Are you looking to watch Lifetime on your TV without cable? All you need is a streaming device like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Smart TV, and a live TV streaming service that carries Lifetime channel.
Before we go into detail on watching Lifetime online, I wanted to highlight streaming services that carry Lifetime. They are below starting with our favorite option.
6 Ways to Stream Lifetime Channel
Lifetime is available on Hulu, Sling TV, Philo, Vidgo, and DIRECTV Stream. Unfortunately, Youtube TV does not carry Lifetime Channel and FuboTV dropped Lifetime from its lineup on June 30, 2021. Watching lifetime through these streaming services is the same Lifetime channel you would see on cable TV. It’s just a lot more affordable. You can learn more about the streaming services offering Lifetime below.
Watch Lifetime on Philo
After the first month, the cheapest option is Philo, which gives you Lifetime and Lifetime Movies as well as over 60 other channels for $25/month. You can check out a free trial and see if the service will meet your needs. Philo also includes a cloud DVR for you to record shows to watch later.
Sign Up For A Free Trial To Philo
Philo is supported on Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or newer), Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
You can use your Philo credentials to sign on to the A&E app and watch at least some of the episodes there.
Lifetime on Sling TV
Lifetime is available on Sling TV’s Blue or Orange package for $35/month, along with over 40 other channels. Sling TV provides a live stream of Lifetime, so you can watch exactly what would be airing on Lifetime, just as if you had cable. It includes a Cloud DVR so that you can record shows for later.
Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and more. You can enjoy Lifetime on a TV or mobile device. There are more channels on Sling TV than what I’ve mentioned here. To find out more about what Sling TV has to offer, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.
Lifetime on Hulu Live TV
Hulu Live TV offers Lifetime in its live TV channel lineup. Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service for $64.99 a month that offers Live Lifetime Online Streaming. Hulu Live TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available. It includes the following features:
- The basic package comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. (Upgrades available)
- Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
- Comes with 6 customizable profiles
- Includes entire Hulu streaming library
Check out our full review of Hulu Live TV for more details.
Watch Lifetime on Vidgo
Vidgo is a newer Streaming service that offers fairly competitive pricing over other Live streaming services. The only catch is they do not currently offer a DVR. Their service offers Lifetime as a part of their 60+ channel Core package. The Core Plan costs $55 per month.
There is no contract with Vidgo, and you can cancel at any time. They do offer promotional pricing, and you can cancel at any time. Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV. You can also stream the service on up to 3 devices at the same time. We have the full details in our guide to Vidgo’s live streaming service.
Lifetime on DIRECTV Stream
DIRECTV Stream is another way you can watch Lifetime. The channel is available on their ” Entertainment” channel plan and is priced at $69.99 per month. A subscription to DIRECTV Stream includes the following:
- watch 20 streams simultaneously per subscription
- a cloud-based DVR
- channels like Cartoon Network and more
- supported on AppleTV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more
AT&T doesn’t advertise a free trial, however, they do offer a full refund if you cancel service within 14-days of signing up. You can learn more in our DIRECTV Stream review.
Watch on the Lifetime App
To stream full movies or shows on Lifetime’s web site or app, you’ll need to log in with streaming service credentials, just the same as you would if you had cable credentials. However, only Philo and Hulu are listed among the eligible providers for the web site and app. Not sling.
The app is available on iPhone and Android devices as well as Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon FireTV.
Using The Lifetime App on Roku and Other Devices
Once you subscribe to one of the services above, you can watch by downloading the Lifetime app to your supported device. When asked for a TV provider, use your login credentials from one of the streaming services above. Below are the steps to unlock Lifetime Channel on Roku. Other streaming devices and channels have a very similar process.
- Go to the channel store on your device.
- Search for the Lifetime app, and add it to your device
- Open the app, select “Login” from the menu.
- Your Roku device will provide an activation code and a URL.
- Using a web browser, go to the URL.
- You will then be asked for the credentials of the TV provider you use for Lifetime. I use for Philo.
- Your TV screen will refresh, and you will have access to the content Lifetime provides through the Lifetime app.
