Skip the bundle — how to get just the channels you want
Cable channels are sold in groups. Here's the real alternative for each one.
The short version
Every Live TV plan sells channels as bundles. You can't pick just CNN — you get CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg, etc. as one package. Same goes for sports (ESPN comes with FS1, NFL Net, NBA TV...), kids (Disney comes with Disney Jr., Disney XD...), lifestyle (HGTV comes with Food, Travel, Cooking...). That's how cable has worked since 1985 and streaming Live TV (YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu+Live) inherited the same packaging.
The result: if you only watch one channel in a category, you're paying for 16 others you'll never turn on.
The fix: skip the whole bundle and replace it with something cheaper — sometimes free. This page is the cheat sheet, organized by bundle.
Sports bundle
What's in it: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, Golf Channel, CBS Sports.
What it costs in a bundle: Built into every Live TV plan that carries it — YouTube TV ($82.99), Hulu+Live TV ($83), Fubo ($84.99). You can't separate them.
The honest truth about sports
Live games are the hardest category to cord-cut. The leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) intentionally split rights across networks so no single subscription gets everything. If you watch live sports regularly, you probably need a Live TV plan — there's no good free alternative.
What works if you only watch 1–2 sports
- NFL only: NFL+ ($7/mo) for game replays + RedZone, plus Amazon Prime ($15/mo) for Thursday Night, Peacock ($8/mo) for Sunday Night, Paramount+ ($8/mo) for CBS games. Still cheaper than a Live TV plan if you only watch football.
- NBA only: NBA League Pass ($15/mo). Out-of-market games only — you still need your local RSN for your home team.
- MLB only: MLB.tv ($30/mo) — same as above, out-of-market only.
- UFC (starting 2026): Paramount+ ($7.99-$12.99/mo) — UFC left ESPN+ for an exclusive 7-year/$7.7B deal with Paramount that killed the PPV model. Every numbered event included in the sub.
- College sports: ESPN+ ($12/mo) covers most of it. Add Peacock ($10.99/mo) for Big Ten Saturday Night games.
When to skip the bundle
You only follow your home team and you have an antenna for local broadcast games (most NFL games are on local Fox/CBS). One league app for everything else. Save $60–70/mo.
Local sports / RSN
What's in it: Your regional sports network — YES (Yankees/Nets), NESN (Red Sox/Bruins), MSG (Knicks/Rangers), NBC Sports Boston/Bay Area/Chicago/Philly, Bally Sports, Spectrum SportsNet LA (Dodgers), Marquee (Cubs), and a dozen more.
What it costs: Bundled into cable + some streaming plans. Coverage varies wildly by market — YouTube TV doesn't carry Bally Sports anymore; Fubo carries most RSNs; DirecTV Stream carries the most.
The reality
If your home team's games are on an RSN, this is the hardest bundle to skip. Leagues exclusive-license regular-season games to RSNs to fill cable carriage deals. You typically have three options:
- Pay for the bundle — pick a Live TV plan that carries your RSN. DirecTV Stream and Fubo carry the most.
- Direct-to-consumer streaming — some RSNs (NESN+, MSG+, YES) now sell standalone streaming subscriptions for $20–30/mo. Cheaper than the whole Live TV bundle if RSN is your only Live TV reason.
- Wait for nationally-televised games — every team's biggest games (Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN, Saturday FOX games) air nationally. Combined with an antenna, you'll catch 30–40% of your team's games for free.
College sports
What's in it: Big Ten Network, SEC Network, ACC Network, Pac-12 Network, Longhorn Network.
The streaming alternative
ESPN+ ($12/mo) covers a huge chunk of college football and basketball — including most SEC, ACC, and AAC games. It also includes Longhorn Network. If you only watch college sports occasionally, ESPN+ alone is often enough.
Big Ten and Pac-12 Network require a Live TV subscription (no à la carte option as of 2026).
News bundle
What's in it: CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, Bloomberg, Newsmax, OAN, HLN, Weather Channel.
The free alternatives
News is the easiest cable bundle to replace for free — most major news brands now stream live for $0 if you have a streaming device:
- Roku Live TV (free) — Roku's built-in live channels include ABC News Live, CBS News, NBC News NOW, FOX Weather, Bloomberg TV, Reuters. No login, no subscription, just open the Roku.
- Pluto TV (free) — 30+ news channels including CBS News, Sky News, NBC News NOW, weather, business news.
