How to Live Stream NBC Without Cable

UPDATED on January 28, 2021

How to Watch NBC Live

You can use a TV antenna to watch NBC live for free.

Your other option is a live TV streaming service, including AT&T TV, fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

NBC Live Stream: How to watch NBC free or cheap online

Getting NBC without cable is dead easy. That’s true whether you’re looking for a way to watch Season 5 of This is Us, or Sunday Night Football.

Hulu + Live TV is currently the best way to watch NBC live without cable, especially if you want to watch the latest season of a show such as This is Us.

Hulu has 65+ live TV channels, including A&E, CNN, Discovery and HGTV for $64.99 per month. There is 50 hours of Cloud DVR for recordings. A subscription includes unlimited access to the on-demand library that people usually pay $5.99 for.

Even if you already subscribe to Hulu on demand, you can get a free 7-day trial of Hulu + Live TV. There’s no long term contracts or obligations.

This resource guide will show you how to watch NBC live by streaming it on a TV, smartphone or favorite streaming device like a Roku.

I’ll also break down some cheaper options to watch past seasons of your favorite NBC shows such as The Blacklist, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and This is Us.

Watch NBC live for free

Let’s quickly cover how to get NBC without any kind of subscription before tackling live TV streaming.

Getting a TV antenna is the least expensive way to get a high definition signal of NBC free for life. The federal government ordered broadcasters to switch over to digital broadcast signals over a decade ago.

Digital signals are now broadcast over the air in high definition. The picture looks better than the cable TV feed that you’re paying for because the signal isn’t as compressed.

The result?

Cord cutters and people looking to shave down their home entertainment expenses are turning to TV antennas. You can easily use free online tools like AntennaWeb to see if there’s NBC broadcast tower near you to draw a signal from.

Chances are there’s a whole bunch of free TV all around you that you’re not tapping into. Read my guide: How to Choose the Best Antenna & OTA DVR for free tips on how to tap into over-the-air (OTA) channels. If you don’t live in a spot where you can get antenna channels, keep reading. 

Where is an NBC live stream available?

There are a number of live TV streaming services that offer channels that you also see in cable subscriptions.

Those channels include NBC, and some other networks like AMC, A&E, Bravo and ESPN. Instead of these channels being fed through a cable cord, the signals are being live streamed over the Internet.

AT&T TV, fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV are the prominent players that carry local NBC channels. 

I’ve tested all of the above services. There are a few major differences between these streaming services and a cable subscription like Comcast.

You can easily cancel online, and jump to a competing service whenever you want. Some cord cutters even jump from platform to platform throughout the year just to catch certain shows.

Just be sure to cancel your free trial before it ends so you don’t get charged. All you just need an Internet connection and a streaming device.

Trying out these platforms is free.

Meanwhile, your pals at Comcast or Spectrum aren’t giving you anything for free. What? You’re Internet-only plan is too pricey? There’s ways to deal with that.

Once you pick a live streaming service that fits your needs, you might find yourself wondering why you stuck with cable for so long. If you subscribe to one of these live streaming services, you can also use your username and password to activate the NBC app.

Here’s a quick look at each of these live streaming services.

Get local NBC with Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TVis the best pick for most people wanting to live stream NBC.

Subscribers get 65+ channels, including A&E, CNN, ESPN, HGTV and NBCSN. Hulu only offers one channel bundle for $64.99 per month and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. You’ll get on-demand access with your live TV channels and unlimited access to Hulu’s massive streaming library, including Hulu Originals like “The Handmaid’s Tale”. 

Hulu with Live TV supports Roku, Fire TV and Fire Stick, XBox One and Xbox 360 consoles, and iOS and Android devices. You can watch up to two streams simultaneously. Look over the channel lineup for Hulu with Live TV before deciding whether you want to sign up.

You can get a free 7-day trial even if you subscribe to Hulu on-demand. 

Watch NBC online with fuboTV

fuboTV has 120+ channels, including just about everything you would expect from a cable TV or satellite service.

