Watch TV On The Web

Here's the facts about how to watch TV on the web for free.

1. First the obvious. You must have an internet connection. Here's what may not be quite so obvious. A dial up is not sufficient and some slower DSLs can be frustrating as well because you have to be able to stream the TV video/audio.

2. Learn what broadcasting network the show you want to watch is on. You know, like ABC, FOX, USA, etc.

3. Go to the website of the broadcasting network that has your show. For example, ABC is abc.go.com. Google works really well to find the network's sites.

4. Once you are on the website, locate the television "shows" or "episodes" or "schedules" tab. They will usually be on the top of your screen and they will be very obvious. One click and you will be taken to a list of the network's shows.

5. Usually today's shows are listed, but you can also look at featured episodes.

Now why doesn't everyone do this? You can watch all the shows you want for free.

The answer is that the networks and the other free providers, like hulu and veoh are all trying to sell something. Can you blame them?

In order to watch the shows you want you'll have to plow through endless previews and other advertisements. Somehow they don't ever seem to quit. But if you really want totally free television, there it is.

You may find that the endless promotions are an annoyance. If that's the case, for less than $50 you can download software that will provide you with thousands of stations and shows to watch without most of the promotions. There will still be commercials, but they'll be similar to commercials on your cable TV.

Now pay close attention here.

Television on web is available totally free (with some inconveniences) or almost free (a small upfront software expense).

There are several providers of Television on web software from which to chose. Naturally they each have their own approaches to providing service. Note that since all providers provide the same connection, the picture quality is the same between companies. The variables are price, service and the number of TV stations.