You can watch A&E without cable on six live TV streaming services.
DIRECTV STREAM, frndly TV, Hulu with Live TV, Philo, Sling TV and Vidgo all stream the A&E channel live without a cable or satellite subscription.
There are 15 plans that carry A&E within those six live TV streaming services.
You can also watch some older A&E shows for free on tubi and the A&E website. Subscribers to live TV streaming services, cable or satellite can activate the A&E app and watch live TV shows or on-demand programs. Hulu on-demand has A&E shows as well.
A&E has been a premium cable network since 1984 with hits such as “The First 48”, “Duck Dynasty” and “Hoarders.”
You can jump down to the summary of how to watch A&E without cable, or read through all your options.
How to Watch A&E on TV
Thanks to this new era of streaming and cord cutting, there are a number of ways you can use a Smart TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast to watch live TV.
You don’t need Comcast, Spectrum, Cox, or anything else that comes with a triple-digit bill every month. Premium cable channels aren’t exclusive to cable or satellite TV companies anymore.
If you’re a fan of original TV shows on A&E, you may want a live TV streaming service that carries other networks such as Discovery, History, Lifetime, HGTV, and Paramount Network.
Some of these streaming services offer local channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX. But you should expect to pay more if you want them in your channel lineup.
DIRECTV STREAM, frndly and Philo are currently the three streaming services with A&E that offer a free trial. Just remember to cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want to be billed for your live TV plan.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM has A&E in its entry-level channel bundle. You have four ways to watch A&E without cable through DIRECTV STREAM.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial on every plan without any obligations. New customers get $10 off the prices listed below for the first three months of service.
The Entertainment package has more than 75 live TV channels for $74.99 per month. Subscribers can watch TV on unlimited screens within your home.
HGTV, History, Nickelodeon, ESPN, USA Network and local channels such as NBC and FOX are included in the Entertainment plan. You get unlimited Cloud DVR and 40,000 on-demand movies and shows.
The Choice package has 40 regional sports channels, including Bally Sports networks, NBC Sports and Marquee Sports Network. Choice subscribers get more than 105 channels for $99.99 per month.
The Ultimate package has more than 140 channels, including local channels, and more sports and entertainment channels. The Ultimate package is $109.99 per month.
The Premier Package has over 150 channels, including premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. A subscription to Premier is $154.99 per month.
Subscribers can get three months of HBO Max, Showtime, STARZ, Cinemax and MGM+ (formerly EPIX) for free before the monthly rates kick in.
There are no contracts. You can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want. DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and even iPhones and iPads with current iOS software.
Subscriptions run month to month and so you can cancel whenever you want. You can look over the different channel lineups before deciding whether to sign up.
frndly TV
frndly TV is the cheapest and most affordable option for watching A&E without cable TV.
The service has over 40 live TV channels, including Hallmark Channel, INSP and Lifetime.
frndly TV has apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Smart TVs running on Android TV. You can watch A&E on a PC or smartphone using a frndly TV subscription.
frndly offers three ways to watch A&E.
The Basic plan costs $6.99 per month. It’s the cheapest way to watch A&E live. Subscribers get Standard Definition (SD) picture quality, and can stream live TV on one screen at a time.
For HD picture quality, you can subscribe to the Classic plan for $8.99 per month. Subscribers to the Classic plan get unlimited Cloud DVR for recordings. You can watch live TV on two screens at once. And you can keep recordings for three months.
The Premium plan costs $10.99 per month. Subscribers can watch live TV on up to four screens at once. You can keep recordings for 9 months. The cheapest plan is in Standard Definition and costs $6.99 per month.
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial. There are no contracts and you can easily cancel online.
Hulu Live TV
Hulu Live TV has over 75 channels including A&E, History Channel, HGTV, CNN, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN News.
Hulu has one live TV plan with A&E.
You will find more local NBC, ABC and FOX stations than any other live TV streaming service. And Hulu has a growing number of regional sports channels such as NBC Sports.
Hulu + Live TV costs $69.99 per month and includes unlimited DVR.
Subscribers get more than just live TV channels to watch. You will have full access to ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu’s on-demand library. Look over the channel lineup for Hulu Live TV and see what local channels and regional sports networks are offered in your area.
Hulu on-demand subscribers will find a number of A&E shows with numerous seasons to watch. But don’t expect to find the latest episodes that just aired on cable.
