Jump directly to the content

YOU might be missing out on hundreds of free channels plus thousands of TV shows and movies.

There's an easy-to-overlook streaming service that doesn't cost a penny – and is packed with almost endless content.

Sling Freestream is one of the most popular ad-supported streaming services
1
Sling Freestream is one of the most popular ad-supported streaming servicesCredit: Sling

The service is called Sling Freestream, which is a no-fee alternative to the likes of Netflix and Disney+ for your Roku TV or Amazon Fire Stick.

Instead of charging you for a monthly subscription, Sling Freestream simply asks that you watch commercials.

So if you're fine to watch some ads, you'll be able to stream without paying a penny.

The reason why it's easy to miss is that Sling Freestream is actually built into another app called Sling TV.

Read more on TV tech

For thrifty viewers, the problem is that Sling TV is a paid-for service, so you might never download the app fearing that you'd have to fork out some cash.

But you can download Sling TV for free and enjoy Sling Freestream even without a paid membership.

Sling explains: "Sling Freestream is free live and on-demand TV. Seriously.

"It's easy to use, no credit card is required, and it’s always free — as long as the Earth doesn’t get hit by a meteor.

"If and only if that happens, Sling Freestream will be one million dollars and will be called Sling Onemilliondollarsstream."

The company adds: "You can seriously watch live and on-demand TV for free, and there’s literally no end to the free-ness. It’s 100% free forever."

Easy Roku cable mistake is killing your picture quality – fix is as simple as changing where you put cable to unlock 4K

The streaming service's catalogue of content is enormous with more than 40,000 on-demand movies and TV shows.

And it also gives you access to more than 500 live 24/7 TV channels.

That includes some recent additions, for example:

  • Antiques Road Trip
  • Baywatch
  • BBC Antiques Roadshow UK
  • BBC Doctor Who
  • BBC Earth
  • BBC Food
  • BBC Home and Garden
  • BBC Top Gear
  • BBC Travel
  • Farscape
  • Fawesome
  • Startalk TV

SLING SUPPORTED DEVICES

Here's the official list...

TVs & players:

  • AIRTV MINI
  • AMAZON ECHO SHOW
  • AMAZON FIRE
  • ANDROID TV, GOOGLE TV
  • APPLE TV
  • CHROMECAST
  • COX
  • GOOGLE NEST
  • LG
  • ROKU
  • SAMSUNG
  • TIVO STREAM
  • VIZIO
  • XFINITY

Phones & computers:

  • AMAZON FIRE TABLETS
  • ANDROID MOBILE
  • CHROME
  • IOS 11
  • SAFARI

Gaming consoles:

  • XBOX SERIES X|S

You don't need an account to watch the service, although you'll get some perks if you do.

With a free account, you'll be able to favorite channels and set up user profiles.

You'll also be able to earn rewards points that you ca redeem for "various perks and benefits" by watching Freestream, Sling says.

An account also allows you to set up parental controls, if you have children that will be watching.

Read More on The US Sun


Stream swapping – the easy way to cut your bills?

Here's what Sean Keach, The Sun's Head of Technology and Science, thinks...

It's no secret that TV streaming apps are costing more and more.

Not only are prices shooting up, but we find ourselves asked to pay for an increasing number of apps and services.

And when you combine those TV bills with your music streaming, mobile and internet fees, and every other drain on your bank account, it all starts to get a bit much.

One of the best ways to cut your TV bills is to simply cancel all of your streaming subscriptions and only sign up to one per month.

Pick an app like Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+ and smash through all of the content you want to watch on that app.

Then the next month, swap to something else.

And once you've done them all, you can cycle back to the start again.

It's an easy way to avoid forking out for a rolling library of streaming apps with more content than you could possibly watch.

Also don't forget that paid-for streaming isn't the only game in town.

There are loads of apps that don't cost a penny to enjoy, and downloading a few will unlock thousands of live TV channels plus tens of thousands of movies and shows.

Try apps like Tubi, Amazon Freevee, The Roku Channel, Plex, and Pluto TV to get some ad-supported television without having to pay any monthly fees.

Trying free apps is a great way to cut down on those soaring streaming bills you're paying every month.

But be warned: your movies will be interrupted by ads, so that might kill film night for you.

Topics