How to Watch Free Live TV on Android TV
Even if you hate modern TV and are a seasoned cord cutter, there will still be times when you want to indulge in mindless channel surfing. If you have an Android smart TV, these apps make it totally possible to enjoy free live TV without paying a hefty monthly fee.
1 Pluto TV
Pluto TV provides more than 250 TV channels in several categories. News, sports, movies, viral videos and cartoons are well represented. It even offers some channels dedicated to individual shows, allowing personalization with favorites and creating watch lists.
The company itself has been around since 2013. In that time, it has built more than 70 content partners, including cable TV mainstays like CNBC, MSNBC, and Sky News, as well as web-only channels like CNET, The Surf Network, Classic Movies, and IGN. In addition to live TV, the app also offers on-demand content.
In addition to Android smart TVs, the app is also available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and some smart TVs. If you install it on the mobile version of Android, it is compatible with Chromecast.
Download: Pluto TV for Android (Free)
2 Bloomberg TV
If you are interested in the world of finance and global markets, you will already know about Bloomberg. Along with CNBC and Fox Business News, it is one of the channels focused on business in the United States and abroad.
Unlike CNBC and Fox Business, however, Bloomberg’s output is free to watch on live TV via the company’s Android and iOS apps. You will have access to the network’s live streams as well as a wide selection of on-demand shows from the past few days.
Download: Bloomberg TV for Android (Free)
3 NBC
The NBC Android app offers a combination of live TV and video on demand. To access the live TV feature, you must have a TV service provider that includes NBC in your package.
NBC’s on-demand content is impressively extensive, making it one of the best Android TV apps around. You can watch the latest episodes of the network’s shows 24 hours after they air on regular TV, but you can also watch many TV classics like Miami Vice, Battlestar Galactica, and Knight Rider.
NBC offers support for closed captioning. As such, it is one of the best free live TV apps for Android for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Download: NBC for Android (Free)
4 Plex
Plex is a well-known home theater application. It lets you stream content around your home, manage media libraries and watch content remotely – with or without a NAS.
In mid-2017, the developers introduced a live TV feature. This allows you to watch local TV channels without cable in your area for free.
If you live in the United States, this means you’ll be able to enjoy all the major American networks, including NBC, CBS, Fox and The CW. Plex Live TV also includes a DVR; you can pre-program recordings and any content you upload will be integrated with your existing Plex libraries.
This feature is only available to Plex Pass subscribers and you will need to purchase a digital tuner and antenna. We recommend Mohu Leaf or HDHomeRun.
In mid-2020, Plex further expanded this feature. Today, more than 600 live TV channels are available over the web; you won’t need an antenna to tune in. Some of the most notable free channels are Fubo Sports Network, Yahoo Finance and Reuters.
Download: Plex for Android (Free)
5 tivimate
Instead of using proprietary services to get free live TV, you can use an M3U playlist. Playlists consist of links to free-to-air channels from around the world and you can watch them all in one app.
There are many IPTV players available, but the current market leader is Tivimate. The interface looks exactly like a cable TV interface, you can import an electronic program guide (EPG), set programs to record and organize your favorite channels into custom lists.
The app itself doesn’t come with any M3U playlists; it is an empty shell. You will have to find the content yourself.
Download: Tivimate for Android (Free)
6 Xumo Play
If you’re looking to add a free live TV app to your Android smart TV, then Xumo Play is a solid choice. It’s home to many obscure movies and shows that are on par with Lifetime, including the funny, holiday movies.
You’ll also find plenty of famous movies and classics like Drive and Halloween (1978). You might even come across Xumo originals à la Netflix. Everything is clearly divided into categories and the navigation is very similar to HBO Max.
Of course, Xumo Play offers live TV, from news to entertainment channels to sports. It has over 300 channels with a decent mix of major networks (NFL, Hallmark, PBS), but many are just as obscure as the Xumo originals.
For movie lovers, there’s one special channel, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, that just plays Hitchcock movies all day long!
Download: Xumo Play for Android (Free)
7 Tubes
Tubi is more or less an all-in-one app for Android TV that offers a surprisingly wide range of content. The live channels are very diverse such as cooking, comedy, sports, national news, kids and family and more. In these categories you can access channels like ABC, NBC, Revolt Mixtape, Ebony TV, Cinevault and Filmrise Horror.
On the shows and movies side, you’ll find a decent selection, though a lot of what you’ll come across are classics and low-budget flicks. You don’t have to register with Tubi, which is a big plus, and the ads aren’t particularly obnoxious.
Download: Tubi for Android (Free)
At the end of the day, no matter which Android TV app you choose to watch live channels, all apps are free to use. It’s worth giving everyone a chance, or maybe all at once. There’s nothing wrong with that, so don’t try to limit yourself. After trying live TV apps, you might want to explore the best Android TV apps worth installing.