Cartoon Network airs kids’ cartoons like Looney Toons, Teen Titans Go!, and The Amazing World of Gumball during the day from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET/PT every day. At 5:00 PM, the Adult Swim block begins and airs shows like Rick and Morty, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Bob’s Burgers, and shows geared more toward older teens and adults. This guide will explain how you can watch Cartoon Network and Adult Swim even if you don’t have cable.
Article Summary
Streaming Services With Cartoon Network / Adult Swim: You can stream Cartoon Network and Adult Swim channels as they air with Hulu Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.
Watch Adult Swim On-Demand: The Adult Swim app has several episodes of shows on Adult Swim available to stream for free. However, if you see a “key” symbol, you will need credentials from an accepted TV provider to watch. Your credentials from Hulu Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM are accepted.
Watch Cartoon Network On-Demand: The Cartoon Network app has several free episodes of shows on Cartoon Network available to stream. Your credentials from Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV STREAM will unlock all the content on the app.
Max is another excellent streaming service for watching adult swim, and cartoon network shows on-demand.
Watching Adult Swim Shows
You can watch a lot of shows that are currently airing, like Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and The Eric Andre Show, and older Adult Swim classics like The Brak Show, The Venture Bros, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast using the Adult Swim app.
While having a TV provider login (Your login to DIRECTV STREAM or Hulu + Live TV will work ) unlocks all the content on the app, there are still a lot of episodes from several shows on Adult Swim available to watch for free. About 10 Rick and Morty episodes were available for free when I published this article. I could also watch the latest episode of Mike Tyson Mysteries, quite a few Aqua Teen Hunger Force episodes, and the first season of Robot Chicken for free.
There are around 120 shows on the Adult Swim app, and most have at least a few episodes available to Watch for free. To guarantee you will catch the latest episodes of your favorite shows on the Adult Swim Block, you need a subscription to a streaming service that carries Cartoon Network.
Streaming Services that Carry Cartoon Network
You can stream Cartoon Network during the day through Hulu Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. You can also use these streaming services to watch the Adult Swim block of shows from 5:00 PM until 6:00 AM the next day. Let’s learn a little about each of these streaming services. This allows you to watch episodes from the latest season of Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, and more.
If you are mainly interested in Cartoon Network to watch shows on the Adult Swim block, then I recommend using Hulu + Live TV or DIRECTV STREAM. You can use your account credentials from those services to unlock all the content on the Adult Swim app. While YouTube TV and Sling carry Cartoon Network, neither service is accepted as a TV provider on the app.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is one of the best ways to watch Cartoon Network. The most affordable channel plan with Cartoon Network is the Entertainment plan starting at $79.99 per month. A subscription to DIRECTV STREAM includes the following:
- Watch on unlimited streams simultaneously per subscription on your home network and on up to three devices when away from home.
- A cloud-based DVR with unlimited storage (recordings are kept for 9 months)
- channels like Cartoon Network and more
- Your DIRECTV STREAM login credentials work to unlock all the content on the Adult Swim app.
- supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more
You can check out this streaming service through this online offer or read about it in our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV includes Cartoon Network in its base plan, which starts at $76.99 per month and includes the following features:
- Over 75+ live Channels, including Cartoon Network
- The price includes a subscription to Disney+ and ESPN+
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
- Watch on two screens at once. (Upgrades available)
- It comes with six customizable profiles
- Includes entire Hulu On-Demand streaming library
- Your Hulu + Live TV credentials can be used to unlock all the content on the Adult Swim app
With Hulu Live TV, you can watch Cartoon Network on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, and more. See our review of Hulu for more information.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV also provides Cartoon Network in its base package for $72.99 per month. A subscription includes the following:
- access to Cartoon Network, Local Network Channels, and over 70 other channels
- unlimited cloud DVR storage
- stream on three devices at once
- YouTube TV supports Roku, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more.
- Includes YouTube TV on-demand
Check our review of YouTube TV for all the information on this service. YouTube TV offers a 1-week free trial.
