Are there any legitimate sites that stream live TV?

Live TV? No, because the networks have shot down, through litigation, anyone who has attempted this.

I understand and empathize with your pain, though. I never watch television. I used to download [illegally] TV shows to watch, but recently I’ve avoided getting into the stories of American shows because I know that I’ll be let down by the networks. I’ve started watching other countries’ dramas and comedies, and it’s not so bad. It’s entertainment, and it’s streamed legally and free. So what if I have to read subtitles, lol!

Just a suggestion.

You might find someone streaming their TV on justin.tv. hint

I don’t know if this site fits the bill, buy my SO loves it. You can watch TV channels being broadcasted in different countries. Some are live, some are recorded.

Wow @Pied_Pfeffer that’s awesome! I’ll check it out more in depth when I get home today. Thanks for the suggestion.

Wow cool!!

now i just have to see if it works on my iphone

Channelsurfing.net

www.channelsurfing.net – as mentioned by @chris6137 – “front page” only

justin.tv – search for what you are looking for.

http://cvinetwork.com/

they all can be flaky/inconsistent but i get by. also, i mostly watch msnbc – probably not what you are looking for…

I would check out www.boxee.tv. You have to download a program, but I think it’s worth it. Think of it as Apple TV on steroids…for free. In the apps section make sure to get the Justin.tv app, that should cover live TV. Then there is also sections for TV and Movies that gather episodes from sites like Hulu. It’s all tailored for TV, and they have remote apps for iPhone and Android.

@J0E – this may sound dumb… do you have to watch boxee on your tv or can you use your laptop? looks like something i would use!

@DandyDear711 You can most definitely use your computer! Windows, Mac, and Linux.

I’m thinking you don’t really mean “live” TV because there really isn’t much “live” TV left on the air. And if you want to watch TV shows on the same night and time that they are broadcast you are probably out of luck too but… the networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, The CW, etc. provide most of their content online, on their own sites, to watch on your computer. You just have to wait 24–48 hours to watch it and they may only have the past 5 or so episodes available so you have to keep up. Cable channels like A&E and the Discovery Channel, for example, also have much of their programming available for viewing online on their own web sites. Then there are sites like Hulu and Comcast’s Fancast, or Xfinity or whatever the hell they call it now that has current TV content. I almost never watch programs on television the night that they’re actually broadcast anymore. I watch them online, a day or two after they have aired or sometimes, and I like this option, there might be a night where I have nothing else to do or don’t want to do anything else and can catch up on a show I like online and watch 3 episodes in a row. That can be fun sometimes.

@lillycoyote I’m well aware of Hulu and the sites that let you watch shows the day after they air (see my original question description). We’re trying to find a service that allows you to watch TV live – as in not prerecorded on sites like Hulu. All those day-after services are fine, but what if I want to watch the show the day it airs? I kinda miss that…

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions, but none of them seemed to work for me. They either didn’t have a streaming option or they were on east coast time so I missed the show anyway. Perhaps I’m just asking for too much and should just be happy with what I already have – Hulu!

@camertron I understand your question, I just don’t think that there is any way to do what you want to do; which seems to be to watch shows online, streaming, the night and time that they are broadcast by the networks or the cable channels. At least none that I know of or that anyone else seems to know of. At least not for U.S. standard broadcast and cable TV. Sometimes the answer to a question is “no, there is no way to do that” and in the face of that kind of question, where the only answer is “no, there really is no way to do want you want to do” we all just do the best we can to help.

@lillycoyote I understand that, but nobody really said “no, there really is no way to do that” outright – they just made other suggestions. I’m absolutely grateful for those suggestions, but that’s why I responded the way I did to your last post. I have appreciated your answers immensely as well – it looks like I’m just out of luck for what I want to do. It’s a shame really – the networks can be quite restrictive sometimes.

@camertron I guess someone really should have come right out and said: “No, no way to do it.” I know it can be frustrating when everyone answers a question that you didn’t actually ask.

I think it would certainly be possible for the networks and cable channels to stream their programs to the internet in terms of the technology. I’m not entirely sure how it works but I think they would have to send the same feed to their websites that they send to their local affiliate stations and to the cable companies and satellites, however all that works. Other than that, though I don’t know for sure, I think someone would have to tap into the feeds, illegally no doubt, and stream the signal online somehow. I don’t know for sure but it seems like it would take something like that if the networks don’t do it themselves.

The only “channel” that I know of where you can watch exactly the same thing online, at the same time it’s being broadcast on television is C-SPAN and I’m pretty sure that “all Congress all the time” is not exactly the kind of TV your looking for, at least not exclusively.:-)

Also, you didn’t mention this, but have you tried using a TV that gets digital broadcast signals? I haven’t used the converter boxes but I have a newer TV that can receive digital broadcast and the reception and the picture is really very good, though with that you’re limited to the major networks and PBS, no cable channels and networks. And yes, I know that’s not the question you asked but some of us just can’t help trying to be helpful. :-)