How to watch History channel online without cable

By Jim Kimble

UPDATED on January 3, 2022

Table of Contents

What streaming services has the History channel?

A number of streaming services now provide live TV and carry the History channel. They include Hulu with Live TV, Philo, Sling TV and Vidgo. These live TV streaming services work on Google Chromecast with Google TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and various Smart TVs.

History channel live stream online

Today you’re going to learn how to watch the History Channel live without a cable subscription.

The History Channel started out in the 1990s as the go-to place for in-depth documentaries about World War II. These days, the network is known for original programming like Alone, The Curse of Oak Island Pawn Stars and The UnXplained.

There are plenty of options to watch the History channel without subscribing to Comcast, Spectrum or satellite providers. 

In this guide, I’ll outline all the ways to watch the History channel live, and the advantage of using apps on your Roku, iPhone or History website. 

If you’re looking to binge watch a particular show over 7 days, there are some free week-long trials that you can take advantage of from streaming services that provide live TV. 

My top pick is Philo because it’s the cheapest option at $25 per month. Subscribers get 64 live TV channels. Philo works with Roku, an Amazon Fire TV Stick or the new Google Chromecast.

The History Channel is part of the A&E Network, which also owns Lifetime, A&E, LMN, fyi, Crime and Investigation, Military History, LRW and Viceland.

It’s worth weighing the pros and cons of each live TV streaming service listed below because chances are you will end up watching more than just History channel.

There are dozens of shows on History in 2021. I’ve been watching American Pickers and Pawn Stars for a long time now. I always feel like I’m getting a pretty cool lesson on American history or Americana by watching those shows. 

Rick Harrison is obviously a very well read guy. It’s pretty amusing when someone steps into Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas wanting a stack of money for a not-so-valuable collectible. And come on, who doesn’t love the antics of Frank on American Pickers? Here’s a list of the most popular shows on History.

  • The Curse of Oak Island
  • Beyond Oak Island
  • History’s Greatest Mysteries
  • Swamp People: Serpent Invasion
  • The UnXplained
  • Forged in Fire
  • The Proof Is Out There
  • Titanic: Into the Heart of the Wreck
  • Mountain Men

** Note: This most popular list is based on data from the History channel based on new episodes.

Watch History channel live without cable on Roku, Fire TV or Android

If you own a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV, you have a couple of options to stream episodes of favorite shows like Alone or The Curse of Oak Island.

You can replace your cable subscription with live TV streaming services like Sling TV or fuboTV. All of these platforms offer a way to watch the History channel live along with dozens of other channels.

What’s the difference from cable TV?

You are streaming your live TV channels over the Internet instead of having them pipe through a cable cord. Some folks refer to these cheaper alternatives to cable as cord cutting. 

Watch History Channel online using Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV is one of the best options as a cable TV replacement that live streams History channel.

Subscribers get 75+ popular networks like HGTV, CNN, ESPN, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Travel Channel and USA Network.

Hulu with Live TV costs $69.99 per month, and now includes Disney+ and ESPN+. You can stream on up to two devices at once. Subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR.

Local NBC, ABC and FOX stations and regional sports channels like NBCSN are available in most of the U.S. 

You can quickly look over the channel lineup in your area by entering your zip code on the site. 

Another big perk with a Hulu with Live TV is the on-demand library. You’ll get unlimited access to TV shows, movies and originals on Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu on-demand.

Hulu with Live TV works on Apple TV, Roku, XBox One, Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick and Chromecast. 

Is History Channel on fuboTV?

fuboTV does not carry History Channel. The company told customers on June 30, 2021 their service will no longer carry History Channel, A&E, Lifetime, FYI channel, Lifetime Movie Network and Vice TV.

Live Stream History Channel using Philo TV

Philo is the cheapest streaming platform that will get you the History channel live without cable TV.

For $25 per month, subscribers get 64 channels.

AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, Science Channel, Sundance TV, HGTV, MTV Live, Cooking Channel and Discovery Family are all part of Philo’s lineup. 