- Tubi (free) — has limited live news but covers Fox Weather and a few others.
- YouTube live news — most major networks stream the news for free 24/7 on YouTube (NBC News NOW, ABC News Live, Sky News, Al Jazeera English). No subscription, no Roku required.
If you need a specific cable-only news channel
CNN and Fox News don't have free standalone streams — you need a Live TV plan or:
- CNN Max — bundled into Max ($10–17/mo). Cheapest way to get CNN alone.
- Fox News on Fox Nation ($8/mo) — actually only carries some Fox News content on-demand, no live feed.
- MSNBC — no standalone option as of 2026; requires Live TV.
World news
What's in it: BBC World News, BBC America, Al Jazeera English, France 24, DW (Germany), NHK World (Japan), CGTN.
All of these are free
Every major international news network streams free on YouTube and free streaming services:
- BBC News — free 24/7 stream on YouTube + on Roku Live TV.
- Al Jazeera English — free 24/7 stream on YouTube + Pluto TV + Roku.
- France 24, DW, NHK World — free 24/7 streams on YouTube.
- BBC America (the entertainment channel with Top Gear / Doctor Who) — comes with AMC+ ($9/mo) or any Live TV plan.
Bottom line: never pay for the world news bundle. The same networks stream free.
Premium movies (HBO, Showtime, Starz)
What's in it: HBO, HBO 2, HBO Signature, HBO Family + Cinemax, Showtime, Showtime 2 + Starz + The Movie Channel + FLIX.
The streaming app version is identical content
Every premium movie channel has a direct-to-consumer streaming app — and the app version costs less than the cable add-on AND includes the same on-demand library:
- HBO via Max — $10/mo (with ads) or $17/mo (no ads). Same shows, same movies, plus the Warner Bros. movie library. Cable HBO costs $15–25/mo on top of your Live TV plan.
- Showtime via Paramount+ with Showtime — $13/mo. Includes everything on cable Showtime + Paramount+ originals.
- Starz app — $10/mo. Same content as cable Starz.
There is literally no reason to pay for premium movie channels through a Live TV provider. The standalone apps are cheaper and have more content.
Kids channels
What's in it: Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, PBS Kids.
The streaming kids alternatives
- Disney+ ($10–16/mo) — entire Disney library, all Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Star Wars content. Most Disney Channel original content shows up on Disney+ within months.
- Paramount+ ($8–13/mo) — Nickelodeon library, current Nick shows added on-demand. Live Nickelodeon channel also included in some tiers.
- Max — Cartoon Network library + classic kids shows.
- PBS Kids app (free) — every PBS Kids show, live and on-demand. Completely free, no ads, no signup.
- YouTube Kids (free) — curated kids content with parental controls.
When to keep the bundle
If your kids watch live cable kids channels for the schedule (Bluey at 8 AM, etc.) and you can't shift them to on-demand. Otherwise the streaming apps cover essentially everything for less.
Lifestyle (HGTV, Food, Travel)
What's in it: HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, TLC, Discovery, ID, Animal Planet, Magnolia Network.
Discovery+ and Max cover everything
- Discovery+ ($5–9/mo) — every channel in the Warner Bros. Discovery family streams here on-demand. HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Discovery, ID, Animal Planet, all of it.
- Max ($10–17/mo) — already includes Discovery+ content as of 2024. Don't pay for both.
- Magnolia Network (Chip & Joanna Gaines) — included with Discovery+ or Max.
If you're a lifestyle-channel household, dropping the Live TV plan and just subscribing to Max gives you all the same content for $10/mo instead of $83/mo. Best swap on this list.
Just local broadcast (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW)
What's in it: Your local network affiliates.
The free path
An indoor over-the-air antenna ($25–50 one-time) replaces this entire bundle permanently. No subscription, no monthly bill, ever. The picture quality is actually better than cable/streaming because it's uncompressed.
See our Free TV in 2026 guide for antenna recommendations + setup.
The bottom line
Streaming apps and free services have caught up to cable for almost every bundle. The only categories where cable is still the right answer:
- You watch lots of live sports across multiple leagues.
- You watch a specific local RSN that doesn't sell a standalone streaming option.
- You want CNN or MSNBC live and refuse to use YouTube alternatives.
For everything else, $20–30/mo of streaming apps + a $25 antenna replaces $150+/mo of cable. Run the configurator to see what your specific picks add up to.