Are you aware that you can watch TV series online free? A great deal of TV programming is available over the internet, at no charge beyond the internet bill you're already paying.
First thing to bear in mind is that not all TV series are available online for free, at least not legally. To understand why, you have to understand something about how TV broadcasting is set up. Two kinds of TV broadcast exist: paid and free-to-air. Paid includes subscription channels, like Home Box Office (HBO) or Showtime and pay-per-view programming like movies and some sporting events. Free to air broadcasts are typical broadcast TV, the type that anyone can pick up with an antenna. Before cable, all broadcasts were free-to-air. There were few channels available, and their programming tended to be geared toward the widest possible audience, however. Cable introduced specialized programming and thus a lot more choice, higher picture quality... and also large monthly cable bills.
Enter the internet. Networks are putting free-to-air programming on their websites. This included taped feeds and some live programming. Networks usually don't stream their complete 24/7 programming. Some good stuff is available, though. For example, PBS (the Public Broadcasting Station) offer many of their documentaries for free over the net, and Comedy Central makes clips of The Daily Show available.
Channels like Court TV, E! and ESPN stream select live events, some taped programs, and fragments of programs like ESPN's Sports Center. These channels make their living through subscribers, not through advertisers, so most likely they'll never offer their complete programming online, except by subscription. And such subscriptions are not available yet.
HBO, Showtime and their like are premium subscription channels. Given the premium subscription prices, it isn't surprising that they offer very little of their original content online. However, you will find teasers and trailers, and even complete episodes from time to time. Don't expect to legally watch the complete run of The Wire online, though. As of this writing, these channels don't offer subscriptions over the internet.
The internet is full of ads for special software which enables you to watch TV series online free. Prices start at $39.95 and go upwards to around $99.95. These advertisers claim you can watch 3 or 4 THOUSAND channels online. And actually, this is true. The catch is, all of it is available from your plain old internet browser, using only free software. All the paid software does is provide an easy interface and consolidate the broadcast sites under it. It won't replace your cable box or satellite dish.
If you are interested in watching TV series online free, you can download the usual video streaming and playing software, such as Macromedia Flash, Microsoft Windows Media Player, Apple Quicktime and Real One Player, and watch TV series online for free through a normal web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. You just have to spend the time searching and trying to find all the different programs. Or you can get pay a little bit for the software that already consolidates all of it for you. It all boils down to how valuable you're time is.
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