The Different Types of TV Services

Fiber TV is delivered to your home via fiber-optic cables, which are the latest and most innovative data transmission technology yet for average consumers. When you sign up for a fiber internet provider, they may have a fiber TV plan available. Fiber-optic connectivity is incredibly reliable and fast, meaning a fiber internet and TV bundle is about as good as it gets for home entertainment.

The most well-known and popular fiber TV provider is Verizon Fios. Fiber TV has a very limited availability, as does fiber internet, so you would be lucking out if your address is serviceable for it.

Below is a summary of Verizon Fios’ base fiber TV plan.

Live TV streaming refers to watching live TV through your internet connection. This means that you can watch all the typical networks you love over your internet connection as long as you have a compatible streaming device.

For example, if you sign up for DIRECTV via Internet, you can rent a DIRECTV via Internet streaming device and stream your TV through that. You can watch on your TV and other compatible mobile devices, essentially giving you the cable TV experience without actually having to sign up for cable.

There are plenty of live TV streaming services to choose from, some excelling in sports, some are more budget-friendly while others are solid overall.

Let’s review a streaming plan from DIRECTV:

On-demand streaming is also done through an internet connection. On-demand streaming services are typically much cheaper than live TV streaming services and have a well-defined niche, along with a large, dynamic content library.

When people become cord cutters, on-demand streaming is usually what they have in mind. When you make this choice, you are saying that you are fine sacrificing live content if it means you can pay a lot less to watch whatever you want, when you want.

Many households might choose to pay for a few on-demand streaming services to equate a content library similar to a cable TV plan, and then supplement them with a few free content-watching options.

If you find yourself enjoying the streaming experience but are still missing live TV, you should probably upgrade to a live TV streaming service.

Here are a few popular on-demand streaming services, along with some details you will want to know.

Much like with live TV streaming services, you will need a streaming device to watch your services on.

What If I told you that you don’t need to sign up for any TV plans at all, and you could still watch local channels? It’s true.

All you need to do is go to any store that sells electronics, examples being Walmart, Target, Best Buy, or shop online, and look for a TV antenna. These antennas aren’t the stereotypical “bunny ears” model. They are sleek, modern, and plug directly into your TV.

All you need to do is set it up (which takes about two minutes) and you’re good to watch TV from any local stations that broadcast nearby.

However, because TV antennas can only pick up TV stations near you, be sure to look on the box for the antenna’s pickup range. If you live farther than 35 or 40 miles from a major city, you may pick up very few channels at all.

If you do live in a moderately-sized or major market, you can expect to pick up 10-20 networks with decent signal strength (or more!).

This free tool from the FCC is incredibly useful in determining if buying a TV antenna is worth it for you.

Even if you can only watch a few channels, antennas are so inexpensive (anywhere between $20 up to $100 for higher quality models) that one might still be worth buying. They aren’t cumbersome whatsoever and are a fine addition to any electronics/device setup.

If you want to spend no money at all in order to watch TV, this is great news! Completely free TV streaming services exist, and are actually quite popular.

Adding a few free TV services to your entertainment arsenal is something every household should be doing, no matter if you are paying for cable TV or satellite TV or streaming services. There are no downsides at all — aside from watching an onslaught of advertisements.

Admittedly, free TV services rarely offer anything revolutionary – they are free, after all – but there are some gems. The only stipulation about these services is that you will need a streaming device to watch them on, though many people will likely just use a mobile device or laptop if they are looking to really chop their budget.

Here are some great choices for watching free TV:

If you are looking to save money each month, your best bet is to watch a few different free TV services and see if any of them click with you. If not, the next step would be to try out a few on-demand streaming services. If none of these satisfy your primal entertainment urges, it’s time to move on to a live TV streaming product, or even sign up for cable TV or satellite TV. If you do end up signing up for cable TV, it’s best to opt for the base plan and then add any extras later on to get a sense of your budget allowances.

The most expensive type of TV service available to consumers is likely satellite TV. Because it’s the only TV option for many households, and because the equipment and technical service involved (installation, transportation to your home) can be arduous, prices for satellite TV can be quite high.

To be fair, you do get what you pay for in terms of hundreds of TV channels and other perks like live sports and 4K picture quality, but that doesn’t mean it’s not expensive. For many satellite TV customers, they might not even have high-speed internet availability at their address, meaning streaming isn’t a viable option.

And since many satellite TV customers live in rural areas, buying an antenna to capture local TV broadcasts isn’t feasible either.

If you do sign up for satellite TV, start with the lowest tier plan and if you are happy with the product, you can always upgrade your plan later.