Unlike in the past, where you had to have several decoders to access different entertainment content, you can now access hundreds of Tv shows, movies, sports channels, and so forth using a modem-sized streaming device.
Key among these new streaming devices is the Fire Tv Stick. It gives you access to Fire Stick content and allows you to stream content from local channels and other online streaming services. Keep reading to learn how to get cable TV on Fire Stick.
Can you get local channels on Fire Stick?
Yes. Your Fire TV device can also get local channels without cable. That means even without cable or an antenna. You can still access local TV stations, like local news and sports, on your Fire Stick. You can access the channels via their apps or through 3rd-party services. In addition, plenty of services are available on the internet that provides the user with live channels, TV Shows, Movies, On-Demand-Videos, and so on.
Can you get ABC, NBC, and CBS on Fire Stick?
Yes. You can get regular tv on Fire Stick by downloading apps for CBS, ABC, & NBC on Fire Stick. The Fire Stick uses Android apps. The Fire Stick also comes with a built-in app for PBS. The app shows most of their main and seasonal shows as they air.
The Fire Stick also supports ABC, NBC, FOX, CW, and CBS. Other channels and regional sports networks to choose from including beIN Sports, NBCSN, NESN, MSG, FS1, and FS2. fuboTV is a favorite among sports fans.
How to Get Local Channels on Fire Stick in 2022 (Free & Paid)
You can get free local channels or pay for skinny bundles that offer a wider selection of content from your local channels. Skinny bundles are pay TV services that, in some ways, are a lot like cable or satellite: They bundle channels and offer live feeds of familiar networks such as AMC and ESPN.
Fortunately, skinny bundles come over the internet, which means you can watch them anywhere you can get internet access. This method of getting local channels helps to reduce clutter as they don’t use traditional methods to deliver their content. Below are some methods you can use to get all channels on Fire Stick;
Free connection methods
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with Hulu
SVOD service Hulu also offers a skinny bundle available on Fire TV. Since Hulu’s skinny bundle has live local feeds of major and regional sports networks, it’s another way to get local TV on Fire TV. You can read our review of the service to learn more. As always, the availability of major networks and RSNs varies by region.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with DIRECTV Stream
AT&T’s live TV streaming service, DIRECTV Stream, offers regional feeds of all four major networks and select regional sports networks. So you have four DIRECTV Stream packages, and local networks are available in most markets. Our review of DIRECTV Stream has more about the service.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with FuboTV
fuboTV talks a big game (pun intended) about being the best choice for sports fans, and it backs it up with a selection of RSNs. It’s also a good choice for other local programming, thanks to a selection of local major network affiliates. Try it out with a free trial, or start with our review of fuboTV.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with Live NetTV
Live NetTV is the most popular internet app, as it has been available for many years. This amazing app provides users with 1800+ live TV channels from all over the world. With this, a user will get local channels on Fire Stick and international channels from different countries in different languages.
Despite this, Live NetTV features subtitle options for those who watch TV in a different language. This app also supports media playback from external players such as VLC, One Player, MX Player, etc. Since this app is free, you may face some advertisements as they help them to earn money to keep this app alive.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with RedBox TV
RedBox TV is yet another best app to get local channels on Fire Stick or Fire TV Cube free of cost. This app provides you with almost 800+ live channels from different countries. It has a nice and easy-to-use interface that can be used with your remote control without any problem. RedBox manages the channels nicely as you can choose from categories like News, Sports, Documentaries, or simply open Channels from countries.
This app is quite similar to Live NetTV, which supports external players like Exo, VLC Player, YesPlayer, MX Player, and so on. The thing that makes it better than Live NetTV is you won’t face any annoying advertisements there, as this app is quite neat and clean, and a user can stream their favorite channels without interruption.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with Paramount Plus
If you’re not sure what Paramount Plus is, that’s OK. The streaming service replaced CBS All Access in early 2021, increasing the amount of content you can watch on demand. It also offers a CBS livestream in select markets.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with Free Over-the-Air TV
With the arrival of Fire TV Recast, Fire TV now natively supports OTA TV. Of course, not every Fire TV is a Recast, but there are other options for combining Fire TV and OTA TV.