Streaming Lifetime’s shows and movies
If you just want to watch the shows on Lifetime and not the live stream of the channel itself, you can use a streaming service. Hulu doesn’t have all shows but it has some, including “Dance Moms,” “Little Women: LA,” “Mary Kills People,” and “Devious Maids.” Hulu’s streaming services costs $6.99/month and offers a 1-month free trial. From Lifetime Movies it has “Deadly Wives.”
Watch Lifetime Channel for Free
Some of the streaming services that carry Lifetime Channel offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free Lifetime Channel for free. Let’s look at the free trials available.
- Philo – offers a 1-week free trial.
- Hulu Live TV – Offers a 1-week free trial
As long as you cancel before the free trial expires, you won’t be charged. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch free Lifetime Channel even longer. Doing this would also let you test out the various live TV streaming services to see which one you like the best.
Watch Lifetime Channel on Roku
To watch Lifetime Channel on Roku, follow these instructions.
- Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Lifetime Channel (Philo, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, etc.)
- On your Roku Menu, navigate to “Search” and press “OK” on your remote
- Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
- Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
- Select “Add Channel” press “OK” on your remote. If the channel is already installed, “Go To Channel” will be an option.
- The App is now installed on your Roku. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. Lifetime Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.
Watch Lifetime Channel on Fire TV
To watch Lifetime Channel on Fire TV, follow these instructions.
- Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Lifetime Channel (Philo, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, etc.)
- On your Fire TV Home screen, click on the search icon in the screen’s upper-left corner.
- Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
- Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
- Select “Download,” and the channel will install
- The App is now installed on your Fire TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. Lifetime Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.
Watch Lifetime Channel on Apple TV
To watch Lifetime Channel on Apple TV, follow these instructions.
- Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Lifetime Channel (Philo, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, etc)
- Scroll right to the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
- Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
- Select the streaming service click the cloud icon, and the channel will install
- The App is now installed on your Apple TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. Lifetime Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.
About Lifetime Channel
Just saying the words “Lifetime movie” is enough to immediately conjure flashy images: the scorned wife, the thwarted lover, the pregnant teen. Lifetime has become synonymous with a certain melodrama of the distinctly feminine variety. If action movies feature a surplus of masculine energy, these go the opposite route. Interpersonal dramas go bonkers in plots that are borderline ridiculous in its made-for-tv movies.
Of course, that’s not to say that there isn’t murder. One of the little icons on Lifetime’s web site is a dripping knife. It comes down to the guilty pleasure of seeing people inflict emotional torture on those around them.
Kirsten Dunst in “Fifteen and Pregnant” (1998) is scandalous and a true story to boot. A whole group of high schoolers deciding to get pregnant at once in 2010’s “The Pregnancy Pact”? Equally so. But it isn’t all cautionary tales. In the trailer for 2009 “12 Men of Christmas” featuring Kristen Chenoweth finding naked men for a calendar, we learn that “the search for Mr. December could turn out to be the Christmas gift she’s always wanted.” How can you resist?
Don’t Forget Lifetime Movies
Two channels carry Lifetime programming, the flagship Lifetime as well as Lifetime Movies. On Lifetime, you can find its particular brand in shows as well as movies. “Dance Moms” has defined a style of crazed, high-pressure mothering that makes us “tsk, tsk” and feel better about our own imperfect parenting. Or you could indulge in “American Princess,” about a woman who runs away from her cheating fiancé to join a Renaissance festival. Those of us with bodices gathering dust in the closet can relate.
If all this is your jam, Lifetime’s web site offers up a few ways to take it to the next level. You can join the “Inner Circle” for free, which lets you take quizzes like “test your Lifetime movie knowledge or find out if you’d survive a psycho killer.” Or you can check out the section “She Did That” with real-life news of inspiring women (who probably are not pregnant with knives but who knows?)
Thankfully, you do not need cable to check out all the drama for yourself. There are numerous ways to stream Lifetime without signing up for a cable plan.
For information on watching other TV channels online check out: How To Stream Specific TV Channels
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