How to Watch CBS Live for Free to Catch Survivor 50 & Your Favorite Shows

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Whether you’re a fan of the latest crime dramas or can’t miss a game of March Madness, you’re probably eager to know how to watch CBS live for free. Luckily, there’s a way to catch all of your favorite shows and sports games without breaking the bank—and we’re diving into our tips for watching CBS live for free up ahead.

Established in January 1927, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) has become a cornerstone of American television, providing a wide range of programming to audiences nationwide. CBS, which is currently under the ownership of Paramount Global, has a rich history that spans both radio and television broadcasting. With a legacy that includes iconic shows like I Love Lucy, MAS*H, and CSI, CBS has consistently delivered quality entertainment for nearly a century.

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In terms of its television network, CBS offers viewers a robust lineup of programming, totaling around 90 hours of regularly scheduled content each week, including 22 hours of primetime television. CBS is home to popular series such as NCIS, Young Sheldon, SWAT, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, just to name a few.

Daytime programming on CBS features well-known talk shows and game shows like The Talk and The Price Is Right, while soap opera enthusiasts can catch The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful. For those in search of reliable news coverage, CBS News also airs programs like CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, and Face the Nation.

Sports aficionados, don’t worry—CBS also has you covered. From the excitement of NCAA March Madness to the Masters golf tournament, CBS is a go-to destination for thrilling live sports action. If you’ve been wanting to catch every moment of the college basketball tournament happening right now, this is the place to do so.

Additionally, CBS is known for broadcasting major events and awards shows, including the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, and the CMT Awards.

Curious about how to access all of these programs without spending a dime? Continue reading to find out how to watch CBS live for free and enjoy your favorite shows and events.

How to watch CBS live for free

CBS is available to stream on like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Paramount+, and Hulu+ With Live TV. If you want to watch in real time and free of cost, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Hulu+ offer free trials. While Paramount+ does not offer a free trial, it comes with unlimited access to CBS titles, as well as MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and more. Keep reading for breakdowns of each streaming option so you can discover why we recommend each one and which is right for you.

• Best Overall Pick to Watch CBS: DirecTV Stream
• Best Flexible Pick to Watch CBS: Fubo
• Best Paid Pick to Watch CBS: Paramount+
• Best Bundle Pick to Watch CBS: Hulu+ With Live TV

Best Overall & EDITOR’S PICK

Watch ‘Survivor 50’ with DirecTV Stream

– Free trial: 5 days
– Includes local networks and 90+ channels

Try for Free

DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, which means you can watch Survivor 50 live for free. The streamer has four plans—Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate, and Premier—all of which include CBS. Entertainment comes with over 90 channels and costs $89.99 per month; Choice, which comes with over 125 channels and costs $94.99 per month (currently $84.99 for your first three months); Ultimate, which comes with over 160 channels and costs $124.99 per month (currently $114.99 for your first three months); and Premier, which comes with over 185 channels and costs $169.99 per month.

We tested every streaming service offering a free trial, and DirecTV came out on top as our editor’s pick. With its free trial and massive selection of channels and local networks, it’s a great choice for watching CBS.

Best Flexible Pick

Watch ‘Survivor 50’ with Fubo

– Free trial: Up to 5 days
– Includes local networks and 200+ channels

Try for Free

Fubo is another great option for streaming CBS with its free trial for new users. The trial includes access to CBS, along with over 100 other channels focused on sports and entertainment. The service provides four tiers: Sports + News with 29 channels at $55.99 per month (currently $45.99 for the first month), Pro with 214 channels at $73.99 per month (currently $48.99 for the first month), Elite with 278 channels at $83.99 per month (currently $53.99 for the first month), and Latino with 55 channels at $14.99 per month (currently $9.99 for the first month). Your not going to want to pass up these first-month discounts (AKA up to $40 in savings).

