Update by Dennis Restauro: As of 11/29/2018 Discovery channel has been added to the Hulu Live TV lineup. This article has been updated to reflect that information.
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.
Discovery’s sister networks offer even more gasp-worthy topics of interest. Among other features, Animal Planet will give you an up close and personal look at people’s parasites. Investigation Discovery (ID) gives you everything you ever wanted to know about horrible crimes. TLC takes you into the life of “Dr. Pimple Popper.” Science shows you “Outrageous Acts of Science.” Velocity brings you into the world of car racing. Or perhaps you’d like “Sex Sent Me to the ER,” thanks to Discovery Life?
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 $16 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.
Watch Discovery on Hulu
Hulu Live TV is another way you can stream Discover 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 $39.99 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,” “Deadliest Catch,” and “Sacred Cod.” The streaming service starts at $7.99/month, plus $4/month for no commercials. Check out our full review of Hulu for more details.
Discovery Streaming on Direct TV Now
AT&T’s Direct TV Now service is one way you can watch Discovery. It is offered as part of their most affordable “Live a Little” package for $35/month ($10 for the first month), as is Animal Planet, ID, TLC, and Velocity (but not AHC, Destination America, Discovery Life, or Science). The next level “Just Right” for $50/month adds Science. The level after, “Go Big” for $60/month, adds AHC, Destination America, and Discovery Life.
The price is a bit steeper than some services but also offers the most channels. At the first tier, you get more than 60 channels, while at the highest level of $70 a month you get over 120. Add premium channels for a small additional cost, like HBO or Cinemax for $5 a month or Starz for $8 a month. You can check out everything this service offers by taking advantage of their 7-day free trial or read about it in our DirecTV Now review.
Discovery on PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue is a great way to get a ton of TV channels without needing a cable provider. Vue’s entry package costs $39.99 per month and delivers over 50 channels over the internet.
These are channels you would typically see as part of a cable package like Freeform, TBS, and of course Discovery as well as Animal Planet, Destination America, ID, TLC, Science, and ID. In the Elite package for $54.99/month you also get AHC, Discovery Life, and Velocity.
While you may assume that Vue is only available on PlayStation, that isn’t the case. Vue is also available on Amazon Fire TV and other streaming devices. See our review of PlayStation Vue for more details on what channels are available and device support.
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 Discovery if you Have A Pay TV Account
If you have cable TV, 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, as I said, this requires a cable TV or satellite subscription. The apps require your (or someone else’s) Pay TV provider login credentials to access the content.
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