How To Watch TBS Without Cable

You don’t need a cable TV subscription to watch TBS. You can watch TBS shows, basketball, and baseball as they air on TV. All you need is a streaming device like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or a Smart TV, and one of the following live TV streaming services that carry TBS: Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, or YouTube TV.

Want A Quick Answer: Sling TV is the cheapest way to stream TBS but isn’t an excellent solution for streaming local channels. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV provide TBS are closer to what one would expect from a cable TV package but are more expensive than Sling TV. If you want to see how streaming TBS works you can do so without risk by trying one of the services that carries TBS in their lineup and offers a free trial like:

• DIRECTV STREAM – Has TBS and provides a 5-day free trial
• YouTube TV – Has TBS and provides a free trial

Streaming Services with TBS

There are quite a few streaming services that offer TBS in their channel lineup. I go into details on those services below

Sling TV has TBS

You can watch TBS on Sling TV through its “Blue” or “Orange” package for $35. You can sign up to try their service and cancel any time as there are no contracts or long-term commitments. I recommend the Blue plan because you get more channels overall and you can stream on 3 devices at once, as opposed to the Orange package which only allows you to stream on one device at a time. However, if you want ESPN channels, then you will need to get the Orange package. For just $50 per month, you can get both plans combined if it’s hard to decide between the two plans. Sling TV also offers on-demand when available from a network, includes 50 hours of cloud DVR storage, and you can cancel at any time. Read on to learn more or check out this detailed review of Sling TV.

Go To Sling TV's Website

Sling Blue Price: The service costs $35 per month. Currently the first month is 50% off (Sign up).

Sling Blue Devices: Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it's not a problem to watch Sling TV on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. Sling's Blue Plan allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once.

Sling Blue Channels: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, Barstool Sports, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery, E!, Epix, Food Network, FOX, Fox News, FS1, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, Stadium, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, and Viceland

Go To Sling TV's Website

Sling Orange Price: The service costs $35 per month. Currently the first month is 50% off (Sign up).

Sling Orange Devices: Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it's not a problem to watch Sling TV on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. Sling's Blue Plan allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once.

Sling Orange Channels: Barstool Sports, Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Freeform, MotorTrend, A&E, BET, TNT, AMC, HGTV, CNN, TBS, Comedy Central, History, IFC, Food Network, BBC America, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, Nick Jr., EPIX Drive-In, Lifetime, Vice, AXS TV, Fuse, Newsy, Bloomberg, Cheddar, Local Now, Comet, and Stadium.

Get Both Plans: You can get both Sling TV channel packages for $50 per month. Any channel that’s available in Sling Blue can stream on three devices at the same time. However, channels exclusive to Sling Orange can only stream on one device at a time. The first month is 50% off.

TBS on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is another way you can watch the TBS. Channel packages with TBS start at $69.99 per month after a 5-day free trial. All DIRECTV STREAM plans come with unlimited DVR storage as long as the content is watched within 9 months. Recordings are automatically deleted after 9 months. You can also access on-demand through the TBS app and other channel apps using your DIRECTV STREAM credentials. I cover their “Entertainment” channel plan below since it’s the most affordable way to watch TBS on DIRECTV STREAM. You can learn about all the channel plans they offer in my full review of DIRECTV STREAM.

Go To DIRECTV STREAM's Website

DIRECTV STREAM Entertainment Plan Price: The service normally costs $69.99 per month after a risk-free 5-Day Free Trial. However, there is a promotion running where the first 2 months are only $49.99.

Device Support: DIRECTV STREAM is supported on iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can watch up 20 streams simultaneously per subscription with any DIRECTV STREAM plan. See our coverage of DIRECTV STREAM Device Support for more details.

