I watch TV shows on-line by going directly to my favourite shows, but this is rare.  I can't tell you if I'm downloading or streaming, but I'm not paying anyone for it.  MANY good shows are individually there, seasons at a time and commercial free.  It doesn't give you the news, but you can go to New York Times or your favourite local rag on computer, too.  Public broadcast radio has good news, usually.

I got thoroughly disgusted by the copious TV advertising, and don't own a TV at all.  When it broke, I didn't replace it.  I missed Start Trek: TNG for the first two months then got over it and soon they cancelled the show; that was that.  If you only really want one or two TV shows plus a few movies, try Googling the shows directly and get Netflix or another movie streamer. Give yourself 3 months to compare, then make a settled choice.  :  )

There is one other option, but it may be less easy to implement:  TV is still broadcast the old-fashioned way.  If you get an antenna, you can run the wires right to the back of your TV. My dad did this with his flat-screen; he got fed up paying through the nose to cable companies. The downside is that the antenna has to face the direction best for the location of the broadcasting channel.  Here in Toronto, for example, we have Canadian channels and Buffalo channel 4.  If dad wants to watch Wheel of Fortune, he has to shift the antenna (which he has on a chair in his bedroom instead of in the air above the roof, lol) so that the signal remains clear.  Sadly, ads come with this kind of television, so he saves a lot of money but loses enormous time to ads.  This is why I prefer computers: same free cost; no ads.

I am still with my local cable company.  I trust the day will come with I drop that for more affordable options.  I wish you all the best in your search and switch to a streaming provider. 

 I have basic cable service.... I watch CNN, local news and a few favorite shows....Blue Blood...Law and Order SVU .... NCIS....

I am considering the same thing, so I'm here to read the answers.

Christina -- I don't think you are alone in thinking about this.  Two years ago, I dropped cable and can honestly say I don't miss it, well not much, and haven't subscribed to any streaming services yet.

I have Hulu, Netflix and had Amazon Prime to begin with.  I can also stream PBS programs.  I do it with Apple TV and pay under $20 per month.

I encourage you to satisfy yourself on this. Direct and Time-Warner eventually will have to give-in. Until then, they charge too much

Can't drop the Tennis channel!

We have Direct TV and are not completely satisfied. I too would like to know if there are other, better options out there.

I have not, but just had a client who bought a house, swore of cable and satellite and called today 6 weeks later asking about cable. I helped them find a great starter deal locked in for 2 years as they missed their tv.

Several years ago we made the change when we moved into a condo. We only subscribed to high speed Internet and bought a Roku box. At that time, it saved us about $1200 a year. We were happy with it and watched our programs on Roku at our convenience. I have to add that we subscribed to HuluPlus and Netflix. 

The only thing we (my husband) missed were live sports. Our complex had a nice community room with a TV and he was able to watch sports on that TV.

We use Uverse with AT &T. I'm sure no one is satisfied with their provider but put up with them:(. Good luck with your search and let us know what you find.

I was with cable for years, switched to direct tv, though I like it the next year it increased in over 40%.  My goal as well is go to streaming, but I need to spend time figuring it out.. before I cut the cord.. 

Let's debate over two popular cord-cutting services. Hulu & Sling are the top contenders when it comes to cutting cords. Hulu live TV that comes for $43.99 dollar is a bit expensive when compared with Sling TV. Sling TV is a lot more customizable and budget-friendly. Both the services come with add-ons to take your TV experience to the next level. There are many services you can opt for free. Pluto too, TV player, BBC iplayer are some good free TV platforms. You can also check other live TV options mentioned in this article.

I have considered dropping cable many times but haven't done it yet. However, I just purchased an Amazon Fire Stick and I think they have just about everything I could use. You could download an app for the major channels (abc/nbc/cbs/fox) and could probably also get apps for the other channels. I'm considering getting rid of cable and just using internet.

We use our local cable company. Satisfied, however, I don't recall the last time I turned on the TV. I binge on my favorite shows every quarterly by watching reruns.

My daughter purchased a "Stick" that works off the internet and she gets even more channels than cable provides.  I don't know what the name is yet but she is going to bring hers out to see if I can use it in my area.    I live in a rural area so I will try hers first before pulling the plug on Direct.  I am paying over 100 a month right now.  That is only a few channels plus Starz as we like the western channel.  I will let you know when she arrives with it.  You pay for the "stick" that fits into a slot on the TV. Only a one time fee. Sounds wonderful to me.

