How to Watch NBC Without Cable

Getting rid of cable just makes sense. You'll save a ton of money and find that you can still enjoy all of your favorite shows without traditional pay TV. But there's no universal guide to cutting the cord (just kidding — there is!), and you may find yourself wondering how to get a specific show or channel without cable. Maybe that's the question that brought you to this page: How do I watch NBC without cable?

The good news is that NBC is one of the easier channels to get without cable, because it's available for free over the air in many areas. Let's check out all of your options.

Oh, and by the way: If you're here because you want to watch the Olympics, be sure to check out our guide to streaming the 2021 Tokyo Olympics without cable.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to stream NBC:

	Price	Channels	Free Trial
#1	$69.99 – $139.99	65+	None	See Offer
#2	$5.99 – $85.96	68 – 88	7 or 30 days	See Offer
#3	$64.99 – $33.00	220+	7 days	See Offer
#4	$35 – $50	30+ – 130+	3 days	See Offer

There are two basic ways to watch NBC without cable and only one involves streaming video.

If you want to stream NBC online, your best bet for ditching cable is a live TV streaming service. Sometimes called “skinny bundles,” services like this aim to replace cable in your entertainment lineup. They offer lots of channels, but — unlike cable — they stream online and don’t force customers into long-term contracts. Some (but not all) of these services also trim down the bulky channel bundles we’re used to from cable and satellite, which is why they’re called “skinny bundles.”

The other way to watch NBC is to invest in a good old TV antenna. We’ll talk about that method below, but first, let’s take a look at the skinny bundle options you can use to stream NBC.

The name of AT&T's live TV streaming service has changed a lot, but it's currently known as DIRECTV Stream. It still offers a huge selection of channels in a very cablelike way, but it ditches the things we hate most about cable: big monopolies and mandatory long-term contracts. With DIRECTV Stream, you’ll sign a long-term deal only if you really want to.

Hulu + Live TV is, as you might expect, the skinny bundle service from Hulu, a company once focused entirely on on-demand streaming. The service's channel selection includes NBC (in select markets, of course, as is the case with every service on this list). You can read our full review of Hulu + Live TV to learn more or just try the free trial for yourself.

Live TV streaming service fuboTV includes NBC in it’s channel lineup. And if you’re watching NBC because you love its sports coverage (including soccer matches), then you’ll love some of the extra features that fuboTV has in store for sports fans. Of course, you don’t have to be a sports fan to like fuboTV as much as we did.

Sling TV offers a livestream of NBC in select markets. It also offers the most customizable live TV experience in the world of streaming. Cord-cutters can choose one (or both) of the two base bundles, then add small bunches of channels in the form of “Extras.” These extras are add-on mini-bundles that make it easy to customize your channel lineup without paying for anything you don’t want. For more details, check out our Sling TV review.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV offers NBC in select markets. Not to be confused with regular old YouTube, YouTube TV is Google's entry into the skinny bundle sweepstakes. It's a very solid skinny bundle service. If you would like to learn more about YouTube TV, check out our review.

Free Over-the-Air TV

The simplest, cheapest, and most effective way to get NBC live broadcasts without cable is to invest in an antenna. It's likely that NBC (not to mention ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and others) is available for free over the air in your region, and all you need to start picking up the broadcast is an over-the-air antenna. Modern over-the-air TV has come a long way. You'll get HD picture quality and can even use OTA DVRs to record content, just like you would with traditional pay TV services like cable or satellite. Not sure how big your antenna needs to be, or how to set it up? Just check out our complete guide to choosing an antenna and getting free over-the-air TV. Old-school antennas aren't the first things most people think of when they think of cord cutting, but they play a huge role in the trend.

Can you use the services we recommend with popular platforms like Roku? Yes, you absolutely can! Each of the skinny bundles listed above has apps for most of the major streaming devices, including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast (in the case of Chromecast, of course, we're talking about apps for other devices that can be used to cast to the Chromecast).

As noted above, you can also watch NBC with an over-the-air antenna. You can get that live feed over to a major streaming device, too. One way to do so is to use a PC TV tuner and a computer running the media server app Plex. Plex's premium version can stream your OTA TV to client apps on major streaming boxes. Another option is to rely on an OTA DVR and associated app – Tablo and the Tablo TV app are a good example.

If you love NBC’s shows and sports, then you might want to check out Peacock. While Peacock doesn’t include an NBC livestream (which is why it’s not on our list above), it does include on-demand and live content from NBCUniversal. That means that Peacock is your source for hits like “The Office” and “Parks and Rec,” as well as select live sporting events from NBC. If you’re looking to learn more, you might want to check out our Peacock review. You could also try out Peacock for yourself — thanks to Peacock’s pricing, it’s easy to test-drive the service on the free plan before you commit to spending any of your hard-earned money.