One option is to set up a Plex media server on a computer and combine Plex’s live TV feature with an antenna and PC TV tuner to transform OTA broadcasts into live streams you can access through your Fire TV’s Plex app.
Another option is to use an OTA DVR such as Tablo with an antenna and the relevant app (Tablo TV, in this case). Either way, you’ll be able to watch free over-the-air TV through your Fire TV, making it easy to catch live local broadcasts from major networks, PBS, and other channels.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with NewsON
As the name suggests, NewsON is all about the news — local news, to be exact. NewsON locates your nearest station and plays a live, on-demand video for you. You can change stations to your favorite local one. Unfortunately, not all local news stations have signed on with NewsON, so it won’t necessarily have the station you want to watch. You might as well download it and see, though — you may end up with a convenient and free way to watch your local news on Fire TV.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with Amazon’s News App
Perhaps the most widely consumed live TV content is news. And for a wide coverage of local news on your Fire Stick or other Fire TV gadget, there aren’t many better apps than Amazon’s News app. If you own a Fire Stick and want to stay updated on the latest news in your area, you cannot go wrong with this app.
Local channels on the News app include ABC News Live and CBS News. Many national and global channels are also available, including Bloomberg, HuffPost, and Reuters.
As a result of this new rollout, Amazon Fire Stick users in many more locations in the US can tune in to follow their local news. When you launch the app for the first time, it will detect the metro region closest to you and provide you with local news from that area, along with many national news channels.
The Amazon news app offers a range of features for a comfortable viewing experience. It is customizable, allowing you to select the news sources you prefer and create a playlist based on your selections. This playlist is regularly updated, so you are never out of touch with current events.
In addition, you can tweak your source selection whenever you want, and the playlist will reflect the changes immediately. Lastly, no subscription is required to use the news app on your Amazon Fire Stick. Ads support it.
Note: You don’t need to download the News app manually. It is already installed on your Fire TV device and available under the YOUR APPS & CHANNELS section.
Get local channels on Fire TV for free with OTA Antenna and Fire TV Recast
If you’re new to Fire OS, picking up Amazon’s Fire TV Recast is the way to go. Recast works with Amazon’s TV platform but also includes a built-in antenna input on the back of the box. You can place the Recast device anywhere you want, as long as you have a place to attach the antenna.
That’s it! Fire TV Recast is a bit pricey but well worth the upgrade over the standard Fire TV Stick 4K’ if you’re new to the platform. The device works with any version or release of Fire TV Sticks and other Fire TV devices.
The most direct method to get local channels on your Amazon Fire Stick involves using a digital antenna with a device such as the Amazon Fire TV Recast. The Amazon Fire TV Recast is a box that lets you watch and record OTA broadcast TV on your device.
It comes in two versions, a 500-GB version with two tuners and a 1-TB version with four tuners. The Fire TV Recast is not a cheap device, especially compared to the Fire Stick, but it is certainly cheaper in the long term compared to a traditional cable TV subscription.
The Fire TV Recast does not need to connect to your TV physically. Instead, it connects to your digital antenna via an in-built antenna input and your router. Then, you can operate it through your Fire Stick using your smartphone’s Amazon Fire TV application.
Fire TV Recast pulls down live TV OTA channels from a connected antenna. It grants you access to these channels or acts as a DVR, allowing you to record hundreds of hours of content. You can watch channels with Recast, including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, and many other local TV channels. In addition, you can watch the local news, sports, documentaries, and much more.
If you’re busy, you can also record content to watch later. Depending on the number of tuners, the Fire TV Recast lets users record two or four programs simultaneously in the background. You can even enjoy two streams concurrently. In addition, it has seamless integration with Fire TV Cube, Fire Stick Lite, Fire Stick Fire TV Edition, and other Fire TV products.
