How to Watch History Channel without Cable
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I’m a history buff, which is one of the reasons why I love History Channel. However, I’m also frugal, so I want to know how to watch History Channel without cable.
I love learning about the past because I believe it helps us understand the present. Most things in life, whether political, business, or personal, have happened before; watching Vikings on History Channel gives me a greater appreciation for the English language and interesting word origins like berserk.
After I learned how to watch the History Channel without cable, my kids and I started watching the Curse of Oak Island and were completed taken captive by it; while episodes make far less progress than I would like them to, it’s become one of my favorite shows on History Channel and another reason I wanted to figure out how to get History Channel without cable.
The average cable bill costs $110 per month, which is way more than anyone should have to pay for the shows and movies they enjoy watching. We gave up our overpriced cable subscription years ago and couldn’t be happier.
With all of the affordable streaming services available today, there’s just no reason to wed yourself to an expensive contract.
If you’ve been wondering, ‘how can I watch History Channel without cable?’ this post will walk you through multiple options.
Being able to get History Channel without cable means watching your favorite History Channel shows – like Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers, and American Pickers. (We really like that last one too. So much in fact that on a trip to Chicago once we made a detour to Mike and Frank’s shop, Antique Archeology, in Le Claire, Iowa.)
While none of the show’s personalities were in that day, we were still able to snap a pic in front of their trademark rusty car.
If you’ve been thinking about ditching your hefty cable price tag but fear of losing access to your favorite History Channel shows has been holding you back, keep reading; knowing how to watch History Channel without cable will prepare you to cut the cord on your overpriced cable contract.
How to Watch History Channel without Cable
Years ago, cable or satellite TV used to be the only way to watch lifestyle shows on channels like AMC, USA, Discovery Channel, and History Channel. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Here are the best ways to watch History Channel without cable.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is one of my family’s favorite streaming services and one of the best ways to stream History Channel live. If you’re familiar with Hulu, Hulu with Live TV is just an upgrade of the traditional platform.
For a reasonable $44.99 per month, you get access to your favorite History Channel shows along with:
- 60+ live TV channels
- Cloud DVR service (letting you record live shows when they air and watch later if it’s more convenient for you)
- Ability to stream to two devices at once
- Hulu’s complete library of content
The Hulu Live TV channel list is good. From news to sports to cartoons and lifestyle channels, there’s something for everyone in your family to love about Hulu Live.
Plus, it has no contract and you can cancel or downgrade your service to Hulu traditional at any time with no fees or penalties.
Here’s a sampling of the many channels that come with Hulu Live:
- ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC
- A&E
- CNBC, CNN
- Disney, Disney Jr., DisneyXD
- E!
- ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN Goal Line
- Food Network
- HGTV
- History Channel (of course!)
- and many more
Can your cable contract compete with that? If you want to learn more about Hulu Live, read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Like many of the more popular streaming services, you can try Hulu Live free for 7-days.
Philo
If you enjoy lifestyle and entertainment TV and want to know how to watch History Channel without cable, Philo may be the best streaming service for you. For less than $20 per month, you can get History Channel and lots of other great content.
Philo TV has been around for years and offers one of the best cable TV alternatives if you want a good selection of lifestyle and entertainment content at one of the lowest monthly rates with no contract. This makes Philo TV one of the best ways to stream History Channel without cable.
Its 40-channel package costs just $16 per month and includes the following popular networks:
- AMC, A&E, Animal Planet
- Comedy Central, CMT
- Discovery Channel, DIY
- Food Network, Lifetime, MTV
- HGTV
- History Channel
- and more!
The one knock against Philo TV is that it doesn’t offer access to sports channels like ESPN or FOX Sports or local channels. If you don’t tend to watch sports on TV, then you won’t have any trouble with Philo TV.
While Philo TV doesn’t include local channels, a simple digital antenna like the Mohu Leaf, can solve that problem for you quickly and cheaply. Learn more about Philo TV in our in-depth Philo TV review that completely covers the service.
If you’re looking for how to watch History Channel without cable, Philo TV could be the perfect cord cutting solution for you.
You can try Philo TV for free for 7 days without having to provide a credit card, making it one of the easiest and most risk-free streaming services on the market.
Sling TV
Sling TV is one of the leading streaming services out there. Having refined its platform for years, Sling TV delivers an easy to use interface and menu/navigation setup as well as reliable streaming quality.
Many of the most popular channels, including History Channel, are available through one of its two packages – Sling TV Orange or Sling TV Blue.
If you want to watch History Channel without cable, Sling TV Orange will let you do it for just $25 per month. In addition to History Channel, you’ll also get:
- AMC
- Disney Channel
- ESPN
- HGTV
- and much more!