Hulu currently has numerous seasons of “The First 48”, “Duck Dynasty”, “Intervention” and “Secrets of Playboy.”
Hulu’s on-demand streaming service costs $7.99 per month, and you can get a 30-day free trial if you’re a new subscriber.
Philo
Philo offers more than 70 TV channels including A&E, AMC, Discovery and Paramount Network.
A subscription costs $25 per month and includes unlimited Cloud DVR. Philo has only one streaming TV package.
You can use Philo on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick and Android TV devices such as Google Chromecast.
From a web browser, you can watch Philo on Mac computers, PCs, iOS devices and Android devices.
Subscribers can activate the A&E app and dozens of others using your Philo account.
If you’re using a Fire TV Cube or Stick, you can use your single sign-on feature.
By activating one app through Philo, you will automatically be signed into other TV Everywhere apps supported by your subscription. You can try out Philo free for a week by signing up in under a minute using your smartphone number.
Sling TV
Sling TV has A&E in its Orange and Blue channel bundle.
With Sling, you’re able to build your own channel package. You can pick either Sling Orange or Sling Blue before deciding whether you want any add-on channel packages.
The Sling Orange plan includes 32 channels, including entertainment networks like AMC, A&E and History. A subscription to Sling Orange costs $40 per month.
The Sling TV Blue plan has 40 channels, including Discovery, NFL Network, FS1, and FS2. You can combine the Sling Blue with Sling Orange for $55 per month.
All subscribers get 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage. Sling is currently offering half off for the first month of service.
Sling TV works on just about any streaming device: Roku, Firestick, Chromecast and Apple TV. Gamers can watch TV on Xbox. The Sling app is supported by Samsung Smart TVs and Smart TVs operating on Android TV or Google TV. Sling TV supports mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Vidgo
Vidgo lets you live stream A&E on three different plans.
The Vidgo Plus plan is $69.99 per month, and comes with 110 channels, including A&E, ESPN, and FX. Subscribers get local FOX and ABC affiliates in some markets.
The Premium package adds 40 more TV channels, and costs $84.99 per month. The Ultimate plan has more than 200 TV channels. It adds 45 Spanish-language channels.
Vidgo’s mobile app lets you take part in ‘watch parties’ for TV shows and sporting events.
Subscribers can stream on up to three devices at once. Vidgo has apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV devices and Google Chromecast.
A&E Shows on tubi
tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming service, has older A&E shows such as “Duck Dynasty” and “Intervention.” Aside from A&E shows, you can watch thousands of movies, local news and kids programming.
The tubi app is available on Smart TVs from Sony, Hisense, and Vizio. Most major streaming devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV have the tubi app.
How to Watch A&E on the A&E app
DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV and Philo all support TV Everywhere access, allowing subscribers to activate the A&E app.
You can watch the A&E app on your Smart TV, tablet, smartphone, and iPad. You can watch some A&E shows for free on their website on a PC or laptop, but only select episodes. The website has older shows that are free to watch under the “A&E Classics” section.
Watching A&E without cable FAQs
These are questions readers ask when searching for ways to watch A&E without a TV provider.
Is A&E on YouTube TV?
No. YouTube TV does not currently carry A&E.
But YouTube TV has added a number of ViacomCBS networks. Those networks include BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land, VH1, BET Her, MTV2, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic.
Is A&E on fubo?
No. fubo (formerly fuboTV) told customers on June 30, 2021 their service will no longer carry A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, FYI channel, Lifetime Movie Network and Vice TV.
As of April 2023, A&E Networks have not returned to fubo’s channel lineup.
Can I watch A&E on Roku?
You can watch A&E on Roku or Roku TVs by subscribing to DIRECTV STREAM, frndly TV, Hulu with Live TV, Philo, Sling TV or Vidgo. You can watch some A&E shows on any Roku device for free through the streaming service, tubi.
What’s the best way to watch or stream A&E?
frndly is the cheapest option to watch A&E without cable starting at $6.99 per month for SD quality. You can quickly sign up for a free 7-day trial without any obligations. You will get more than 40 live TV channels including History, Hallmark Channel and The Weather Channel.
For a more robust channel lineup, Philo has more than 70 channels, including AMC, HGTV, Paramount Network and Discovery for $25 per month. You can get a free 7-day trial. Subscriptions run month to month and there are no contracts.
This article was originally published June 5, 2017, 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
Same here