Best PAID Pick

Watch ‘Survivor 50’ with Paramount+

– Free trial: None
– Stream CBS live, plus 40,000+ episodes & movies and sports events

TRY FOR $8.99+

Paramount+ is a one-stop shop for all Survivor content. Fans can watch the show live as well as catch up to all other seasons of the hit reality TV show. The service offers two plans: an ad-supported Essential Plan and an ad-free (except live TV) Premium Plan. The Essential Plan costs $8.99 per month, while the Premium Plan costs $13.99 per month. Paramount Plus also offers two yearly plans if you want to shop smarter. The Essential plan costs $89.99 per year (which saves you around $18, or 17%) and the Premium Plan costs $139.99 per year (which saves you around $28, or 17%). You should consider going with the Premium Plan, though, as it includes all Showtime originals, the ability to download movies and shows, and the power to stream CBS live, with more sports and events. While Paramount+ does cost money (no free trial), you get great value, since you can binge-watch your favorite series.

Best Bundle Pick

Watch ‘Survivor 50’ with Hulu + Live TV

– Free trial: 3 days
– Large library of shows, movies, and Hulu Originals

Try for Free

Hulu + Live TV offers four plans. The cheapest plan, Live TV Only, costs $88.99. The next most affordable plan is only $1 more, sitting at $89.99 per month and comes with access to Hulu’s live TV content (CBS), Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads). After that is a $99.99 per month plan that comes with Hulu’s live TV content, as well as access to Hulu’s streaming library without ads, Disney+ without ads, and ESPN+ with ads. For Disney+ without ads, users can subscribe for $94.99 per month and also get Hulu Live TV, Hulu’s streaming library (with ads), and ESPN Select (with ads).

CBS Programming

Here’s a full list of CBS’ current and former program offerings:

Dramas

• NCIS
• Blue Bloods
• S.W.A.T. 
• FBI 
• FBI: Most Wanted
• The Equalizer
• NCIS: Hawaiʻi
• FBI: International
• CSI: Vegas
• So Help Me Todd
• Fire Country
• NCIS: Sydney

Comedies

• Young Sheldon
• The Neighborhood
• Bob Hearts Abishola 
• Ghosts
• Ghosts (UK)
• Docuseries
• FBI True

Reality/non-scripted

• Survivor
• Big Brother 
• The Amazing Race 
• Celebrity Big Brother 
• Tough as Nails 
• The Greatest @AtHome Videos 
• Secret Celebrity Renovation
• The Challenge: USA 
• Buddy Games 

Awards shows

• Grammy Awards 
• Tony Awards 
• Kennedy Center Honors 
• CMT Music Awards 
• Golden Globe Awards 

Game shows

• The Price Is Right
• Let’s Make a Deal 
• Lingo
• Superfan 
• Lotería Loca
• Raid the Cage 

Talk shows

• The Talk

Late night shows

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 
• Comics Unleashed

Specials

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 
• Frosty the Snowman
• Frosty Returns 
• The Story of Santa Claus 
• Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire

News

• CBS Evening News 
• Face the Nation
• 60 Minutes 
• CBS News Sunday Morning 
• CBS Morning News 
• 48 Hours 
• CBS Overnight News 
• CBS Reports 
• CBS Mornings
• CBS Saturday Morning 

Sports

• NFL on CBS
  • AFC games (and inter-conference games when the AFC team is the road team)
  • The AFC Championship Game
  • The Super Bowl (every four years)
  • The NFL Today 
• PGA Tour on CBS
  • Masters Tournament (shared with ESPN)
  • PGA Championship (shared with ESPN)
  • PGA Tour (shared with NBC Sports)
• College Basketball on CBS
  • Select weekend regular season games
  • CBS Sports Classic
  • Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball tournament championship
  • Mountain West Conference men’s basketball tournament championship
  • Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament championship
  • Big Ten Conference men’s basketball tournament semifinals and Championship
  • Big Ten Conference women’s basketball tournament Championship
• College Football
  • Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference Football
  • The Sun Bowl
  • The Army-Navy Game
• Formula E
  • New York City ePrix
• NCAA March Madness
  • Selection Sunday
  • NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament (shared with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports)
    • Final Four and National Championship Game (in odd-numbered years)
• UEFA Champions League
• Big3