If you’re paying anywhere near the average cable bill of $110 per month, switching to Sling TV could save you $80 per month and let you still catch all the latest episodes of Forged in Fire, Knightfall, Ancient Aliens, Swamp People, and more.
Like many of the more popular streaming services, you can try Sling TV free for 7-days.
If you want to learn more about the content offerings, pros and cons of Sling TV, check out our Sling TV review now.
FuboTV
If history isn’t your only passion and you enjoy catching live sporting events, particularly international soccer matches, FuboTV could be the best streaming service for you.
FuboTV got its start broadcasting a stellar lineup of international soccer matches. While it remains the best way to watch soccer on TV, it has expanded way beyond soccer and now offers a broad channel lineup.
In addition to History Channel, with FuboTV you’ll be able to watch:
- A&E, AMC, Bravo
- Cozi, E!, Food Network
- FX, FXM, FXX
- HGTV
- Nat Geo Wild
- National Geographic
- Travel Channel
- and more!
FuboTV’s diverse content offering shows just how strong the market for alternatives to cable TV has become. You’re not missing anything (including History Channel) when you cut the cord on your expensive cable contract.
Learn all about FuboTV, including how it lets you record programs on its cloud DVR, in our FuboTV review.
FuboTV’s base package, which includes History Channel, costs $44.99 per month, which puts it right in line with Hulu Live and still significantly less than the average cable subscription.
Try watching your favorite History Channel shows free now with a FuboTV 7-day free trial.
DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now’s intuitive menu, solid streaming quality and diverse content lineup make it one of the more popular alternatives to cable available.
We’ve tried DirecTV Now several times and think it delivers a pretty satisfying user experience. Not only can you get sports and news through DirecTV, you can also get History Channel without cable through DirecTV Now.
You can stream History Channel online with DirecTV Now’s base plan for $50 per month. Not only can you watch History Channel live, you can also go back 72 hours to access History Channel programming on demand.
Want to learn more about DirecTV Now? Read our DirecTV Now review.
Can I Watch History channel on Playstation Vue or YouTube TV
If you’re a fan of Playstation Vue or YouTube TV and are hoping that you can stream History Channel through them, unfortunately, you’re out of luck. As of now at least, History Channel is not available on Playstation Vue or YouTube TV.
Thankfully, there are several other solid, affordable, reliable streaming options that you can use to watch the History Channel without cable.
How to Stream History Channel Online
If you’re looking for a way to watch History Channel online live free, keep looking. In my quest to get the latest episodes of Curse of Oak Island without paying for them, I tried to figure out how to get History Channel for free and was unsuccessful.
At each turn, I was asked for a code from my cable subscriber to access the latest content.
While there are several options available for streaming some History Channel shows free online, you cannot access the network’s full content without a subscription to a cable provider or streaming service.
You can download History Channel app to your smart TV but you won’t be able to watch the latest episodes of shows like American Pickers or Vikings without a login from your cable provider.
You can try to stream History Channel free through its official website but again, you won’t be able to get all of the latest episodes of your favorite shows.
Some History Channel shows are available on Netflix or legacy Hulu, but it varies. One of the downsides of Netflix as well is that shows are added to and deleted from the platform monthly, which means your favorite History Channel show could be on Netflix one day and gone the next.
An affordable streaming service like the ones mentioned here are the most reliable and comprehensive ways to watch History Channel without cable.
Can I Watch History Channel on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, or Roku?
If you’re wondering whether you can watch History Channel on Roku without cable, or watch History Channel live stream free on Amazon Fire TV or another popular app, you’ll be glad to know that episodes of History Channel shows are available through these platforms.
All you have to do is pick one of the streaming services already mentioned and then you can start watching History Channel online. Stream History Channel shows through any of the following apps or platforms:
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- Android TV
- iOS
- Xbox One
Check our review of the Amazon Fire Stick to see why we love the dongle and how it allows us to get content. You can even watch the History Channel online without cable on your computer or laptop’s web browser. This means you can take your favorite History Channel shows with you wherever you go.
Can your cable subscription give you the same functionality?
How to Get History Channel Without Cable: The Final Word
There’s no reason today to spend over $100 per month on a cable subscription to watch History Channel. You can watch your favorite History Channel shows without cable with any of the streaming services mentioned here.
If you aren’t sure which option to choose, you can try any of the free trials above and find the best option for your needs.
If you’re tired of paying too much for History Channel and other TV content you enjoy, cut the cord on your expensive cable subscription and put the $50+ you’ll save each month to better use.
How do you get History Channel without cable? What other channels keep you from cutting the cord? How much money do you spend on cable/cable replacement services each month?
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