DIRECTV STREAM Entertainment Channel Plan: ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, A&E, AccuWeather, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby TV, BBC America, BET, Black News Channel, Bloomberg News, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN En Español, CNN International, Comedy Central, COZI TV, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Lifetime, FS1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Galavisión, GEM Shopping Network, Grit, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HISTORY Channel, HLN, Home Shopping Network, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MotorTrend, TCM, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, OANN, Paramount Network, QVC, Reelz, Revolt, RFD-TV, Sundance TV, Syfy, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, Univision, USA, VH1, Viceland, and WE tv

Watch TBS on Hulu

Hulu is a great way to stream TBS Live. Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service. In addition to streaming TBS live, Hulu offers live access to channels like A&E, TNT, FX, HGTV and more. Hulu Live TV also includes the following features:

• price includes a subscription to Disney+ and ESPN+
• 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

Read on for more details on Hulu Live TV or check out our review of Hulu for more details on this streaming service.

Go To Hulu's Website

Price: The service currently costs $20/month for 3 months. Regular price is $69.99 per month. (Sign up).

Device Support: Hulu Live TV is supported on Apple iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can watch on two devices at once. However, you can upgrade to unlimited devices for just $9.99 monthly

Hulu Channels: ABC, A&E, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Animal Planet, BET, BTN, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar Business, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, COZI TV, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN College Extra, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, FOX Business, Fox News, FreeForm, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf Channel, HGTV, History, HLN, Investigation Discovery, LifeTime, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Olympic Channel, Oxygen, OWN, Paramount Network, Pop TV, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Syfy, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, The CW, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, Universal Kids, USA, VH1, Vice, and WGN America

TBS on YouTube TV

YouTube TV also offers TBS streaming and limitless storage space for recording your shows. Stream your library of recorded shows from anywhere. YouTube TV costs $64.99 after a free trial. YouTube TV includes a personal cloud-based DVR for each of the subscription’s six account profiles. In addition, the DVR provides unlimited storage and simultaneous recordings. Furthermore, your recordings are available for nine months.

Go To YouTube TV's Website

YouTube TV Price: The service costs $64.99 per month and offers a 1-week free trial.

YouTube TV Devices: YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and more. You can stream on up to three devices at the same time. See our coverage of YouTube TV device support for more details.

YouTube TV Channels: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Bravo, Big Ten Network, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, CNBC, CMT, Comedy Central, Comedy.TV, CNN, Comet, COZI TV, Court TV, The CW, Dabl, Discovery, Disney XD, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, SEC Network, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX Business, FOX News, Fox Soul, Fox Weather, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, G4, Galavisión, Game Show Network, getTV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Justice Central TV, LiveNOW from FOX, Local Now, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, MTV Classic, MyNetworkTV, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, NBA TV, NBCLX, NBC News NOW, NBC Universo, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, Teen Nick, NFL Network, Olympic Channel, Oxygen, OWN, Paramount Network, PBS, Pop, QVC, Recipe.TV, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Sundance TV, SyFy, Tastemade, TBS, Telemundo, TLC, TNT, TCM, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, TYT Network, Univision, UniMás, Universal Kids, USA, VH1, The Weather Channel, WeTV, YouTube Movies, and YouTube Originals

Watch TBS for Free

Most of the streaming services that carry TBS offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free TBS 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
• 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 TBS free. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch free TBS 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 TBS on Roku

To watch TBS on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries TBS (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, YouTube 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. TBS will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch TBS on Fire TV

To watch TBS on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries TBS (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, YouTube 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. TBS will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch TBS on Apple TV

To watch TBS on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries TBS (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, YouTube 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. TBS will be a channel available through the app’s live TV guide.

Watch with the TBS App

You can also use the TBS app to watch TV and movies on TBS on-demand and even watch TBS live. In order to stream TBS through the TBS app, you have to enter your TV provider credentials. Most think you need a cable provider login to utilize the TBS app, but that isn’t the case. Currently, Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV STREAM accounts will work to unlock the TBS app.

You can even download the TBS app on your Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV and watch on your television using your Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, or DIRECTV STREAM credentials. There are detailed instructions in the next section on installing and activating the TBS 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 TBS app working on our device. While the steps below use Hulu Live TV and Roku to watch TBS, 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 TBS Channel
3. Add the TBS 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 TBS’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.

Supported Streaming Devices

The TBS App is supported on all of the following streaming devices:

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

What’s On TBS

Below are articles explaining how to watch popular shows airing on TBS, even if you don’t have cable.

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

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