Watch Discovery Online Without Cable

Update by Dennis Restauro on 2/25/20

Discovery channel lives up to its name – you do indeed discover things there, sometimes maybe more than you’d like. Want to see naked people struggling to survive in the woods in “Naked & Afraid”? A pig tongue frozen to a pole on “Mythbusters”?

Sensational unscripted programming has served Discovery well. “Naked & Afraid” and “Deadliest Catch,” about the perils of life aboard fishing boats, among the highest rated cable shows for men. The show “Gold Rush,” about gold miners struggling to make it in the tough economy, is particularly popular.

Fortunately, you can discover all this without committing yourself to cable. Multiple streaming services allow you to stream Discovery without a cable TV or satellite subscription.

How to Watch Discovery Channel without Cable

As with most content on cable today, there are alternate ways to enjoy the channels and shows you want without forking over mountains of cash to a cable TV provider. Here are a few of the cable-subscription free ways you can stream Discovery online.

Discovery Streaming on Philo

Your most affordable option may be Philo, which for just $20 per month gives you Discovery, Animal Planet, ID, Science, TLC, and Velocity, as well as ten other channels. For $20 per month, you also get AHC, Destination America, and Discovery Life. Bear in mind, however, that this service does not offer sports channels or Disney-owned networks.

Philo also allows you to record shows and watch them up to a month later with their cloud DVR. You can try it without even entering a credit card for two days, then for five days more for free after entering the number. Check out their free trial. For more information be sure to check out our full review of Philo.

Try a Free Trial to Philo

Watch Discovery on Hulu

Hulu Live TV is another way you can stream Discovery Channel. This means you can watch Deadliest Catch, Naked and Afraid, and Alaskan Bush People live, just like you had cable! Previously Hulu was known for their vast on-demand streaming library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service for $54.99 a month that offers lets you stream live Discovery Channel online. 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 Hulu’s Live TV free trial here.

Many of Discovery’s shows are available on demand on Hulu’s streaming library service. These shows are usually past seasons (not current) and  include “Naked & Afraid,” “Gold Rush,” “Mythbusters,” and “Deadliest Catch.” The streaming service starts at $5.99/month, plus $4/month for no commercials. Check out our full review of Hulu for more details.

Discovery Channel on Sling

Discovery is one of the many channels on Sling TV. Live Discovery is a part of both their “Blue” and “Orange” package starting at $30 per month. Furthermore, Sling TV’s cloud DVR provides a method of recording your favorite Discovery shows. You can even pause and rewind the Discovery live stream! Sling TV also provides Discovery on demand.

Along with Discovery, you will receive other Scripps Network Channels like the Travel Channel, and Food Network as part of the base package. DIY Network is also available through the “Lifestyle Extra” package as a $5 per month add-on package.

Sling TV is available on  Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy Discovery on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices.

Sign up for a free trial to Sling TV!

Discovery Streaming on YouTube TV

YouTube TV also offers Discovery live online, as well as limitless storage space for recording your shows. Plus, you can watch your library of recorded shows anywhere! The base package includes Discovery for $49.99 a month. Youtube TV supports Roku, Android, iOS (includes AirPlay to Apple TV), and Chromecasts/Chromecast-compatible TVs. Check our review of YouTube TV to see if it’s available in your area.

Purchase Discovery Shows Online

If you are simply interested in a few Discovery shows, you can purchase the full run of the current season online from Amazon, Itunes or another service.  This may be a cheaper option than purchasing a streaming service to deliver all Discovery has to offer. A limited selection of episodes is available for free on the Discovery GO app.

To buy the latest season of a Discovery show on Amazon, a season pass costs $14.99, which is less than many monthly services and makes sense if it’s the only show that you care about.

That said, there you may be interested in shows on other networks. In that case, you may be better off going with DirecTV Now. It ultimately depends on how many shows you are going to follow in a year. Almost every popular show is available online and once you purchase it, you own it.  That means you can watch it whenever you want.

Streaming on the  Discovery Go App

You can watch Discovery online using the Discovery GO app. TLC GO, Animal Planet GO, Velocity GO, ID GO, AHC GO, Destination America GO, Discovery Life GO, and Science Channel GO bring you programming from the sister networks.

They are available on almost every streaming device on the market. However, You do need a TV provider login from Hulu, Vue, Philo, or other accepted pay-TV provider.

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