Table of Contents
- Live Stream CBS Online Without Cable TV
- Watch CBS for free using a TV antenna
- Watch CBS on Roku, Fire TV or Smart TVs without cable
- What’s the best way to get a CBS Live Stream?
Live Stream CBS Online Without Cable TV
There are are a number of ways to watch CBS without a cable provider.
You can watch CBS for free with a TV antenna. But a TV antenna won’t work for everyone.
One cheap option is Paramount+. The streaming service costs $4.99 per month. You can live streams local CBS stations in most of the U.S. with the Premium plan for $9.99 per month.
Paramount+ has a huge library of on-demand movies and TV shows from BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Smithsonian Channel. The service also has live Soccer, NFL games and college football, including the SEC Championship game.
This guide will quickly outline all your choices to watch CBS live.
CBS is the home of NFL football, college football, shows like Magnum P.I. and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There are no hidden fees with these services, and they require no contracts or long-term obligations. Subscribers can easily cancel service online and pay month to month for live TV.
Watch CBS for free using a TV antenna
You can easily jump into the era of cord cutting by using a TV antenna for some free CBS. Head over to Antennas Direct Transmitter Locator tool. Punch in your zip code or address and push the “View Channels” button.
If there is a CBS broadcast tower within a 30 or 40 mile range, then there’s an excellent chance that you can watch sports or whatever else you want for free in HD quality.
For more tips on using an antenna read my months-long studies: How to Choose the Best TV antenna & DVR and The Best Indoor TV Antennas.
If a TV antenna won’t work for you, keep reading. There are plenty of other alternatives to cable so you can keep watching CBS.
Watch CBS on Roku, Fire TV or Smart TVs without cable
Live TV streaming services carry popular cable TV channels, including ESPN, CNN and HGTV.
These streaming services work on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation and Smart TVs.
You just need an Internet connection, a Smart TV or a streaming device to begin streaming live TV. Most of these services have a free trial that lasts up to a week.
Paramount+
Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access) is your cheapest option to live stream a local CBS Channel.
A subscription to the Essential plan costs $4.99 per month and allows you to stream live NFL games on CBS.
Subscribers to the Premium plan ($9.99 per month) can stream a local CBS station live in most of the United States.
Paramount+ has a mini-bundle of on-demand shows from BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Smithsonian Channel. A lot of original series are on the service, including a remake of The Stand, based on Stephen King’s famous novel.
Subscribers can stream up three shows simultaneously on separate devices. So someone might want to watch that latest Star Trek episode, while another member of the family catches up on The Big Bang Theory in the other room.
The cheapest plan for Paramount+ comes with limited commercials. It’s a solid alternative to cable if you just want CBS programming and minimize your costs.
Paramount+ lets you try out its service free for a week.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is the best option for someone who wants CBS and a full suite of sports channels like ESPN, ESPN 2, ACC Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network. Bravo, CNN and History channel are in the mix too.
Subscribers get 75+ live channels, unlimited Cloud DVR and access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s on-demand library.
A subscription costs $69.99 per month. You can look at Hulu’s channel lineup in your area.
You can watch live TV within the Hulu app, using a Roku, Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, iPhones and tablets.
fuboTV
fuboTV offers CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, entertainment and local ABC, CBS and NBC stations.
There are 152 channels in the Pro bundle, including AMC, ESPN, NFL Network and Golf Channel. If you live in the New England market, you also get NESN and NECN.
Look over the channel lineup in your area to see what kind of local regional sports channels, or local NBC, CBS or FOX stations are available.
You can also use this map below to see what local CBS stations are in your area.
ABOUT THE MAP: fuboTV has coverage of local CBS stations across the U.S. Zoom in and click on an icon to see what local CBS is available in your area. The map may not be 100 percent accurate, but attempts to be as comprehensive as possible. This map is a sequel of sorts to a similar one I made for the now-defunct PlayStation Vue.
A subscription costs $74.99 per month. Subscribers get 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR and a “look back”, an on-demand feature that has sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours.
fuboTV became the first live streaming service to offer select sporting events in 4K.
A fuboTV subscription also gets you access to TV Everywhere apps for more than 40 networks. You can watch fubo on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Fire Stick, web browser and NVIDIA Shield.
You can check out fuboTV free for 7 days.
DIRECTV STREAM
CBS is available on DIRECTV STREAM’s Entertainment bundle, which costs $74.99 per month. Subscribers get 75+ channels, unlimited Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand shows.
ESPN, Nickelodeon and HGTV are included in the channel lineup. You get unlimited Cloud DVR and 50,000 on-demand movies and shows.
DIRECTV STREAM has a free 5-day trial.
When you sign up, you can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want. DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and smartphones and tablets.
You can look over the different channel lineups before deciding whether to sign up.
YouTube TV
CBS is available in many markets with YouTube TV. You will get 128 channels for $64.99 per month, including ESPN, NBC, FOX AND CBS.
YouTube TV works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Android TV devices like NVIDIA Shield TV.
You can try out YouTube TV with a free 7-day trial.
Is CBS on Sling TV?
No. According to The Chicago Tribune, CBS continues to be very selective about which streaming platforms the company partners with. CBS has struck agreements with AT&T TV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV.
What’s the best way to get a CBS Live Stream?
Paramount+ is the cheapest way to get your local CBS station if you can’t use a TV antenna. New customers can sign up for a free 7-day trial.
Note: This article was published on February 4, 2021, and has been updated to reflect new pricing.
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.
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
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