How to watch the World Cup for free at home

Netflix, Spectrum and Fubo may not want you to know this, but there is a way to watch TV for free.

Depending on where you live in Maine, using a digital TV antenna at your home will allow you to get programming for free from several networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox.

Right now is an especially good time to try it out, since the World Cup starts June 11 and the games are on Fox.

Fox will be showing 70 games on its broadcast network, the one people can get for free with an antenna, said Eric Esteban, vice president of media relations.

Another 34 will be broadcast only on the Fox cable channel, FS1.

All the games scheduled from July 3 on, including the final on July 19, will be on the Fox broadcast network.

Heres a brief guide about how to get free TV at your house for the World Cup and beyond and what you can expect.

How does free TV work? Local TV stations have broadcast towers, just like radio stations, that send a signal over the air.

With an antenna, its possible to get this signal and watch that station on your TV.

The stations required to still provide a free over-the-air signal are affiliates of the major broadcast networks, which started operating in the days before cable and streaming technologies made it possible to charge consumers directly for programming.

Most people got all their TV programming for free with an antenna from the 1950s into the late 1970s.

In Maine, the stations you can get over the air for free include affiliates of ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and PBS.

How do I get started? Youll need a digital TV antenna, available online or at most appliance and electronics stores.

Most are small and can be hung indoors.

Most cost $40 to $70, but after you get one, you can watch free TV forever.

Theres a Mohu Leaf antenna with a 60-mile range that sells for about $50 at Best Buy.

Its as thin as cardboard and the size of a notebook cover.

What kind of antenna do I need? It depends on where you live.

There are several websites, including Antennaweb.org, where you can plug in your address and see a map of all the Maine TV station towers near you and a list of the channels you can expect to get.

The websites will also tell you how many miles you are from the broadcast tower of each station, so youll want to buy an antenna rated for that distance.

Most of the time a small, indoor antenna will work.

Are antennas difficult to install? Not usually.

Digital antennas come with a cable that plugs into the antenna at one end and into the TV on the other end.

Once its plugged into the TV, you can find a spot to hang the antenna, preferably in or near a window.

It requires some patience, because you may have to try the antenna in several spots before getting the channels you want, and that might require buying a longer antenna cable.

How do I find the stations? Once your antenna is installed, you have to go to the inputs section of your TV screen and switch to TV or antenna or maybe live TV.

Once you do that, there will be an option to scan for channels.

If you only get a couple or dont get the ones you want, youll have to move your antenna and scan again.

The Portland Fox station, WPFO, will show up as channel 13.2 and the Bangor Fox station, WFVX, will show up as channel 7.2.

You can get tips on setting up your antenna and scanning for channels at thefreetvproject.org.

Sometimes it helps to position your antenna in the direction of the stations tower.

WPFO has its broadcast tower on Browns Hill in Raymond, while WFVX has its tower on Blackcap Mountain in Eddington.

What other sports can I watch for free? Football is easy to watch with free TV.

Even though people complain that more NFL games are on streaming channels now, more than 85 percent of them are still on broadcast networks.

So on any given Sunday there are always several on Maines Fox, CBS and NBC stations.

Right now, at least 12 of the New England Patriots 17 regular season games are scheduled to be on CBS, NBC or Fox.

Lots of college football games are available on free TV too, as is the Super Bowl, the World Series and the NHL and NBA finals.

Does this really work? Yes.

I got rid of cable as my main TV source in 2011 and switched to antennas.

I currently use a Mohu Leaf, hung in a window with thumb tacks.

From my house in the eastern part of South Portland, I get all the major network affiliate stations broadcast in southern Maine, including News Center Maine (NBC), WGME (CBS), WMTW (ABC), WPFO (Fox) and Maine Public (PBS).

The only drawback is that bad weather can cause interference, but not often and usually only certain stations.

What else should I know? An added bonus of digital technology is that stations can also transmit sub-channels on the same frequency.

So I get more than 30 channels at my house with my antenna, though most feature reruns.

For example, while WMTW has ABC shows and local news on channel 8.1, they have the classic rerun channel MeTV on 8.2, old sitcoms from Laff on 8.3, the Home Shopping Network on 8.4, more reruns and movies from Great Entertainment Television on 8.5 and classic cartoons from MeTV Toons on 8.6.

You can see a full schedule of all the shows available over-the-air in your area by going to m.titantv.com and plugging in your zip code..

This article has been shared from the original article on pressherald, here is the link to the original article.