-3 where I go for the knock-out punch!

Some Bonus Negotiating Tips:

• Stay polite and friendly, most of the folks that you will be talking to are just doing their job.  They can be compensated based on how many people they retain and how high they keep your rates.  If you piss them off that can just stonewall you.
• Have a goal in mind before you start.  This should be based on their current pricing offers for new customers, rates for smaller packages, competitor’s rates in the area, rates friends or neighbors are paying, etc.
• If you have been a customer for more than a year and/or have always paid your bill on time, be sure to point this out repeatedly.
• Don’t threaten to cancel service right away, this can backfire if used too early and you don’t really intend to cancel…  Keep some of your card close to the vest!
•  Use silence to your advantage.  Sometimes staying quiet for 30 seconds or more can work wonders.

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Learn to Negotiate with the Professionals

Do you wish you could save money on your existing monthly Cable, Phone, or Internet service?  I’ll show you a quick way to negotiate cheapest Cable, Phone, and Internet Service rates!  In the video, you’ll see how I was able to save $360 a year (or about $675 per hour of my time)!  I only get part of the way there in Part-1 of this series…  I only have internet service, so you could save even more if you have a package of services! Read on for more info:

Money Saving Breakdown

• Difficulty (Super Easy/Easy/Medium/Hard/Expert): Easy
• Average Savings per Year ($/year): 360
• Time Required (mins): 30
• Savings for your time ($/hr): 675

In this three part series, I’ve made a couple videos where I call up Comcast (my Internet provider) and negotiate for cheapest internet service.  You can use the same tips to negotiate for cheapest cable or phone service as well…  We signed up for new internet service ~1.5 years ago when we moved into our new house at $29.95/month for the first six months.  From there, it went up to $64.95 a month, yikes!!  My goal is to get Comcast down to $45/month.

Here are Some Details on How to Negotiate for Cheap Rates:

Who: Anyone can do this in about 20 minutes!  You will need to know the account holders information before you get started.  Generally this is:

• Name, Address, Phone #, Last 4 digits on Social Security Number

What: You will be calling the service provider(s) and negotiating for a better deal.

When: Call any time you have 30mins to an hour to devote to this project.  You will probably not need all of this time, but it is good to have it blocked out just in case.

Where: I suggest calling from a quiet place with minimal interruptions.  Depending on how much practice you have with negotiations, this can be very important to “keep you in the bargaining zone.”

Why: Most TV, Phone, or Internet companies will over-charge existing customers just because they can get away with it, and most people do not take the time to bargain for lower rates.  I have called service companies several times to change to a competitor or simply remove the service all together.  In all instances the “retention specialists” offered me rates 20-30% off within the first five minutes of the conversation.  You can make this work to your advantage to save you money!

How: Check out the YouTube video below to see what I tried.  Having some quick notes in front of you before calling can really keep you organized for the negotiation if you do not think quickly on your feet.

Money Saving Video  –  Part-1

Watch the Part-1 video below to see how well I do a negotiating for the cheapest internet service!

As you can see, I was not able to hit my goal.  The “retention specialist” offered me a $15 discount right off the top with very little work.  This brought my price from $64.95 a month down to $49.95 a month.  Good, but not great…  This equates to $180 of savings per year for 18 minutes of my time.  Put another way, this is an hourly savings of $600/hr!!!!  I would have done even better than that, but I accidentally hung up on the first Comcast rep

In Part-2 of our series, I will show another video where I go toe-to-toe with the second Comcast Rep.  I will also give you some bonus negotiating tips that I learned from what worked and what didn’t work.

How about you, do you have a spare 15-minutes?  Is anyone ready to call up their cable/phone/internet company and negotiate for the cheapest rate?  Let us know in the comments how you did!!

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