How To Watch A&E without Cable TV

Once a channel catering to the arts, A&E has slowly re-branded itself with a mix of reality TV shows like Hoarders and true-crime networks with shows like Accused: Guilty or Innocent, 60 Days In, The First 48 and the new show I Survived a Serial Killer. However, you can still expect to see shows like Biography, which highlight newsworthy personalities and events. Those looking to watch A&E can do so without subscribing to an expensive cable TV plan. All you need is a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire TV and a subscription to one of the following streaming services that carry A&E live.

The cheapest way to Watch A&E is with Frndly TV at just $6.99 after a 1-week free trial. Philo is the next most affordable at $25 per month and provides many more popular channels than Frndly, but both services lack sports and cable news. DIRECTV STREAM and Hulu Live TV provide an experience closer to cable TV with cable news, sports, and local channels, but they are priced around $65-$70 per month. Sling TV and Vidgo also provide A&E in their lineup at a price point and channel selection in between streaming services like Philo and services like DIRECTV STREAM.

Streaming Services with A&E

The streaming services that carry A&E are Philo, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, and DIRECTV STREAM. With them, you can watch A&E, just as if you had cable. Information on those services and how to sign up for each is listed below.

Philo is The Best Way To Watch Live A&E

Philo is a great value for those looking to stream A&E. Philo provides access to A&E as well as several other channels for $25/month. See our complete list of channels on Philo. You can check out a free trial to Philo 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 also sign in to the A&E app with your Philo credentials to watch episodes. Be sure to check out our review of Philo for more information on the service.

A&E on Frndly TV

Frndly TV is the most affordable way to watch A&E Channel live and other channels like Game Show Network, Hallmark Channel, QVC, and The Weather Channel. A subscription to Frndly TV starts at $6.99 per month. However, we find their $8.99 per month “Classic Plan” is the best value as it includes the following:

• Over 20 of Channels Live TV & On-Demand
• HD Video Quality
• Watch on 2 Screens at a Time
• Unlimited DVR recordings. You can keep recordings for 3 Months
• Supported on Apple TV, Roku, Roku TVs, Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android and iOS mobile devices, and most major web browsers

You can try their service with no commitment using this 1-week trial or reading our review of Frndly TV.

A&E on Sling TV

Sling TV provides a live stream of A&E, so you can watch what would be airing on A&E just as if you had cable. The channel is available on both of Sling’s core package (Blue or Orange), each costing $35 per month. Sling includes a cloud DVR so that you can record shows for later.

Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy A&E on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices.  There are more channels available on Sling TV than what I’ve mentioned here. To find out more about what Sling TV offers and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.

The review includes information on a Sling TV free trial and ways to get discounted (and free) streaming devices, so be sure to check it out.

Sign up for Sling TV

Watching A&E on Hulu Live TV

Hulu is another way to stream A&E. Previously, Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. They have recently added a Hulu Live TV service for $69.99 a month that offers Live A&E Online Streaming. Hulu Live TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available. It includes the following features:

• Discovery and 60+ other channels including local network channels.
• Price includes a subscription to ESPN+ and Disney+
• Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
• Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
• Comes with 6 customizable profiles
• Includes entire Hulu streaming library
• Supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more.

Check out Hulu’s Live TV here. See our full review of Hulu for more details on their service.

A&E on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is another way you can watch A&E. Channel packages with A&E start at $69.99 per month and they provide a 5-day free trial. A subscription to DIRECTV STREAM includes the following:

• watch 20 streams simultaneously per subscription 
• a cloud-based DVR
• channels like A&E and more
• 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.

Watch A&E for Free

Some of the streaming services that carry A&E offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free A&E. Let’s look at the free trials available.

• Philo – offers a 1-week free trial
• Frndly TV – offers a 1-week trial
• DIRECTV STREAM – Watch with this 5-day 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 A&E 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 A&E on Roku

To watch A&E on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries A&E (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or Philo)
2. On your Roku Menu, navigate to “Search” and press “OK” on your remote
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Add Channel” press “OK” on your remote. If the channel is already installed, “Go To Channel” will be an option.
6. The App is now installed on your Roku. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. A&E will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

Watch A&E on Fire TV

To watch A&E on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries A&E (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or Philo)
2. On your Fire TV Home screen, click on the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Download,” and the channel will install
6. 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. A&E will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

Watch A&E on Apple TV

To watch A&E on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries A&E (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or Philo)
2. Scroll right to the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service click the cloud icon, and the channel will install
5. 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. A&E will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

Watch The A&E App on Roku, Fire TV, and More

While all the streaming services mentioned above are supported on Roku and Amazon Fire TV Stick, you may want to watch A&E on the A&E app. Not to worry, the A&E app is available on several streaming devices, and you can use your login credentials from Hulu Live TV, or Philo to unlock all the content available on the A&E app. This will allow you to watch A&E live through the app.

How To Watch on Your Device

For our example, let’s assume we have a Philo subscription and a Roku. We can follow the steps below to get the A&E app working on our device. While the steps below use Philo and Roku to watch A&E, most streaming services and devices will have the same process.

1. Go to the channel store or app store on your device. On Roku, it’s called the “Channel Store.”
2. Search for “A&E”
3. Add the A&E app to your device and then open it. 
4. Your Roku device will then show you an activation code and a URL.
5. Using a computer or mobile web browser, you go to the URL.
6. You will then be asked for a TV provider and a username/password. I’m entering the username and password I use for Philo.
7. Once you sign in on A&E’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.

Supported Streaming Devices

The A&E app is supported on all of the following streaming devices:

• Android Devices
• iOS Devices
• Apple TV
• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Chromecast
• Android TV
• Samsung TV

For information on watching other TV channels online check out: How To Stream Specific TV Channels