You can get NBC in just about every market in the U.S.

fuboTV has mainstream entertainment channels like Bravo, ESPN, Hallmark and History Channel.

Big Ten Network, PAC-12 Network and CBS will give you plenty of college and NFL football to watch. There’s beIN Sports for soccer.

fuboTV works on just about any streaming device out there. A subscription to its entry-level channel bundle gives you about 100+ channels for $64.99 per month.

fuboTV is the only live TV streaming service that offers select sporting events and TV shows in 4K. There’s a huge on-demand library of movies and TV shows for when you don’t need live TV.

Subscribers can activate about 40 TV Everywhere apps. fuboTV works on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Android TV. You should look over the channel lineup for your area before giving fubo a try. 

You can sign up for a 7-day free trial if you’re a new customer. There are no contracts, hidden fees or obligations. Just cancel online if you don’t like fuboTV.

Is NBC on Sling TV?

Sling TV is your least expensive way to live stream NBC without cable. But the Sling Blue plan only carries NBC in 11 cities across the U.S. Here are those cities, accord to Sling TV.

Sling Blue will get you 45 channels for $35 per month.

You can also check whether NBC is offered in your area, using a channel search tool.

You will get A&E, and some neat movie channels life IFC and three Epix channels. MTV, Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild are included with a Sling Blue subscription.

Sling TV offers 50 hours of free Cloud DVR or 200 hours for $5 per month. A Sling Blue subscription gives you three simultaneous streams on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV (4^th generation).

There’s a free 3-day trial offered to new customers. Prepay for a brief subscription and you can get a discounted streaming device.

How to watch Season 1 through Season 4 of This is Us

Hulu on-demand currently has Season 1 through Season 4 of This is Us, and a number of other NBC’s most popular shows. That includes past seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Blacklist.

A subscription to Hulu’s on-demand service (with limited commercials) is $5.99 per month, or $11.99 per month for no commercials. Hulu has a free 1-month trial for its on-demand streaming service.

Live Stream on AT&T TV

NBC is available on AT&T TV’s Entertainment bundle, which costs $69.99 per month. Subscribers get 65+ channels, 20 hours of Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand shows.

AT&T TV has ESPN, Nickelodeon, HGTV and TNT.

You’ll be able to stream NBC live on a Roku, Apple TV or Fire TV at home, and a smartphone if you’re not at home. AT&T TV now has a no contract option.

If you do sign up, you should know that you have to choose the “no contract” option during the account setup process. It’s not automatic.

Watch NBC live stream on YouTube TV

YouTube TV is now offered nationwide and took a local-channels-first approach as they expanded across the U.S. So you can find NBC in a number of markets where it’s now being offered.

For $64.99 per month, you’ll get about 85+ channels and unlimited Cloud DVR. You can watch live TV on up to two devices at once.

YouTube TV supports Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and viewing on a PC. YouTube TV has a really solid service. You can check out their free 7-day trial.

What’s the best way to watch NBC without cable?

Hulu with Live TV will be the best bet for most people because it has widespread coverage for NBC. The 65+ live channels is a well-rounded lineup that’s comparable to a more expensive cable package.

A subscription costs $64.99 per month. Subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR for recordings and unlimited access to Hulu’s full on-demand catalog that people pay $5.99 per month for. Take a look at the channel lineup for channel lineup for Hulu with Live TV and see what you think.

Hulu + Live TV also has a free 7-day trial.

fuboTV has a robust 120+ channel lineup, 30 hours of Cloud DVR for recordings and an on-demand library of movies and TV shows. A subscription costs $59.99 per month.

You can activate more than 40 apps on a Roku or Fire Stick for extra programming. And there’s a huge on-demand library in HD and 4K. fuboTV works on Fire TV, Roku, Apple, on smartphones, tablets and PCs. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial.

My budget pick is Sling TV. But remember, you need to live in one of the 11 cities listed above to watch NBC live. Try out a free 3-day trial of Sling Blue or go for one of their pre-paid offers for a free streaming device.

For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.

This article was first published Sept. 20, 2017 and has been updated. 

Jim Kimble

Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble