CNN Live Stream: How to Watch CNN for Free or Cheap Online
You don’t have to sacrifice watching CNN if you’re ready to get rid of your pricey cable TV or satellite TV subscription.
These days, you can live stream CNN on a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV. And it’s a lot cheaper than $200 per month cable bill that you’ve been paying.
Right now, Sling TV is the cheapest way to go. The Sling Blue bundle costs $30 per month, and gets you 47 channels.
You can try Sling TV free for three days. But the better deal is to sign up for a short subscription so you can get a free or discounted streaming device.
You can cancel service from your online account whenever you want. There are no hidden fees or contracts when you use a live TV streaming service such as Sling TV.
Let’s jump into all of your choices to live stream CNN, and how you can watch this cable news giant without cable TV. You don’t want to be missing Anderson Cooper 360 or The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer just because you’re out to save a few bucks.
How live streaming CNN works
Companies like Hulu, YouTube TV and fuboTV are delivering channel bundles over the Internet instead of a cable line coming into your house.
These live TV services have apps for most major streaming devices. So you can use a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or even a smartphone to watch live channels through the provider’s app. These live streaming services are aimed at being a cheaper alternative than plans from Comcast and Spectrum.
The key part about cutting the cord from your cable company is learning how to get a fairly priced Internet connection. Once you learn how to pay only $40 to $50 per month for Internet, then you can really save hundreds of dollars a year like me.
Can I watch live news free on CNN.com?
Only cable subscribers can live stream from the website CNN.com. There is a free 10 minute preview on the CNN site. If you want to watch a full program, you’re better off using a streaming service that offers live TV channels.
The only other alternative is the CNN Live audio stream on TuneIn. But you’re not going to find any video feed there.
Watch CNN live stream online with Sling TV
Sling TV’s Blue plan is the best deal for most people because it’s the lowest price around for a mix of news, entertainment and sports channels. The 47 channels in the Blue plan include NFL Network, AMC, FX, CNN, TNT, FS1, FS2 and Bravo.
The Sling Blue plan costs $30 per month.
You will get 10 hours of Cloud DVR space as part of your subscription. Sling TV also lets you sign in to a number of apps – up to 22 – on your Roku and other streaming devices.
For another $5 per month, you can add 50 hours of Cloud DVR. So even if you want to record some shows, Sling TV is still your cheapest option for live streaming CNN.
You can watch CNN with the Sling Orange plan too. You get 32+ channels including ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, and A&E. Sling Orange is about 15 less channels. But you do have some different ones in the mix.
Sling TV offers a free 3-day trial, and works on Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV and Firestick. You can also stream CNN using the Sling TV app on an Xbox One, iPhone, PC, and LG TV. You can scoop up a free or discounted streaming device by prepaying for a brief subscription.
Hulu with Live TV has a CNN live stream
Hulu with Live TV lets you stream CNN live as part of a 65+ channel lineup. This service has the most local ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC stations compared to any online competitor. You get 50 hours of Cloud DVR, and networks familiar to anyone with a cable subscription.
Subscribers also get unlimited access to Hulu’s on-demand library and Hulu Originals that people pay $5.99 per month for. So if you’re already subscribing to Hulu’s on-demand streaming service, adding the live TV bundle might make the most sense.
A&E, National Geographic, TNT, ESPN, Big Ten Network and HGTV are included. You can look over what local channels will be in your lineup. Users can watch on up to two devices at once, including iPhones and Android smart phones when you’re not at home.
A subscription costs $64.99 per month.
Hulu lets you activate 38 apps with a Live TV subscription. So you can get extra live streams from some networks like FXNOW. You can look over the complete channel lineup for Hulu Live in your area. Hulu + Live TV has a free 7-day trial.
AT&T TV NOW: CNN live stream without cable
CNN is available on AT&T TV Now’s cheapest bundle, which costs $65 per month. Subscribers get 45+ channels as part of the Plus package. You’ll be able to stream CNN live on a Roku, Apple TV or Fire TV at home, and a smartphone if you’re not at home. AT&T TV Now offers a free 7-day trial.
YouTube TV: Watch CNN Online Without Cable
YouTube TV has every major news network out there, including CNN. Subscribers get 85+ channels and unlimited Cloud DVR for $50 per month. There’s ESPN, two National Geographic channels, TNT, TBS, FS1, FS2 and USA.
A subscription is $64.99 per month.
YouTube TV has apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and mobile ones for iPhones and Android smart phones so you can stream CNN to a TV using Chromecast. You can try out YouTube TV freefor a week.
What’s the best way to get a CNN live stream?
The answer depends on what else you might want when subscribing to a live TV service. Let’s review a few things and narrow down your choices.
- Sling TV is the cheapest option at $30 per month. The Sling Blue package gets you 47 channels. Sling Orange gets you about 32 networks, but both include CNN. Add 50 hours of Cloud DVR for $5 per month. So even at $35 per month, Sling TV is still the cheapest way to stream CNN live. Try out Sling TV freefor a week or look over how you can get a free or discounted streaming device by prepaying for a brief subscription.
- Hulu with Live TV offers a lot for $64.99 per month because you’re getting 65+ live channels, 50 hours of Cloud DVR and full access to Hulu’s vast on-demand library. Hulu also has more local channels compared to any other competitor. You’ll also be able to sign into apps for networks like A&E, History and FOX Sports GO. Get a free 7-day trial, or look over what channels are offered on Hulu with Live TV to see if it’s a good fit.
So now that I’ve broken down all your choices, how are you going to be live streaming CNN and other major networks without cable? Tell fellow readers in the comments below.
For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.
I arrived at this site a year too late…this option is no longer available. I really can not understand why CNN does not offer this yearly plan anymore!? I completely agree with Dan the Man about not wantling to pay for other channels that do not want or need. If anyone finds out a way to just get CNN without a cable subscription or any other service that includes a bunch of channels not desired, please post it for all of us that just one this one channel. Thank you!
That’s what I want. I only want cnn live, no packages.
You forgot to mention ATT Watch TV. It offers CNN at $15 a month
Before any of these services launched they did tons of surveys to see what people want to watch. The answer was that a heck of a lot of people choose to sit and watch movies. I guess I’m not one of them. I just don’t have the time to watch few hours of movies everyday, and I’m retired. But after researching streaming services available currently I’ve concluded that there just aren’t any providers who offer a base of news content, e.g. CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and basic live broadcast (NBC, CBS, ABC) content for a minimal price of say $25-$30/mo. Movies require that you pay attention continuously but news content will let you know when something is breaking so you can stop what you’re doing and watch.
To bad you forgot to mention that you can just sign up on cnn’s site to stream their news, $1 for the first 3 months, then $60/yr after. You get cnn live without all the other worthless channels that come with all the packages AND save some serious cash.