Interestingly, you do not technically need any Amazon Fire TV device to use the Fire TV Recast. You can set it up with a plugged-in antenna and connect it to the Amazon Fire TV app on your Android or iOS mobile device. However, if you go this route, you’re limited in features and controls, such as scheduling recordings and curating channels.
Other OTA DVR alternatives that work with an antenna, such as Tablo, cost a little less than Recast. But considering its easy integration with your Fire Stick, you may want to get the Amazon Recast device instead.
Paid Methods
Since a skinny bundle is typically a smaller, more streamlined list of TV channels, it is likely to be a significantly cheaper alternative to a cable network. Popular skinny bundles include FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, and AT&T TV.
Note: All skinny bundles below have official apps in the Amazon App Store. If you subscribe to one of these services, simply go to Find and then Search from your Fire Stick home screen, type in the name of the corresponding app, and download it. Then you can log into the app to start using the service.
AT&T TV
With the number of channel options available on AT&T’s streaming service, AT&T TV, it can hardly be described as a skinny bundle. Many of its competitors provide cord-cutters with a trimmed selection of a few channels to stream at a lower price. However, AT&T TV prefers to be cable-sized, with an extensive channel list of news, sports, entertainment, and educational live TV channels.
The AT&T TV app is less budget-friendly than some of its alternatives. But, on the flip side, there is a wealth of channels to watch on the app, including local news channels, regional sports networks, entertainment channels, family channels, and other national cable channels.
The number of local channels you can access on AT&T TV depends on various factors, one being your location. To view the local channels and regional sports networks available around you, you can enter your zip code on the AT&T TV website. Use the zip code associated with your billing address, as your billing address will ultimately determine the local and regional channels available to you.
Sling TV
Regarded as one of the apps responsible for the original wave of cord-cutting, Sling TV offers its users the ability to stream live TV channels on Fire Stick. It is a budget alternative to competitors like YouTube TV while offering many channels. You can watch local, national, and global channels on Sling TV.
You can get Sling Orange or Sling Blue for $35 per month or both for $50 per month. Sling Orange doesn’t have local channels, so you’ll need Sling Blue or the combined plan to watch local channels on your Fire Stick with Sling TV. Be aware that no Sling TV subscription provides access to ABC or CBS local channels.
Sling Orange leans towards sports and family entertainment, with channels like ESPN and Disney. Sling Blue comes with MSNBC, FOX News, Discovery, and NBC and FOX local channels. In addition, channels like CNN, AMC, Food Network, and History Channel are available on both Orange and Blue.
The Sling TV app is only available in the United States, but if you want to use it anyway, you can always change your location with a VPN.
fuboTV
fuboTV is a not-so-popular service offering a robust live TV channel lineup. A while ago, fuboTV would not have made this guide. While the streaming service has always provided both on-demand content and live TV, it used to have few local TV channels.
However, now subscribers can watch several national and local channels on the app, covering a range of programming, including sports, news, and entertainment. Local channels include ABC, NBC, FOX, CW, and CBS. There are also many sports channels and regional sports networks to choose from, including beIN Sports, NBCSN, NESN, MSG, FS1, and FS2. fuboTV is a favorite among sports fans.
FuboTV was initially launched as a sports-centric streaming platform. However, the platform has since expanded to include several other categories, including the local channels you’re looking for.
The fuboTV website has a table of local channels available in over 200 US cities. You will only receive local channels if you stream fuboTV from within one of these regions. For example, in some regions, subscribers can watch local channels on FOX and NBC, while users in other regions may not have access to them. If you’re traveling, you’ll receive local channels based on your real-time location.
Fire Stick users can browse the local channels available on fuboTV with the built-in TV guide. In addition, the guide features cable-like functions, allowing users to browse, mark favorites, and schedule channel recordings.
Hulu + Live TV
Another skinny bundle option that allows users to get local channels on Fire Stick is Hulu + Live TV. This service currently has millions of active subscribers, making it one of the most popular live TV streaming platforms on the planet. And for a good reason too. It’s highly regarded as one of the best-value deals for live TV.
