Watching TBS without a cable TV subscription is fairly straightforward.
Streaming fans and cord-cutters alike watch TBS live by using TV streaming services. Your options are Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV and DIRECTV STREAM.
TBS carries MLB, NBA and 2023 March Madness games alongside original shows including American Dad, Wipeout and Miracle Workers.
Right now, Sling TV is the cheapest way to live stream TBS at $40 per month. But there are more options to consider. You can check the latest offer Sling TV is making to new and returning customers. Subscribers pay month-to-month without any obligations.
Table of Contents
- How to Watch TBS live on Roku, Fire TV and Smart TVs
- How does the TBS app work?
- What’s the best way to watch TBS without cable?
How to Watch TBS live on Roku, Fire TV and Smart TVs
If you want to watch TBS without cable, you will need to pick a streaming service that carries it as a live TV channel. Many of these services offer a free trial so you can see what it’s like to watch live TV without a cable subscription.
These live TV services have many of the same channels as cable TV packages, including CNN, ESPN, AMC and FOX.
You just need an Internet connection before you start streaming on your Smart TV or a streaming device.
The streaming services below also have TBS in their channel lineup.
Sling TV
Sling TV remains the cheapest way to watch TBS live.
TBS is available on the Sling Orange bundle (31 channels), or the Sling Blue bundle (41 channels). A Sling TV subscription costs $40 per month regardless of which bundle you choose.
The Sling Orange bundle has ESPN, TNT, CNN and Discovery ID. You can watch live TV on one screen at a time with the Orange plan.
Sling Blue subscribers get NFL Network, FS1 and TLC. You can watch live TV on three screens at once with Sling Blue.
All subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR, and an on-demand library of movies and TV shows.
Sling TV has apps for Smart TVs, and a number of streaming devices. Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV and NVIDIA Shield all have Sling TV apps.
You can also watch Sling TV on a tablet, PC or smartphone.
You can look over the channel lineup before deciding whether to sign up for a subscription.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu with Live TV carries TBS and roughly 75+ other channels.
A&E, ESPN, Discovery ID, HGTV and Lifetime are part of the channel lineup.
A subscription to Hulu with Live TV costs $69.99 per month.
Subscribers get unlimited Cloud DVR and unlimited access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu’s on-demand library of movies and TV shows.
Hulu’s Live TV service carries local NBC, CBS and FOX stations across the U.S. The live TV service works on most streaming devices, including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM has TBS, ESPN and local channels in its Entertainment bundle, which costs $74.99 per month. Subscribers get 75+ channels, unlimited Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand shows.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial without any obligations.
The channel lineup includes A&E, NBC Sports Network, USA Network and CNBC in the Entertainment bundle. You can watch live TV on 20 screens at once.
Subscribers can get three months of Showtime, STARZ, Cinemax and EPIX for free before the monthly rates kick in.
When you sign up, you can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want. DIRECTV STREAM works on Smart TVs, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and smartphones and tablets.
You can look over the different channel lineups that DIRECTV STREAM is offering.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV has 85+ channels, including local NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX stations.
ESPN, FS1, FS2 are among its notable sports channels. A subscription costs $64.99 per month. There is unlimited Cloud DVR and an on-demand movie library. Subscribers can watch live TV on three screens at once.
YouTube has apps for Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast and Android TV. YouTube has a free 7-day trial.
Is TBS on fuboTV?
On July 1, 2020, fuboTV stopped carrying TBS, TNT and 9 other channels owned by Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
How does the TBS app work?
The TBS app has a small number of episodes from its roster of TV shows available to watch for free.
You will need to subscribe to a TV provider to activate the TBS app and unlock live TV, and all available episodes.
The good news? You don’t need to subscribe to cable TV. YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and DIRECTV Stream can all activate the TBS app.
Once you add the TBS app to your Smart TV or streaming device, you can sign in to the app by using the username and password of your streaming service. The streaming service must have TV Everywhere access for TBS to unlock live TV and all episodes available within the app.
What’s the best way to watch TBS without cable?
Sling TV is my top pick because it’s a solid budget option at $40 per month. You can get TBS under the Sling Orange or Sling Blue plan.
The Sling Blue plan is slightly bigger with 43+ channels, including sports networks like NFL Network and FS1. You can sign up for a subscription and see if the service is a good fit.
When you sign up for Sling TV, there are no contracts, or extra fees like cable TV. If you prepay for one month of service, you can get a free streaming device.
NOTE: This article was published October 4, 2021, and has been updated.
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
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
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