How To Get Live Tv On Firestick

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a great device that allows you to stream all of your favorite content right to your TV without having to pay for cable. While streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video offer extensive content libraries, they don't offer local channels. Hulu does offer local streaming through 'Hulu + Live TV' but at an expensive cost. Fortunately, there are still a few ways you can get local channels on your Amazon Fire TV Stick. Keep reading to learn how you can quickly and easily access local content without cable.

Using Digital Antenna + Media Server Software to Get Local Channels on Firestick

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 any additional fees or steps.

If you're new to Fire OS, picking up Amazon's Fire TV Recast is the way to go. Recast is designed to use Amazon's TV platform, but it also includes a built-in antenna input on the back of the box. You place the device anywhere you want to which the antenna can attach to. A Fire TV Stick or Cube, Fire TV Edition television, Echo Show, or a compatible mobile device (tablet/smartphone). That's it! The device 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.

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 just picking up a Fire TV Recast, but it's not impossible. Check out this tutorial on how to connect 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. It's free once you've paid for the antenna and the tuner.

Using an internal tuner card or a USB tuner dongle on your PC with an antenna, you can use the HDHomeRun network-attached device to stream local channels to your Firestick.

Use Channel-Specific Apps to Watch Local Channels on a Fire TV Stick

Many TV network channels have their own Amazon Fire TV Stick apps, such as CBS, NBC (Peacock), ABC (Paramount+), etc., that allow you to watch 'Live TV.' However, these apps only work for that specific network. Therefore, you have to hunt down all the major networks for your local channels and subscribe to them. Please note that this will give you the channels that are truly local to your area. If you want to get a different area's local stations, you'll need to change your location via a piece of software called a VPN. ExpressVPN is fast and secure for streaming and you can choose whatever city or state location across the U.S. that you'd like.

Still, there is an easy, reliable solution if you don't want to add your hardware. Many cable channels have apps, such as FX, Nickelodeon, etc., and some of the apps offer free access to networks/local channels using your Cable TV provider. Finding apps for your Fire Stick is easy. From the home screen, head to "Apps -> Categories -> Movies & TV," or search for the channel you're looking for using the Alexa button on your remote.

Use Live Streaming Services to Watch Local Channels on a Firestick

Another option you have to get local channels using apps is to subscribe to 'Hulu + Live TV' or YouTube Red, but they come at a price.

A live streaming service might be the best choice for people who don't want to mess around with antennas or pay for an overpriced cable package.

These services allow you to build your package, including only the channels that you want. Instead of paying for 100+ channels that you don't watch, you pay for a select few channels at a reduced price.

There are several of these streaming services on the market. Here are some of the best and more popular options.

When selecting a service to use, check out their channel list before you sign up. Some services offer different channels in different regions.

Each service should have a dedicated page for channel listings. You can view your fuboTV local channel list, Sling TV local channels (in specific Sling Designated Market Areas (DMAs) or using Sling AirTV with an antenna), DirectTV local channel list, and more.

Use Kodi to Get Local Channels on a Firestick

You can get access to some local programming via Kodi, an open-source media server solution with many repositories (or add-ons) that offer channels from all over the world. You can use the HDHomeRun add-on in Kodi in conjunction with the HDHomeRun network-attached device for local channels.

The disadvantage of Kodi is that the repository community is pretty anarchic. You have to search for the channels you want, and none are usually local channels. The plus side is that it's free, and there are many channels of all sorts of content that you won't find anywhere else. Regardless, the HDHomeRun device links to your antenna to easily bring in those local channels. For more details, see the tutorial on installing Kodi to your Fire TV Stick so that you can get started with setting up HDHomeRun.

Use Sling TV to Get Local Channels on a Fire TV Stick

Sling TV is a neat service that includes basic channels as a core package and then lets you add on the other channels you want. There are three primary package levels: Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and a combination package combining Orange and Blue. All offer a range of channels and features depending on where you live.

You get a couple of local channels for some Sling locations, including FOX and NBC, which is not much to enjoy. However, that benefit is only for a small number of locations, as shown in the Sling Designated Market Areas.

To enjoy the best selection of local channels on Sling, their AirTV device and an antenna provides network connectivity that allows your Firestick to watch local channels through the Sling app.

Use 'Hulu + Live TV' on Your Firestick to get Local Channels

Hulu Live TV has one of the broadest channel selections of any of these services. Much of what you get depends on where you live. The main live TV page requests your zip code to tell you precisely what you can expect. This service includes many of the local and national channels you pay a whole lot more for with cable, and it offers HD streaming to any device, including the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Hulu Live TV costs $64.99 a month, including a complete subscription to the usual Hulu content plus your local channels. Exact channel selections will vary as above. The monthly cost is expensive, but the amount of content available is enormous. There is also a 7-day free trial to see what you'll get.

Use 'YouTube Premium' on Your Fire TV Stick to get Local Channels

One of the most popular web cable services online today is also one of the most expensive, but now that it's finally available in the Fire TV Appstore, you can stream YouTube TV anywhere. At $64.99 per month, YouTube Premium is one of the most fully-fledged cable-like services online in 2021.

Use AT&T TV to get Your Local Channels on Your Firestick

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly known as AT&T TV, AT&T TV Now, and DirecTV Now) is similar to Hulu in that it offers a vast selection of national and local channels. Again, what you get depends on your zip code, but the selection usually includes your local TV networks and the national ones, plus lots and lots of sports and movies and pretty much anything you care to view.