Hulu + Live TV is a combo package that offers a blend of Hulu’s on-demand content and a robust lineup of live TV. This means you can effortlessly switch from the latest movies, TV shows, and documentaries to live news stations, sports events, and other live entertainment.
Hulu + Live TV offers a vast array of channels, with several local channels depending on where you live. The bundle includes ESPN channels and local NBC, ABC, and FOX channels, if there are any in your area. You also get regional sports networks to enjoy. To see a list of all the channels available in your location, enter your ZIP code on the official Hulu site.
YouTube TV
No one can claim YouTube TV is a pocket-friendly live TV provider. But this Google-owned service is one of the most popular. This fact comes from its extensive lineup of channels and other attractive features, like unlimited DVR storage. In addition, YouTube TV is now available on Fire Stick and other Amazon Fire TV devices through the YouTube app.
YouTube TV is one of the best live TV apps for US viewers interested in streaming local TV channels on their devices. With more than 80 popular live TV channels covering a range of categories, including local news and sports, users can view various channels in their vicinity. These channels include NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS.
The major attraction is the wide coverage area, with more than 90% of US markets accessing local TV channels. That means you can use YouTube TV to watch local TV channels from most places in the country. This streaming app is an excellent option for sports and news channels, as it has channels like CNN, BBC World News, and ESPN, among others.
In addition to its national and local TV channels, YouTube TV lets users subscribe to premium channel add-ons. These include HBO, ShowTime, Shudder, Cinemax, and STARZ.
The cost of a YouTube TV subscription has steadily risen over the last few years. But for many of its subscribers, it remains the best option available.
How to use Kodi to Get Local Channels on a Fire Stick
You can access some local programming via Kodi using an HDHomeRun device with an antenna. Kodi is an open-source media server solution with many repositories or add-ons, including the HDHomeRun app.
How to use an Antenna and Media Server Hardware/Software to Get Local Channels on Your Fire Stick
The most straightforward way to get local channels on your Fire TV Stick (or Cube) is to switch to a digital antenna. Gaining access to your local news and weather can be challenging when you’re streaming on the web, but by switching to an antenna, you can watch all of your standard local channels without additional fees or steps.
This setup requires a digital antenna and a receiver capable of Wi-Fi sharing, such as an Amazon Recast device, a PC antenna card, or an HDHomeRun receiver. You can also use an antenna with third-party software that has media server capabilities, such as Plex. Regardless of your chosen method, all options need to connect to your Wi-Fi network, and the Fire Stick needs to be set to mirroring mode.
Using a Plex Media Server to Get Local Channels on a Fire Stick
If you already have a Fire Stick but don’t want to spend the money on a Fire TV Recast, you aren’t totally out of luck. A custom-built Plex Media Server can stream broadcasts picked up by an antenna to any device with the Plex app, including your Fire Stick.
Setting up a Plex server isn’t as easy as picking up a Fire TV Recast, but it’s not impossible. Check out this tutorial on connecting your Plex server to your Fire TV stick. As with using Amazon’s Fire Recast, a Plex-compatible tuner and any antenna grant you access to every local channel broadcast in your area that you receive. It’s free once you’ve paid for the antenna and the tuner.
- Use a PC Tuner or USB Tuner and an Antenna to Get Local Channels on a Fire TV Stick
- Using an internal tuner card or a USB tuner dongle on your PC and an antenna, you can mirror or cast to your Fire TV Stick or Cube.
- On your Fire TV Stick, press and hold down the “Home” button of the remote to access the Quick Settings Menu.
- Choose “Mirroring.”
- A mirroring screen appears, telling you that the device is ready for a signal from the mirroring device.
- On your Windows 10 PC, click on the notification icon in the bottom-right section.
- Select “Project” or “Connect.”
- Choose your Fire TV Stick or Cube from the list of available devices and start mirroring your PC’s display or extending it.