Left Direct Tv for Basic cable. I have been trying a leaf antenna for my final break away from cable and cut the cord.  

Still tied to direct TV in a condo building!

Christina Hayes - I am also thinking of ROKU...

Time is changing, isn't it?

 We killed our TV sets 10 years ago.  No cable, no dish.  

 Just about anything can be found on the Internet, excepting a few live events.

 There are lots of ways to stream and bootleg programs and videos from websites.

We are getting ready to leave Comcast

We use Roku, but still have TV. I find Netflix and Amazon have great shows, but still use the regular cable for sports and news.

We have minimized it and use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Redbox for viewing movies.

Talk to your neighbors what is out there and what other choices you can have. Many go back and forth to get on a promotion sale.

Here in FL, every time it rained the DirectTV service was not accessible. During a tropical storm or hurricane, that could prove disasterous. 

I unplugged and went with TIVO. 

Am I satisfied. Yes and no.

No - The good stuff, like the college bowl games were not available with a few exceptions. 

Yes,The stuff I DO watch are my favorites saved and watched commercial free or 'skip' commercial mode.

As a whole, I watch less and do more. 

There is NO TV or cable program that I can not live without.

Both of my daughters have dropped it and they don't have a clue what they are missing.  Add more not less.  Entertainment is salvation.

I don't have any type of TV. Not even netflix. 

Have not try it so have to see what otheres are saying.

I know there are a few here who have done that - I have both dish satellite as well as cable - I tried to drop but if  did I would miss my fav program - walking dead LOL

We've always had cable and have no plans to change.

I have comcast

Never was one to watch TV or the big scree thankfully.

The better half just got the stick and I will have to learn to set it up for her.(goota keep her happy!)

We have only had internet for the last year.

I am in more and more houses without any TV sets at all but lots of books, music and NPR. Off air or rabbit ears, a roof top rotor to adjust the signal can improve the taste. When there are 500 channels but nothing to watch that trips your trigger. Get off the couch, buy a farm! "Re-direct" the money into a new hobby.

Never had DirecTv - but cut the cord years ago and use both AppleTV and Roku (since AppleTV does not support Amazon video).

The streaming services available to people in our great land generally have less content than those offered to people south of the border.

Christina,

It is the best thing we did this September.  Our cable bill was over $150 a month, and we hardly watched TV.  Now we have Sling and Apple TV.  Roku and other devices also work with streaming...Now our cost is down to $26 a month.  A

I am about to but we are looking at early cancellation fees...

I haven't had cable for about six years. I have Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime (office expense because we use it for office supplies). I used to miss live news but it's all available online now. Cable and satellite are bloated cash-cows and i do not miss them a bit. By the way, I prefer the Amazon Firestick to Roku but I don't have the lateset Roku.

My son did and seems satisfied, but then he really does not have time for tv anyway with his busy work schedule.

We purchased a similar unit last spring at the home and garden show.  In the beginning we just watched movies. There was a learning curve. Eventually I took time and learned how to use it for live tv / a variety of series (HBO-ShowTime ..ect...)  daily new programs.  Been almost a year. Well worth the money - but we still have direct tv.

 Some programs we can't find.  If Internet is not strong there is quite a bit of buffering while streaming live tv.  Otherwise I'm happy. 

If anyone has found RFD TV on their system please call me:-) 

I never watched enough tv to pay for it

I have a Roku and got rid of my TV years ago.  I've very happy with it.  You don't get live sports unless you know someone's login who has TV service, but for shows and movies I have Netflix, Amazon Prime and I love it.  You can also get Hulu on it too.

Christina, I haven't yet, but that is on my horizon. I have services at three locations. I don't need them at all three. So, at least one will be gone before the end of January 2017. We currently use Netflix and Amazon Prime. Both are excellent. I was looking at Roku this past Thursday. It might be on the shopping list soon. 

We use Uverse with DirecTV and have thought of dropping it but, it's not nearly that expensive in our area (we pay about $1,200/year).  Good luck with your decision!

Some of us need to learn how to do this.