There’s unlimited Cloud DVR. Subscribers get a vast library of on-demand movies and TV shows. You can watch on up to three devices at once.

Philo has apps for Roku, Roku TV, Apple TV and the Fire TV Stick and Cube. From a web browser, you can watch Philo on Mac computers, PCs, iOS devices and Android devices. There’s an iPhone app for Philo as well. 

You can use your Philo account to activate the History app. 

Look over the channel lineup or sign up for a free trial in about a minute by using your mobile number. 

Vidgo: Streaming History Channel

Vidgo has the History channel and more than 85 other live TV channels. A&E, ESPN, and HGTV are among some of Vidgo’s most popular channels.

Subscribers can stream on up to three devices at once. Vidgo has apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV devices such as Google Chromecast.

A Vidgo subscription costs $55 per month. You can look over the channel lineup before deciding whether to sign up. 

Sling TV: Stream History channel live without cable

Sling TV offers the lowest price for a live stream of History. You can subscribe to the Sling Orange channel bundle. That gives you 34+ channels for $35 per month. You’ll get History, AMC, ESPN and Viceland.

Sling Blue also has the History channel, and gives you 47+ channels for $35 per month. The Blue package has Nat Geo Wild and Epix Drive-In. Sling TV offers 50 hours of Cloud DVR for free, or pay $5 per month for 200 hours of recording space.

You can get a free streaming device from Sling TV if you prepay for a two-month subscription. There is no obligation to keep your subscription after that.

Can I watch History channel on YouTube TV?

YouTube TV doesn’t currently offer the History channel live. But YouTube TV has been adding channels since its inception. So you could see some new channels come to YouTube TV in the future.

Is History Channel on Discovery Plus?

Discovery+ costs $4.99 per month, and carries all past seasons of shows from the History channel.

The service does not carry a live TV feed of History channel or it’s latest seasons. Discovery Plus has 55,000 episodes from HGTV, Food Network, History, A&E, TLC, Discovery Channel and others. 

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, or look over what else Discovery+ offers as part of its streaming library.

Can I activate the History channel app?

Yes. If you want to use the History app to watch episodes, you used to need a subscription to Comcast or Spectrum. That’s no longer the case. 

Now when you subscribe to Philo or fuboTV, you get to use your subscription to activate the History app and many other networks. Being able to activate these apps is known as TV Everywhere support.

Are History channel shows on Netflix or Hulu?

Netflix has had a number of shows from the History channel in its library, but the availability of shows varies. Lately, it seems like you can find a lot of one-off specials.

Hulu’s on-demand service has about 17 shows with a deep catalog of past seasons. 

That includes all six seasons of Vikings, and six seasons of Alone. You just won’t have the live TV channel. Hulu’s on-demand service has a free 30-day trial and costs $5.99 per month. 

The wilderness survival show Alone is scattered all over. You will need a live TV streaming service for new episodes now airing on History.

What’s the best way to live stream History channel?

Philo is the cheapest way to stream the History channel live without a cable TV subscription. Subscribers get 64 live TV channels, unlimited Cloud DVR and can watch on up to three screens at once. There are no sports or local channels, but there’s a lot of top cable channels such as A&E, HGTV and Discovery.

Take a look at the channel lineup, or sign up for a free 7-day trial. 

There you go: I just showed you how to cut cable TV and keep the History channel. There are no contracts when you try out a live TV streaming service. Just cancel online before the end of the free trial if you don’t want to keep the service. 

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.

This article was originally published Feb. 12, 2018, and has been updated.

Filed Under: Channels

The Cord Cutting Report is supported by readers, and may earn an affiliate commission when you use links on this site. (Read more.)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shirlene says

    Fubo just took History, A&E, Lifetime off of their list of channels effective 6/30/21 with no advanced warning. Looking for another streaming company now. Ever since FUGO went public (stock exchange) they have made 3 big changes, History channel was the last straw!