- Use an HDHomeRun Device and an Antenna to Get Local Channels on a Fire TV Stick
- An antenna hooked up to an HDHomeRun plug-and-play device lets you stream local channels to your Fire Stick via Wi-Fi. The device is pricey, but it is a great, reliable option.
- Connect an antenna to your HDHomeRun device.
- Power the device up and connect it to your Wi-Fi network.
- Ensure your Fire TV Stick gets connected to the same network as the HDHomeRun device.
- Set up the HDHomeRun receiver to connect to your Fire Stick, then start surfing your favorite local channels.
How to Download Network Apps
The general process is as follows;
- On your Fire Stick home screen, go to Find.
- Scroll down to Search and click it.
- Search the name of the App
- Click Get or Download.
- Wait until Fire Stick has received the app downloads and installed.
Each app only provides content from the corresponding network and its affiliates. So if you go this route, you may need to install quite a few apps to reach your preferred level of coverage. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, and other networks all have apps that you can install on your Fire TV device
For example, you can download the app for Paramount+ (previously called CBS All Access) on your Fire Stick. This app lets you watch your local CBS affiliates, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, and ET Live.
To access Paramount+, press and hold the home button on your remote, then select Apps. Next, find and select Paramount+ to launch it. If you have a Paramount+ account already, you can sign in using your account details.
Note: Not all network TV apps will grant you free access to your local TV channels. You may have to test the apps for your favorite networks to see which ones best suit
How to download Free and Official Live TV Apps
- From your Fire Stick home screen, navigate to the Live section. This will be indicated by the TV icon to the right of the home icon.
- Make sure you connect your Fire Stick to Wi-Fi.
- Scroll down to “Options.”
- Click Live TV Sources. This will show you all Live TV sources currently connected to your Fire Stick.
- Scroll down to “Add More Channels.”
- Choose a free Live TV source. The source will have Free besides its name if it’s free to download and use.
- If you can’t find a certain app, you can always manually search for it by navigating to Find on the home page. The magnifying glass icon will indicate this.
- Select the Live TV source you want to download. This will take you to the app’s download screen.
- To make sure the download goes smoothly, update your Fire Stick.
- Click Get to download. It will also state that it is Free to download.
- The download process may take a few minutes.
- Click Open. You can now access your new channels.
- You can also access the Live TV source by returning to the Live section or through your App Library.
- Some apps may require you to register an account or sign in. Others may let you continue as a Guest.
- You can uninstall your Fire Stick apps if you change your mind later.
The free Fire Stick Live TV sources include:
- News by Fire TV
- Pluto TV
- Tubi
- Haystack News
- NewsON
- Local Now
How to download Subscription-based Channels
- From your Fire Stick home screen, navigate to the Live section. This will be indicated by the TV icon to the right of the home icon.
- Scroll down to “Options.”
- Click Live TV Sources. This will show you all Live TV sources currently connected to your Fire Stick.
- Scroll down to “Add More Channels.”
- Choose a Live TV source. The source will have Available with a subscription besides the name.
- You must have an account that is subscribed to the provider to access the channels.
- Select the Live TV source you want to download. This will take you to the app’s download screen.
- If you don’t see the app for your paid subscription service, you can search for it by clicking Find, indicated by the magnifying glass on the home screen.
- Input the name of the app you want to download.
- Click Get to download. The download process may take a few minutes.
- When the download is complete, it will say Open. Click to access your new channels.
- Sign into your account. You’ll need to provide login credentials to access your paid channels.
- Some services will allow you to sign up within the app if you don’t have an account already.
- Some Live TV services may offer a free trial for a limited time.
- Navigate to the app’s Live category. For most apps, this will open a TV guide with all the live channels offered.
- Once the app is connected, you’ll see all your linked channels in the Live section.
Some paid Fire Stick Live TV sources include:
- YouTube TV
- Sling TV
- Philo
- discovery+
- Fox Now
- Prime Video Channels