How To Watch Cartoon Network without Cable

Cartoon Network is a must-have network for many with children. It’s also a must-have for us big kids that never even look at the channel until it changes into “Adult Swim” between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Well, you don’t need cable to watch Cartoon Network or Adult Swim. All you need is a subscription to one of the following streaming services that carry Cartoon Network: Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, or YouTube TV.

Quick Answer: Get a subscription to DIRECTV STREAM (Sign Up for their free trial). This service provides access to both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim and your account with each service can be used to unlock all the content on-demand on the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim apps. Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV are closer to what one would expect from a cable TV package and similar priced to DIRECTV STREAM. Sling TV also has Cartoon Network in its channel lineup at a price point a little lower than the other services, although its features and channel selection are a little slimmer as well.

Where to Watch Cartoon Network

As with most cable content today, there are alternate ways to enjoy the channels and shows you want without forking over mountains of cash to a cable TV provider. You can watch Cartoon Network live through Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV STREAM. Let’s learn a little about each of these streaming services.

Cartoon Network on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is one of the best ways to watch Cartoon Network. Channel packages with Cartoon Network start 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 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 Cartoon Network on Hulu

Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. However, they also offer Hulu Live TV service, which includes live Cartoon Network Streaming and most top channels typically found on cable. Hulu Live TV starts at $69.99 and includes the following features:

• Over 60 live Channels including Cartoon Network
• Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
• Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
• It comes with 6 customizable profiles
• Includes entire Hulu On-Demand streaming library

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.

Cartoon Network on YouTube TV

YouTube TV also offers live Cartoon Network, as well as limitless storage space for recording your shows. Your library of recorded shows can be streamed anywhere. In addition to Cartoon Network, and numerous other channels, YouTube TV includes a Personal Cloud DVR and YouTube Red original series. All this costs subscribers just $64.99 per month a month for six accounts.

• 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 Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. The YouTube TV app has also returned to Roku devices after settling a dispute between the two companies. 
• 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.

Cartoon Network is on 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 $35 a month. Sling TV provides a live stream of Cartoon Network so you are able to watch exactly what would be airing on Cartoon Network just as if you had cable.  It includes a Cloud DVR program, so 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 History 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 has to offer, and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.

Sign up for Sling TV!

Watch Cartoon Network for Free

Several of the streaming services that carry Cartoon Network offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free Cartoon Network for almost a month or longer if you use different email addresses. Let’s look at the free trials available.

• DIRECTV STREAM – online offer 
• YouTube TV –  offers a 1-week free trial

As long as you cancel before the free trial expires, you won’t be charged. You can cycle the free trials to get nearly a month of Cartoon Network free. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch free Cartoon Network 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 Cartoon Network on Roku

To watch Cartoon Network on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Cartoon Network (Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and DIRECTV STREAM)
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. Cartoon Network will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch Cartoon Network on Fire TV

To watch Cartoon Network on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Cartoon Network (Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and DIRECTV STREAM)
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. Cartoon Network will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch Cartoon Network on Apple TV

To watch Cartoon Network on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Cartoon Network (Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and DIRECTV STREAM)
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. Cartoon Network will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch with the Cartoon Network App

In order to stream Cartoon Network through the Cartoon Network app, you have to enter your TV provider credentials. Most think you need a cable provider login to utilize the Cartoon Network app, but that isn’t the case. Currently, Hulu Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM accounts will work to unlock the Cartoon Network app.

You can even download the Cartoon Network app on your Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV and watch on your television using your Hulu Live TV or DIRECTV STREAM credentials. There are detailed instructions in the next section on installing and activating the Cartoon Network Go app on your streaming device.

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 Cartoon Network app working on our device. While the steps below use Hulu Live TV and Roku to watch Cartoon Network, 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 Cartoon Network Channel
3. Add the Cartoon Network 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. Enter the username and password you use for your Hulu Live TV account.
7. Once you sign in on Cartoon Network’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.

Supported Streaming Devices

The Cartoon Network Go App is supported on all of the following streaming devices:

• Android Devices
• iOS Devices
• Apple TV
• Roku
• Android TV
• Amazon Fire TV
• and more.

Stream Cartoon Network On-Demand

Many of the services mentioned above will also offer Cartoon Network shows on-demand. Hulu is one of the best services offering Cartoon Network due to its included on-demand library. This feature offers more past episodes of shows on Cartoon Network and other networks. There are also quite a few Adult Swim shows like Rick and Morty available on Hulu. Just take a looks at Hulu’s Adult Swim Page. A lot of Cartoon Network Shows like Steven Universe are also available on-demand to subscribers of HBO Max. Take a look at what is currently available on HBO Max’s Cartoon Network Collection.

Finally, if you picked up a subscription to Hulu Live TV or DIRECTV STREAM now you can use them as a valid TV provider to unlock the Cartoon Network app to unlock even more content on-demand.

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