I think he's talking about 'Free to Air' (FTA) satellite. You can still put up a large dish in your yard, point it to the satellites, and use (both analog and digital) a receiver to watch programming for free. There are sources on the web (lyngsat.com is one) that tell you what's on (not the show, but who is transmitting) a specific satellite. They include all the information you would need to watch a show (provided the signal isn't "scrambled"--- requiring a decoder key).
There are also web sites (do a search for "rick's wildfeeds") that will tell you how to watch the backhaul (from the event back to the network) of a sporting event. These feeds generally don't have commercials, and will generally be able to watch what happens during commercial breaks.
Of course, in addition to the dish, you would need at least one, if not multiple LNBs, plus a way to rotate the dish.