How To Watch Discovery Channel Without Cable

This article explains how to watch Discovery Channel and shows airing on the cable network Discovery Channel on-demand. This is different than the premium streaming service Discovery+, which we cover in our Discovery+ explainer.

Philo is the cheapest way to stream Discovery Channel but lacks local channels, sports, and news. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, FuboTV, and YouTube TV are closer to what one would expect from a cable TV package but are more than double the price of Philo. Vidgo and Sling also carry Discovery and provide a value point between services like Philo and DIRECTV STREAM.

Philo is the Best Way to Watch Discovery Live

Philo also includes Investigation Discovery, HGTV, and more

Your most affordable option is Philo. For just $25 per month, Philo gives you live access to  Discovery Channel along with all other channels owned by Discovery Network like HGTV, Food Network, TLC, among others. We keep a list of channels available on Philo if you are interested in what channels are available.

Philo also allows you to record shows and watch them up to a month later with their cloud DVR.

Philo is supported on Mac and PC on a web browser, Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or later). They also support Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku.

If you want to watch the Discovery Channel now, take advantage of their free trial. For more information, see our full review of Philo.

Try a Free Trial to Philo

Other Ways to Stream Discovery Channel

All the streaming services below offer Discovery Channel in their channel lineup. All you need is an internet connection.

Watch Discovery Channel on Hulu

Hulu Live TV is another way you can stream Discovery Channel. This means you can watch shows on the Discovery Channel as they air, just like you had cable! Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service for $69.99 a month that offers lets you stream live Discovery Channel online. Hulu Live TV includes the following features:

• 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

Check out Hulu’s Live TV here.

Discovery Channel on Sling

Discovery is one of the many channels on Sling TV. Discovery is a part of Sling’s “Blue” package, starting at $35 per month after a free trial. Included is Sling TV’s cloud DVR for 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 Channels like the Travel Channel and Food Network as part of the base 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 Sling TV!

Discovery Channel on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is another way you can watch the Discovery Channel. Channel packages with Discovery Channel 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 Discovery and more
• supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more

DIRECTV STREAM provides a 5-day free trial for new customers or read about it in our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Discovery Channel on FuboTV

FuboTV is a streaming service that provides access to quite a few pay-TV channels. You can watch channels like Discovery Channel live as they air on cable TV and record programs on their cloud DVR. They stream Discovery Channel online as well as over 80 other channels as part of their base package.

FuboTV is an excellent place to go for sports, but it offers many other more general channels as well, including fuboTV. Over 90 channels are offered in its Pro Plan for $69.99.

Here are some of fuboTV’s features:

• Discovery Channel and more are available in fuboTV’s channel lineup
• You can watch on three screens at the same time 
• 250 hours of cloud DVR storage
• The FuboTV app is available on major platforms, including Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, Apple TV, and more.

You can sign up for fuboTV or check out our review of FuboTV for more details.

Discovery Channel on YouTube TV

YouTube TV also offers Discovery Channel streaming live, as well as limitless storage space for recording your shows. Your library of recorded shows can be streamed anywhere. Discovery Channel is included in the base package for $64.99 a month.

YouTube TV provides:

• access to Discovery Channel, 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
• offers a 1-week free trial.

Check our review of YouTube TV for more details. They also offer a 1-week free trial.

Watch Discovery Channel 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. Vidgo includes Discovery in its Core package, along with over 60 other channels. New customers can sign up for the Core Plan for $59.95 per month. (They offer discounted promo pricing for your first 3 months.) Vidgo doesn’t force you into a contract, so you can cancel any time and offer a free trial for new customers.

Vidgo is supported on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and more. 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.

Watch Discovery Channel for Free

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

• DIRECTV STREAM – Offers a 5-day free trial.
• FuboTV – offers a 1-week free trial.
• YouTube TV –  offers a 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 Discovery Channel free. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch free Discovery 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 Discovery Channel on Roku

To watch the Discovery Channel on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Discovery Channel ( Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc.)
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. Discovery Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch Discovery Channel on Fire TV

To watch Discovery Channel on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Discovery Channel (Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc)
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. Discovery Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch Discovery Channel on Apple TV

To watch Discovery Channel on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries Discovery Channel (Philo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, DIRECTV STREAM, YouTube TV, etc)
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. Discovery Channel will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Discovery Go App On Roku, Firestick, and more

While all the streaming services mentioned above are supported on Roku and Amazon Fire TV Stick, you may want to watch some of the on-demand content available on the Discovery app. Not to worry, Discovery is available on several streaming devices. You can even use your login credentials for FuboTV, Philo, Hulu Live TV, Vidgo,  DIRECTV STREAM, and YouTube TV to unlock all the content on the app.

How To Watch on Your Device

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

1. Go the channel store or app store on your device. On Roku, it’s called the “Channel Store.”
2. Search for Discovery Go
3. Add the for Discovery Go 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. I’ll supply a full list of TV everywhere apps and supported streaming TV providers in the next section.
7. Once you sign in on Discovery’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.

Supported Devices

The Discovery Go app supports the following devices.

1. iPhone 6 and newer
   • iOS 9 and newer
2. iPad 3rd Gen and newer
   • iOS 9 and newer
3. Android Mobile
   • Android 5 operating system and newer
4. Kindle Fire Tablet 7 and newer
   • Android 4.0.3 operating system and newer
5. Web Browsers
   • Safari 10 and newer
   • Chrome Blink 51 and newer
   • Firefox 
   • Edge
   • Android Webview 70.0.3 operating system and newer
6. Roku
   • Roku 3
   • Roku Ultra
   • Roku Express
   • Roku Stick
   • Roku Stick+
   • Roku TV
     • All operating system version are supported
7. Fire TV
   • Fire TV Cube 
   • Fire TV 
   • Fire TV Stick
   • Fire TV Edition television
     • Android 5 operating system and newer
8. Apple TV
   • Gen 4 and newer
     • tvOS 9 and newer
9. Samsung Tizen
   • Tizen 2 (TV Model Year 2015) and newer
10. XBox One
    • All operating system versions are supported

How To Watch Shows On Discovery Channel

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