How to watch sports and save on your cable tv bill

One of the things I had to give up to save money on my cable TV bill was my premium sports package. I love watching the NFL and it was a hard giving up the NFL Network. But I have discovered that I can still get my sports fix via ESPN3.

While I don't get live NFL games via ESPN3, I can access NBA and Euroleague Basketball, College Football and Basketball, MLS Soccer and more in high definition. ESPN3 is only available via select internet service providers; you can visit ESPN3.com to find out if it is available. Also the only way to get the programming to the TV is if you have a PC connected to it or a Xbox 360 with a Xbox Live gold membership. If you already have a 360 in your house with a gold membership, you have everything you need to take advantage of ESPN3! If not you purchase one at Amazon, Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle

On my PlayStation 3, I have access to MLB.tv and NHL Gamecenter. If I were a subscriber to those sites I could stream games in high definition to my television via my PS3. You can price a PS3 at Amazon here; PlayStation 3 160 GB

While the NBA and the NFL doesn't currently have programs on set-top boxes and video game consoles, you can purchase packages that allow you to watch games on your PC. In the US and Mexico, you cannot watch live NFL games online. You can watch commercial free replays in high definition. TNT Overtime streams NBA games broadcast on TNT online for free.

Blackout rules still apply for games being streamed online. This means that if a game is blacked out on local TV you will not be able to watch the game stream online as well.

If you're savvy enough to have a PC connected to your TV, you can stream all of the content to your TV with out a set-top box or video game console. If you're not savvy, my next post will show you how easy it is.