Watching live TV no longer means being tied to an expensive cable subscription. Today, there are several free and completely legal websites that let you stream live TV online, whether you’re into movies, TV shows, breaking news, or live sports.
In this guide, I’ve curated a list of the best legal websites for live TV, carefully ranked from best to least based on reliability, content variety, and user experience.
These platforms allow you to watch live television directly from your browser, without installing shady apps or risking copyright issues.
Some of these websites are geo-restricted, so using a premium VPN is recommended for smooth and safe access.
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1. Pluto TV
Website: pluto.tv
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – Los Angeles, USA server
Pluto TV offers over 200+ live TV channels. Genres include news, sports, movies, TV series, kids programming, and VOD. It is one of the most popular free streaming services. Pluto TV is available as an app for download on smartphones and other devices.
Channels: CBS News, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Fox Sports, Paramount Network, Spike TV, CBS Sports HQ, CNN, HISTORY, The Weather Channel, ABC News, Bloomberg, MTV Classic, Pluto TV Movies, and TV Originals.
Rating: 5/5
2. Tubi TV
Website: tubitv.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – Los Angeles, USA server
Tubi TV provides over 200+ live TV channels featuring genres including news, sports, reality shows, family & lifestyle, supernatural, nature, true crime, dramas, business, etc.
Channels: Fox Sports, CNN, MTV, ABC News, The CW, Comedy Central, HISTORY, A&E, National Geographic, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate and Tubi Originals.
Rating: 5/5
3. Sling TV – FreeStream
Website: sling.com/freestream
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Sling Freestream offers over 400+ live TV channels. Its content lineup includes various genres such as news, sports, game shows, crime dramas, sitcoms, nature, home improvement, cooking, etc.
Channels: AMC, A&E, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, MTV, Nickelodeon, TLC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, Lifetime, History Channel, Hallmark Channel, and We TV.
Rating: 5/5
4. Philo
Website: philo.com
Registration: Yes
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Philo offers 70+ live TV channels, which include a variety of genres such as family, reality, entertainment, lifestyle, and news. While some of the channels are free, others require a subscription. The free channels do not offer streams from popular networks.
Channels: A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, HGTV, History Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, TLC, VH1, We TV, Lifetime, Fox Sports, QVC, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Sundance TV, AMC+.
Rating: 3/5
5. Plex
Website: plex.tv
Registration: No
VPN: No
Plex offers 200 live channels, featuring categories such as news, comedy, sports, reality & history, movies, sci-fi & action, classic, food & home, lifestyle, true crime, and hit TV.
Channels: Euro News, France 24, USA Today, Reuters, TNA Wrestling Channel, WildEarth, Lifetime, MTV Classic, Comedy Central, FOX Sports, NBC News, CNN, Newsmax, Yahoo Finance, History, Discovery, Food Network, Paramount, NFL, ESPN, Popstar!
Rating: 5/5
6. DistroTV
Website: distro.tv
Registration: No
VPN: No
DistroTV provides access to 300+ live channels across a wide range of genres, including news, sports, business, music, documentaries, etc. The platform also features EPG for easy browsing and scheduling.
Channels: CNN, Fox Sports, Discovery Channel, A&E, Bloomberg, Comedy Central, MTV, History Channel, Food Network, Paramount Network, NBC News, RT America, TLC, Animal Planet, Popcornflix, Bein Sports, FUEL TV, Monster Jam.
Rating: 4/5
7. Haystack News
Website: haystack.tv
Registration: No
VPN: No
Haystack News offers over 400+ live channels. Most of them are paid. Only a small selection is available for free, exclusively limited to news content.
Channels: Yahoo! Finance, KENS 5, ABC News, NewsNation, CBS News Chicago, Al Jazeera, ABC News, NewsNation, Scripps News, Fox 32 Chicago.
Rating: 3/5
8. Yupp TV
Website: yupptv.com
Registration: No
VPN: No
YuppTV offers over 200 live TV channels. The majority require a subscription. The free channels available are mostly catering to the Indian market.
Channels: News Break, India Market, News9Live, The Reuters 60, Scripps News, CBS News Chicago, Fox 32 Chicago, ABC News, Al Jazeera, NewsNation, Global News.
Rating: 3/5
9. Xumo Play
Website: play.xumo.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Xumo Play provides over 300+ free live channels spanning a wide range of genres, including news, entertainment, movies, sports, reality, food and lifestyle, comedy, etc.
Channels: CNN, FOX Nation, ABC News, TYT, Sky News, Willow+, UFC, iHeart, Hell’s Kitchen USA, Storage Wars, ET.
