How to Watch MSNBC Without Cable
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Finding out how to watch MSNBC without cable is a smart move. With the average American paying $110 per month for cable, figuring out how to watch your favorite shows for less makes sense.
You don’t need cable to keep up with news personalities like Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. If you’re looking for a cheaper way to go all in with Chris Hayes, the streaming services we cover here will help you get it done.
How to Watch MSNBC Without Cable
We used to pay over $100 per month for cable. Now we pay about $20. The best part? We can still watch MSNBC without cable.
If you like watching The Rachel Maddow Show and MSNBC is your go-to news channel, keep reading.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is a terrific way to get MSNBC and all of the following:
- 60+ channels of live content
- 50 hours of cloud DVR storage
- Ability to watch on two screens at once
- Customizable profiles
- An easy-to-use channel guide
- All of Hulu’s massive on-demand content library
- Original content like The Handmaid’s Tale
Hulu Live’s features make it one of the best alternatives to cable TV.
There’s something for everyone in your family to enjoy. Some of the top channels Hulu offers include:
- ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC
- A&E Network
- CNBC, CNN
- Disney, Disney Jr., Disney XD
- E!
- ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN Goal Line
- Food Network
- HGTV
- History Channel
- USA Network
If you’re ready to give it a shot, try Hulu Live for free for 7 days now.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a dependable streaming service that performs well. At only $25 per month, it’s affordable and easy to use.
Sling TV has two channel packages – Sling Blue and Sling Orange – both for $25 per month. You can stream MSNBC without cable by choosing either channel package and adding on the “News Extra” package.
The News Extra add on costs $5 per month. That makes your total cost to watch MSNBC on Sling TV $30 per month. With 15 channels in the News Extra package, you could enjoy a total of 45 channels with the Orange option and 64 with the Blue option.
That’s a lot of high quality content for a low monthly price.
There are a few differences between Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Watching MSNBC without cable isn’t one of them. Sling Orange offers 30 channels, including ESPN. Sling Blue gives 49 channels without ESPN.
Channels in the Sling Orange package include:
- A&E
- Cartoon Network
- CNN
- Disney Channel
- ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
- HGTV
- History Channel
- TBS
The Sling Blue channel lineup includes:
- Bravo
- CNN
- FOX
- FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2
- FX
- NFL Network
There are 15 news channels in Sling TV’s News Extra add-on. Those channels include:
- MSNBC
- BBC World News
- CNBC
- HLN
- Science Channel
- Weather Nation
While there is some overlap between the two packages, the big differentiator is ESPN. Another nice feature of Sling is that you can customize your content with add-on packages.
For $5 to $10 extra per month, you can add a DVR and additional channels that you want.
Sling TV is a low cost alternative to cable TV. Like Hulu Live, you can try Sling TV free for 7 days.
Learn more about Sling TV including channels, guide and more in our Sling TV review now.
FuboTV
FuboTV got its start in soccer, but today it offers everything.
The fuboTV channel lineup includes a wide range of live sports, entertainment, and news content.
*Related: Love sports? Check out our guide on how to watch ESPN without cable and save $50+ per month.*
In addition to MSNBC, it also gets you popular channels like:
- A&E, Bravo
- CNN
- E!, Food Network
- FX, FXM, FXX
- Fox News
- HGTV
- Nat Geo Wild
- National Geographic
- Travel Channel
FuboTV’s basic package, which includes MSNBC, costs $54.99 per month. That’s quite a bit lower than the average cable plan.
Start streaming MSNBC today with a fuboTV 7-day free trial.
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now is another way to watch MSNBC live without cable. Their ‘Live A Little’ Plan gives you anytime, unlimited access to MSNBC for $50 per month.
The price is in line with other streaming options and offers over 60 channels without a contract. AT&T TV Now’s channel lineup includes the following:
- CNN
- Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD
- E!
- ESPN, ESPN 2
- FX
- FOX Sports 1
- Fox News
- Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- HGTV
- USA Network
That’s still a huge savings over the average cable bill. You can learn more about the price options, streaming quality and channel guide in our AT&T TV Now review.
YouTube TV
YouTube has more than just how-to videos. For $64.99 per month, YouTube TV gives you 80+ channels.
Try watching MSNBC without cable through YouTube TV’s free trial and see if this streaming service is a fit for you.
Use the MSNBC App
If you want to watch MSNBC for free, you’re out of luck. Unless of course, you want to loiter in waiting rooms or hotel lobbies to watch the news.
Access to the MSNBC live stream is gated behind a login.
The good news is that a subscription to any of the streaming services mentioned here will get you access to the MSNBC app. The app is full of live and on-demand content from MSNBC.
*Related: Love college football? Check out our guide on how to watch college football without cable to catch all the action without a pricey contract.*
If you’re wondering how to watch MSNBC live without cable, all you need is your login information from your streaming service. That will get you in to content on MSNBC.com or the MSNBC app.
Can I Watch MSNBC on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, or Roku?
In a word, yes.
You need two things to watch MSNBC without cable:
- A subscription to a streaming service (like Hulu Live, FuboTV, Sling TV, etc.)
- A streaming device like AppleTV, Roku or Amazon Fire Stick
All of the popular streaming services have apps on AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast.
If you have an internet connection and a streaming platform, you’re set. Just set up the device, add the Hulu, Sling, or FuboTV app and start watching MSNBC.
These streaming devices are so easy to use. They let you watch MSNBC on your smart TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone.
We watch Hulu Live on our laptops and smartphones all the time. We just type Hulu.com into our web browser or open the Hulu app on our phones and we’re good to go.
How to Get MSNBC without Cable: Bottom Line
If watching MSNBC or any other channel is keeping you in an overpriced cable contract, there are cheaper ways to watch the news. Hulu Live and FuboTV are two excellent streaming options.
Try one of the services today and start saving money. Just think of what you could do with an extra $70 per month!
What other channels keep you in your cable contract? How much money do you spend on cable or cable alternatives each month?
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4 Comments
All of the options mentioned are just ‘cable light!’ You’re still getting a chunk of stations you don’t want and paying high prices for them.
This article shows how to pay a little less, but as cable providers always do, I’m sure these services will jack up their prices. Some already have from when I first checked them out when we went off cable almost 4 years ago. I just want MSNBC without 40 or 70 or how many other useless channels, and I don’t want to pay $30 (Sling), $45 (Hulu), $50 (YouTube), $55 (FuboTV), etc. every month just to watch one station.
These services are just pretending to be part of the anti-cable revolution, but are really just doing the same thing cable does, without the cable. If you can find out how to watch MSNBC without cable OR ‘cable light,’ THAT’S an article I’d really appreciate reading.
I understand your frustration, but here’s the thing – we’re likely never going to see channels sold individually, or al a carte. So, this begs the question of if you want to pay $110+ and be forced to deal with a contract…leaving you little to no freedom. Or, would you rather pay half, or less, of that and come and go as you wish. The latter is certainly preferable to the former. Would I love to just get the 3 – 4 channels I want and pay for that? Of course, but that will likely never happen.
Not so. You can get CBS live streaming direct from them for $59/yr with ads and $99/yr without ads.
NBC/MSNBC just need to do the same. Maybe if enough people ask for it, they’ll do it.
That’s one channel. Hardly worthy to base an argument on IMO. While I’d love to see it happen, it’s won’t happen anytime soon, if at all.