DIRECTV STREAM is priced similarly, with its lowest package priced at $69.99 per month for 65+ channels. There is also a "Choice" option with 90+ channels for $84.99 and the "Ultimate Package" with 103+ channels that costs $94.99 per month. There is a 7-day free trial and they often run discounts or promotions that can offer a little saving.

Use fuboTV to Get Local Channels on a Fire TV Stick or Cube

fuboTV is lesser-known but a must-try for sports fans, especially now that they have ESPN on board. Their local channel listings used to be non-existent, but thanks to pressure from users and the competition, the service is upping its game. It now offers a range of local TV channels as well as national ones within their packages. It is still sports-centric but has a broader product list now.

fuboTV costs $64.99 per month for the 'Starter' package, $69.99 per month for 'fubo Pro', or $79.99 per month for the 'fubo Elite' bundle. Depending on the package you choose, you get over 154 channels and 130 events in 4K, ten streams at home, and of course, Fire TV support. Take note that all packages include your local channels, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, MyTV, etc. There is also a free trial offer.

Multi-Channel Apps

Finally, there are a number of apps available for the Fire TV stick that provide free access to hundreds of TV channels, including local content stations for many areas. This method may not get your local channels for your area, but rather for major metro areas. Still, it's always worth looking as these apps provide vast quantities of high-quality content legitimately (sometimes) and for free (always).

Note regarding legality: these apps provide a mix of content, and it may be the case that some of the content you can view with them is not licensed in your country or that the app creators may not have permission to broadcast.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell which programming is actually free and which is being, ahem, borrowed. Because of that, it is possible that these apps may trigger complaints from your ISP if they detect that you are streaming content for which the provider does not have the rights. Accordingly, it is wise to install a VPN on your Fire Stick so that your viewing will be safe for you.

LiveNet TV

LiveNet TV is an app that provides access to more than 800 channels, including movies, entertainment, news, sports, kids, cooking, and much more. The app has channels from the US, the UK, Europe, Pakistan, India, and other locales. For the most part, the channels are not going to be local to your area, but there are some channels (especially in the news category) that are purely local. The app is ad-supported, so periodically, you may have an advertisement pop up as you launch a program, but ads are largely non-obtrusive.

Because of the questionable ownership of some of the material on LiveNet TV, the app is not available in the app store, and it has to be sideloaded onto your Amazon Fire TV Stick. Fortunately, this is straightforward, and I will give you a quick walkthrough.

If you have not already downloaded the Downloader app from the Amazon store, do so, as it is the basic tool used to access files from your Fire TV Stick.
Go to the Settings menu and set "Apps from Unknown Sources" to on, and "ADB Debugging" to on.
Launch the Downloader app and navigate to https:\livenettv.to.
Scroll down to the Install button and tap it using your Fire TV Stick remote.
Let the install run and accept whatever prompts are provided.
Open the app and browse through the 800+ channels that are available!

When you first select a stream on LiveNet TV, it will ask you what video player you want to show the stream. There are several options listed, but most of them are not going to be installed on your Fire TV Stick. You can go looking for them in the app store or via sideloaded locations, or you can choose the "Android Video Player" option, which IS pre-installed on your Fire TV Stick.

Mobdro

Mobdro is similar to LiveNet TV but has a more US-focused channel lineup. There are movies, news, sports, religion, kids, and other channels, and the app is constantly adding more as the streams become available. The Mobdro interface is more sophisticated and has better controls than the other apps.

The installation procedure for Mobdro is similar as well. The app is not available in the app store and it has to be sideloaded onto your Amazon Fire TV Stick.

If you have not already downloaded the Downloader app from the Amazon store, do so, as it is the basic tool used to access files from your Fire TV Stick.
Go to the Settings menu and set "Apps from Unknown Sources" to on, and "ADB Debugging" to on.
Launch the Downloader app and navigate to https:\mobdro.bz.
Scroll down to the Install button and tap it using your Fire TV Stick remote.
Let the install run and accept whatever prompts are provided.
Open the app and browse through the channels that are available!

Mobdro has built-in playback software, so you will not need to pick a video player. The app is ad-supported, but you can turn off the ads if you wish by changing a setting. However, if you turn off ads, then Mobdro will "borrow" your Fire TV Stick's resources when the device is idle. That seems a little sketchy, so I leave the ads turned on.

Swift Stream Live TV

Swift Streamz Live TV has more than 700 channels available, organized into national categories, which allows you to get the local channels for the US, the UK, and literally dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, and elsewhere. The installation procedure for Swift Streamz is the same as for the other apps.

If you have not already downloaded the Downloader app from the Amazon store, do so, as it is the basic tool used to access files from your Fire TV Stick.
Go to the Settings menu and set "Apps from Unknown Sources" to on, and "ADB Debugging" to on.
Launch the Downloader app and navigate to http:\www.swiftstreamz.com.
Scroll down to the Download button and tap it using your Fire TV Stick remote.
Let the install run and accept whatever prompts are provided.
Open the app and browse through the channels that are available!

Swift Streamz is ad-supported, and while there's no way to turn the ads off that I found, they are not obtrusive. Swift Streamz does require you to select a video player, though as with LiveNet TV, the default Android video player is supported and available without any additional downloads.