All of this depends on what programming you are looking for, and what your budget is.
In the US, all satellite is like Sky, i.e. scrambled and paid-only. (Free satellite is only for International channels like Al Jazeera and requires a bigger dish).
However, if you get Dish Network or DirecTV, you can get any programming on satellite, and don't need anything else. If cost is not an object, or you want a lot of sports programming, that is the way to go. They provide their own DVRs which are superior to most PC-based or cable DVRs.
Free programming is over-the-air broadcast in ATSC digital format. You can get ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW and several spanish language networks for free that way (roughly similar to ITV or Channel 4). Those have some American sports and amazingly enough, NBC has the Premier League Saturday late match almost every week.
All the other channels are paid access only, either on the aforementioned Dish Network or DirecTV, or "cable". Cable is by either an RF wire going into the home from the street, or in limited areas, fiber optic cable. Most cable is inferior to satellite, both in quantity and quality of channels. Fiber optic cable is comparable to satellite.
Depending on your programming preferences, satellite runs $50-$100 per month. If you want to do the least expensive option, then you will want an ATSC antenna for the over-the-air channels, and then get the rest of your programming over the Internet (i.e. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, HBO Now, etc.). But some major sports programming cannot be obtained without either satellite or cable subscription.
BTW, another difference is that each location has its own over-the-air ATSC channels, eg New York channels are entirely different than Los Angeles channels, even though in the evening, they show the same NBC, CBS, Fox, etc. programming. And each location has its own cable provider, there is rarely a choice between two.