    Reply

  2. cyborgalienray says

    I’m like the ones complaining that there’s still a need for another service provider, why?!? Why can’t A&E come out with it’s own “Plus” app that includes the Discovery networks AND has Live TV channels, especially if they air before the stupid so called service providers, which don’t provide the service I, for one, want, such as NO FREAKIN SPORTS! I have my own balls, I don’t need to watch a bunch of over paid f@g$ running around chasing after each other’s in a field/court! I NEED REAL ENTERTAINMENT, which to me is watching Ancient Aliens, The Curse of Oak Island, and Scientific shows from Science channel. Other’s in my household like the Lifetime networks and Hallmark channels, when we’re not watching movies. An app similar to Discovery+ with live channels would be perfect even if the price for no commercials went up to $12/month especially if I could bundle it with HBO MAX and EPIX add-ons for a complete package.

    Reply

  3. Dave McDowell says

    You neglected to mention that Philo has intrusive commercials that waste a large amount of time, while flashing bright lights at your face. Had I known this, I’d have never signed up. No way am I paying cash to be subjected to that crap.

    Reply

  7. Gary Lindner says

    I just want to get History channel audio on my computer… The nursing home where I live gets History TV but my room mate watches other shows.. How can I get the audio from history channel
    so I can use my head phones connected to the computer ?

    Reply

  8. Keith Merry says

    What is the difference between cutting the cord with cable or paying for a streaming service, it is still a monthly fee and you still need the cable company for high speed internet, looks like smoke and mirrors to me.

    Reply

  9. Michaelc says

    Depending on your favorite. History channel shows, Roku channel app does carry several Free shows such as American Pickers, Oak Island and others. The Roku app is free of any charge and provides many favorite TV shows along with free movies. You can also sub to HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz right on the Roku app. *note, you need an active free Roku account with a payment option included which includes PayPal option. Roku offers many more channel options.

    Reply

  10. Dan Blanchard says

    100% agree Les. I was a DirecTV customer for over 10 years and they used to have excellent customer service. Since they became AT&T, their customer service has vanished. They finally priced me out so I called to cancel and while they were processing my request and I asked, “Are you even going to try and retain me” and the answer was “not really.”

    Reply

    • JIMBO HILL says

      ATT KILLED DTV.
      I was a DTV subscriber and a FAN
      OF THAT ONCE GREAT SERVICE. I divorced last week when they stopped the Blue Heart (discount for legacy).
      DTV is out of business and will end up merged with DISH.
      ATT are just financial SHARKS that play with their food before eating it.
      This is why the FCC should stop these ruinous mergers that DO NOT serve the public interest.

      HOPE YOUTUBE TV WILL BE THE ONE FOR ME.
      NEEDS HISTORY and SCIENCE CHANNELS.

      Reply

  11. John Smith says

    Directv Now is NOT Directv. Both are owned by AT&T, but one is a streaming serice and one is a tv service. I had Directv for years, but recently cancelled my account and signed up with Directv Now. Pretty much the same channel assortment, but 50% cheaper. Now I get my tv shows via the internet instead of from the satellite dish.

    Reply

  13. Hugh Dee says

    In our capitalistic free market economy “Let the buyer beware” is the best advice. Noone provides free TV. You can be sure they will get their hands in your bank account somehow. The trick is to figure out what “the catch” is before you swallow the bait. And that is becoming very difficult with modern technology e.g. streaming plans.

    Reply

  14. Joy E Bradford says

    I have a fire stick hooked up to the big monitor. Then I use my tablet to get fire stick big and type in Histoory channel.
    Then they say with your internet service History is free. I can’t find mainstream on the list, what should I do now. I’m a prime member. Joy Bradford

    Reply

  16. bruce shoemaker says

    For these services you have to have your own streaming device, then the “subscription” is monthly. How would you buy the service w/o a “subscription”? It is exactly like the Netflix “subscription”. Hope this helps clear up any ambiguity about it.

    Reply

  18. Les Reney says

    I will resort to smoke signals before I ever sign up with Direct TV on any basis again. The WORST customer service in the world.

    Reply

Leave a Reply