Watching classic TV shows is a favorite pastime for many families. If you’re a fan of this type of entertainment, you know that MeTV is one of the leading networks to have in your home.
Not all live TV streaming services carry the network, but you’re not out of luck if you want to cut the cord and minimize costs. This guide shares the best ways to watch MeTV without cable.
Table of Contents
Where Can I Stream MeTV Channel?
Cord-cutters know that an expensive cable package is not required to get digital subchannels. Here’s how to stream MeTV without cable and not miss your favorite shows.
Philo
Philo is one of the most affordable cable replacements in the space. The streaming service only offers one plan, which costs $25 per month. This pales in comparison to the average cable bill of $200 a month.
It does this by not offering live sports or local networks. You will want a premium platform like fuboTV if you need these channels, but that comes at a cost of $70 a month.
However, Philo boasts an impressive channel lineup of over 60 popular networks. This includes diginets like MeTV as well as other popular lifestyle and entertainment cable networks.
Here is a list of channels you get with the service.
The Philo channels are fairly robust, given the price. This satellite TV alternative also offers several add-on channel packages that focus primarily on movie channels.
You even get an unlimited cloud DVR that keeps recordings for one year. Plus, it has a long list of compatible devices, like Roku and Fire devices.
However, it lacks features like parental controls and streaming in 4K.
Read our Philo review to learn more.
Frndly TV
Frndly TV offers the most affordable live TV packages in the space. Plans start at $7.99 a month, with the most expensive plan costing $11.99 monthly.
Here are the plans and pricing for Frndly TV.
Feature | Basic | Classic | Premium |
---|---|---|---|
Cost/mo. | $7.99 | $9.99 | $11.99 |
# Streams | 1 | 2 | 4 |
DVR | No | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Locals? | No | No | No |
Sports? | No | No | No |
Free Trial | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days |
Regardless of the plan you choose, you receive roughly 40 channels of live TV, including the MeTV network livestream.
Like Philo, you won’t get local channels. Fortunately, Frndly does carry several niche sports networks.
Here are the Frndly TV channels you’ll receive with a subscription.
channel1 | Channel2 | Channel3 |
---|---|---|
A&E | BYUtv | BabyFirst TV |
Bounce | Circle | Dove Channel |
Family Movie Classics | FETV | FYI |
GAC Family | GAC Living | Game Show Network |
Get tv | Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries |
Hallmark Drama | Heartland TV | The HISTORY Channel |
Military HISTORY | INSP | Lifetime |
LMN | Local Now | Outdoor Channel |
Pixl | QVC | Recipe.TV |
Sportsman Channel | UP TV | VICE TV |
The Weather Channel | World Fishing Network | Movies! |
MeTV | Heroes & Icons | DECADES |
Start TV | Story Television | |
Ion | Ion Mystery | Grit |
Laff | CourtTV | MeTV Toons |
Unlike Philo, there are no available add-ons with Frndly TV. This means there’s no way to include movie networks with its package.
But, if you can pair Frndly TV with an over-the-air antenna, you will have the most economical live TV streaming setup available.
Frndly TV and Philo have similar internet speed requirements, cloud DVR features, and compatible devices.
Read our Frndly TV review to learn more.
Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of these two alternatives to cable TV to see how they compare.
Feature | Philo | Frndly TV |
---|---|---|
Monthly price | $25 | Basic - $7.99, Classic - $9.99, Premium - $11.99 |
Number of channels | 70+ | 40+ |
Simultaneous streams | 3 | Basic - 1, Classic - 2, Premium - 4 |
Cloud DVR | Unlimited | Classic & Premium only - Unlimited |
Offline viewing | No | No |
Parental controls | No | No |
Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
You can try both platforms with a seven-day free trial to see if either fits your needs.
Additionally, you can read our Philo vs. Frndly TV guide to learn more about how they compare.
Watch MeTV Online
If you don’t want to subscribe to either Philo or Frndly, you can watch MeTV for free on its website.
This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a streaming media player or just want to avoid an additional cost.
The MeTV app offers some content you can find on its channel. While you won’t get everything that is available on the network, it does air some full episodes of popular shows.
In addition to shows, the app has several other helpful resources, including:
- A network finder
- Quizzes
- Exclusive videos like actor interviews
- Music
- Games
- MeTV store
If you want to watch MeTV without cable or a TV antenna, the website is a fantastic option.
How to Watch MeTV With an Over-the-Air Antenna
An over-the-air antenna is the best way to watch local channels without cable. This includes digital subchannels like MeTV.
Cable and satellite TV providers as well as streaming platforms are charged over $20 monthly per household to carry local broadcast affiliates. They pass that cost on to customers.
You can usually purchase an antenna for less than $50. It’s a one-time cost, and you can get all networks local to you.
The Mohu Leaf is our favorite antenna. We’ve used them for years since they’re powerful and affordable.
You can use the code FRUGALRULES10 to receive ten percent off your purchase.
It’s important to remember that diginets are subchannels. For example, here in Omaha, we need to tune in to channel 7.2 to get MeTV.
If you’re new to using an over-the-air antenna, they’re simple to install. It takes just five minutes, and then you can identify your available channels.
Best of all, you can watch diginets without cable for life.
Why is MeTV Moving to Another Channel?
It’s not uncommon for diginets to change their frequency. While this can be frustrating, it’s not the fault of the given channel. In fact, it’s caused by the network.
If you used to have MeTV or any other diginet and it moved, you may still have it. It just might be on another channel.
For example, it may have moved from 7.2 (here in Omaha) to 5.3.
One potential solution is doing a channel rescan on your antenna. Like installation, the process takes under five minutes to complete.
Doing a rescan doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the network back, but it’s the first step to try.
Watch our video below to learn how to do a TV antenna rescan.
If you want to avoid this situation, subscribing to Philo or Frndly TV is an excellent solution since they carry the network, not the channel it airs on.
Do Other Live TV Streaming Services Offer MeTV?
Unfortunately, no other platforms currently allow you to stream diginets. Live TV services like YouTube TV only carry local channels and potentially PBS.
They do not currently air MeTV or other digital subchannels.
Additionally, video streaming services like Prime Video or Netflix do not carry content available on MeTV. You can only watch their shows via an antenna, their website, Philo, or Frndly TV.
What Kind of Shows are on MeTV?
MeTV airs a lot of content. If you grew up during the 1950s to 1980s, you likely remember many of the shows they air.
Popular shows airing on MeTV include:
- The A-Team
- The Andy Griffith Show
- Barnaby Jones
- Batman
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Bonanza
- The Carol Burnett Show
- Dragnet
- Ed Sullivan’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Classics
- Gunsmoke
- Leave it to Beaver
- M*A*S*H
- Perry Mason
- The Twilight Zone
If you want to watch classic TV shows without cable, MeTV is a must-have network.
Bottom Line
Many people believe you can’t cut the cord and still watch your favorite shows. That is simply not the case.
You can watch MeTV without cable and save lots of money. Subscriptions to Philo or Frndly TV are terrific solutions. Alternatively, an over-the-air antenna will help you get the network.
Regardless of which solution you choose, you can likely save $100 per month without missing a beat.
What’s one channel you can’t live without?
I’m John Schmoll, a former stockbroker, MBA-grad, published finance writer, and founder of Frugal Rules.
As a veteran of the financial services industry, I’ve worked as a mutual fund administrator, banker, and stockbroker and was Series 7 and 63-licensed, but I left all that behind in 2012 to help people learn how to manage their money.
My goal is to help you gain the knowledge you need to become financially independent with personally-tested financial tools and money-saving solutions.