Sling TV
If you are interested in Cartoon Network, a more price-conscious alternative is Sling TV. Cartoon Network is in its “Blue” or “Orange” package, which is $40 a month. Sling TV provides a live stream of Cartoon Network, letting you watch what would be airing on Cartoon Network just as if you had cable. It includes a Cloud DVR for recording shows.
Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so you can stream Cartoon Network on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart device. There are more channels available on Sling TV than what I’ve mentioned here. To find out more about what Sling TV has to offer and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.
Max
Max is different from the other live-streaming services I’ve covered so far. Cartoon Network and Adult Swim TV shows available on Max stream on-demand; there isn’t a channel guide where you turn on Cartoon Network. Instead, you select the show you want to watch, not the channel. Max is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the same company that owns Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Therefore many of their shows are available on Max on-demand.
There are around 50 Adult Swim Shows on Max, along with several Cartoon Network shows. However, the current season of some shows may take some time to appear on the service. For example, the latest season of Rick and Morty isn’t there, but the previous six seasons are. Yet, you can catch new episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Max.
A subscription to Max costs $15.99 per month for their ad-free plan and $9.99 per month for their ad-supported service (meaning a few commercials before movies and episodes). You can subscribe to either plan on the Max website. Max is supported on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS, and more. For more information on this streaming service, check out our guide to Max.
Watch the Adult Swim App
You can download the Adult Swim app to Roku, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Apple TV, and more. There is a lot of free content available on the app without needing a TV provider login. However, if you want to be able to watch everything available on the Adult Swim app, you are going to need credentials from an accepted TV provider.
Many folks think you need a cable provider login to utilize the Adult Swim app, but that isn’t the case. Currently, Hulu Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM accounts work to unlock the Adult Swim app.
How To Watch on Your Device
For our example, let’s assume we have a Hulu Live subscription and a Roku. We can follow the steps below to get the Adult Swim app working on our device. While the steps below use Hulu Live TV and Roku to watch Adult Swim, most streaming services and devices have the same process.
- Go to the channel store or app store on your device. On Roku, it’s called the “Channel Store.”
- Search for Adult Swim Channel
- Add the Adult Swim app to your device and then open it.
- Your Roku device will then show you an activation code and a URL.
- Using a computer or mobile web browser, you go to the URL.
- You will then be asked for a TV provider and a username/password. Enter the username and password you use for your Hulu Live TV account.
- Once you sign in on Adult Swim’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.
Watch the Cartoon Network App
Similar to the Adult Swim app, if a show airs on Cartoon Network between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM, you can find it on the Cartoon Network App. Unlike the Adult Swim app, your YouTube TV credentials will unlock all of the content on the Cartoon Network app along with your credentials to Hulu Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM.
How To Watch on Your Device
The setup process for the Cartoon Network app is similar to setting up the Adult Swim app.
- Go to the channel store or app store on your device. On Roku, it’s called the “Channel Store.”
- Search for Cartoon Network
- Add the Cartoon Network app to your device and then open it.
- Your Roku device will then show you an activation code and a URL.
- Using a computer or mobile web browser, you go to the URL.
- You will then be asked for a TV provider and a username/password. Enter the username and password you use for your Hulu Live TV account.
- Once you sign in on the Cartoon Network website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.
F.A.Q. on Cartoon Network / Adult Swim
Below are questions readers commonly ask about Cartoon Network and Adult Swim
Is Cartoon Network Shutting Down?
No. Cartoon Network is not shutting down. False rumors spread online over a year ago that the network was shutting down. The rumor is due to a misconception that spread due to Warner Bros Discovery shutting down its Cartoon Network animation studio and transferring its operations to its Warner Bros. Animation division. The network is airing and will continue to air.
When Does Adult Swim Start?
Adult Swim begins every evening at 5:00 PM ET/PT on Cartoon Network and continues until 6:00 AM the next morning. However, you can watch Adult Swim swims on the Adult Swim app any time of day.
Is Adult Swim Ending?
No. This was a rumor that spawned from the misconception that Cartoon Network was shutting down.
Is Adult Swim on fubo?
No. Adult Swim and the Cartoon Network channel only stream through Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Sling.