Rating: 4/5
10. Red Bull TV
Website: redbull.com
Registration: No
VPN: No
Red Bull TV provides free live streaming of extreme sports, music events, documentaries, and cultural content. The platform also features live coverage of Red Bull-sponsored events and competitions.
Channels: Premier Padel, King of the Year, Cliff Driving World Series, World Rally Championship, Mountain Bike World Series
Rating: 3/5
11. Zeam Watch Live TV
Website: zeam.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Zeam Watch provides around 100 live TV channels with content in various categories. Its genres include news, food & lifestyle,
Channels: ET, CBS News, KALB TV, Sky Link TV, Inside Edition.
Rating: 2/5
12. Local Now TV
Website: localnow.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Local Now focuses on 500+ live channels. Genres include news, true crime, action, comedy, drama, entertainment, etc. This is one of the best legal websites for live TV.
Channels: CBS News, FOX Local, NBC News, Today, CNN, Bloomberg, Popstar TV, Black Fist, Just for Laughs, ET, Inside Edition, Destination Haunted, My Lottery Dream House, American Stories Network, The Smylie Kaufman Show.
Rating: 4/5
13. Puffer TV
Website: puffer.stanford.edu
Registration: Yes
VPN: Yes – New Jersey, USA server
Puffer TV offers 6 live news channels, though the selection is limited. Most of the channels are from lesser-known networks.
Channels: CBS, NBC, PBS, ABC, CW, FOX.
Rating: 1/5
14. BBC iPlayer
Website: bbc.co.uk/iplayer
Registration: Yes
VPN: Yes – London, U.K server
BBC iPlayer provides 12 channels from the BBC network. Their genres include news, dramas, sports, documentaries, culture, kids’ section, radio, etc.
Channels: BBC – ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, CBBC, News, Radio 1, Cbeebies, Scotland, Parliament, ALBA, S4C.
Rating: 3/5
15. RTE Player
Website: rte.ie
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – Los Angeles, USA server
RTE Player is an Irish streaming service. They offer 4 live channels. Their genres include news, sport, business, entertainment, lifestyle, culture, TV, and radio.
Channels: RTE One, RTE Two, RTE News Now, RTE Jr, RTE Player.
Rating: 2/5
16. Roku TV
Website: therokuchannel.roku.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – Los Angeles, USA server
Roku TV offers a limited number of live TV channels. Its genres include news, sports, game shows, and VOD content. etc
Channels: ABC NEWS, FOX Weather, NBC News, CBS Sports, Roku Sports Channel, Euro News, NFL Channel
Rating: 3/5
17. Freeintertv
Website: freeintertv.com
Registration: No
VPN: Yes – Los Angeles, USA server
Freeintertv offers 100+ free live TV channels, including news, sports, and entertainment. from different countries. The site is user-friendly but doesn’t offer the best video quality or streaming stability. Its interface also feels outdated.
Channels: CNN, HBO, MSNBC, Fox News, i24 News, Sky Sports, Channel 4, BBC News, Discovery, ESPN, MTV
Rating: 4/5
18. STIRR TV
Website: stirr.com
Registration: No
VPN: No
Stirr TV offers 900+ free live TV streaming from various countries. Its genres include news, sports, documentary, food, finance, etc.
Channels: CNN, HBO, MSNBC, Fox News, i24 News, Sky Sports, Channel 4, BBC News, Discovery, ESPN, MTV.
Rating: 4/5
19. NewsON
Website: newson.us
Registration: No
VPN: No
News ON offers 30+ channels for live TV, primarily focused on news content.However, many of these channels are less well-known.
Channels: ABC News, FOX 26, News 9, KGTV, TMJ4 News, Spend Smart
Rating: 2/5
20. ITVX
Website: itv.com
Registration: Yes
VPN: Yes – Docklands, U.K
ITVX offers 17 live free TV channels for live TV. The free selection is limited, covering genres such as news, sports, and children’s programming.
Channels: ITV 1, ITV 2, ITV 3, ITV 4, ITVX Kids, ITV Quiz.
Rating: 2/5
FAQ’s
My Final Verdict
Pluto TV, Tubi TV, and Sling TV FreeStream are among the best legal websites for live TV, with STIRR TV coming in top, offering several channel selections and various genres without a subscription. Other websites have some limitations.
These platforms make it easier for users to access live television without a cable subscription. Some of the channels are free, others are ad-supported content, while the remaining are paid.
Some websites may have some geo-restrictions on some channels. Therefore, a premium VPN such as Surfshark is needed for full access.
