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. All you need is a streaming device like a Roku and a streaming service that carries MTV. Here are a few of the cable-subscription free ways you can stream MTV online in order of cost.
Philo is The Best Way To Watch Live MTV
Philo also has MTV2, MTV Classic, and MTV Live
Philo is our favorite option for watching MTV Live online. Philo is a live online TV streaming service that provides MTV, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, and 50+ other channels for $20/month. You can check out a free trial and see if the service will meet your needs. Philo also includes a cloud DVR for you to record shows to watch later.
Sign Up For A Free Trial To Philo
Philo supports the Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or newer), Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
With online access to MTV streaming, you will never miss great shows like “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” “The Hills: New Beginnings” “Ghosted: Love Gone Missing,” “Teen Mom OG” “Ex on the Beach,” and “Are You the One?”
You can use your Philo credentials to sign on to the MTV app and watch at many episodes there. For information on what’s available on Philo check our this review which includes a list of all channels available on Philo.
MTV on Sling TV
MTV is not in Sling’s base packages. However, you can get MTV through the Orange or the Blue package for $5 as part of its “Comedy Extra” add-on package. This would bring the total amount to $35/month.
Sling TV provides a live stream of MTV so you can watch what would be airing on MTV just as if you had cable. A Cloud DVR program is included.
Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy it on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. There are more channels than I’ve mentioned available on Sling TV than what I’ve discussed 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 or check out this free trial.
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. Their service offers MTV as a part of their as a part of their Core package along with over 60 other channels. New customers can sign up for the Core Plan for $45 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. They do offer a 3-day free trial, which you can cancel within the first three days at no charge. Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV. 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.
MTV Streaming on AT&T TV Now
AT&T’s TV Now service is one way you can watch MTV. It is offered as part of their most affordable “Plus” package. At $55 per month, you get more than 40 channels, while at the highest level of $135 a month you get over 125. You can check out everything this service offers by reading our AT&T TV Now review.
MTV on FuboTV
FuboTV is an excellent place to go for sports, but it offers many other channels, including MTV. Over 90 channels are offered in its basic package for $64.99/month (after 7-day free trial). The FuboTV app is available on major platforms, including AppleTV, AndroidTV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV. You can sign up for a 1-week free trial or check out our review of FuboTV for more details.
MTV is Now on YouTube TV
In late June 2020 Youtube added MTV along with several other channels to their lineup. They also suddenly raised their prices to $65 per month. YouTubeTV does include a DVR with limitless storage space for recording your shows. Plus, you can watch your library of recorded shows anywhere! The YouTube TV channel lineup includes MTV for $64.99 a month. Youtube TV supports Roku, Android, iOS (includes AirPlay to Apple TV), and Chromecasts/Chromecast-compatible TVs. Check our review of YouTube TV for more information.
Streaming MTV On-Demand
You can watch MTV live, and many MTV shows on-demand on the web site or the MTV app. However, that content is locked such that you need a password from a TV provider. Your credentials from FuboTV, Philo, AT&T TV Now will work to unlock all the content available thought the MTV app. For more information on the MTV app and apps like it, see our guide on TV Everywhere Apps.
Some MTV shows are available on Hulu’s subscription service as well, including “Awkward,” “Daria, “Jersey Shore,” “Catfish,” and “My Super Sweet 16.” The streaming service starts at $5.99/month.
Alternatively, you could purchase shows through a venue like Itunes or Amazon Prime Video. They vary in price, but you might want to consider this option if there are just a few movies you’d like to watch more than once.
A Little MTV Nostalgia
The year was 1989. I was 11 years old, and MTV showed me everything a teenager should be. First off, I knew that those in the know were adorable like Debbie Gibson in “Electric Youth,” complete with jaunty hats and neon backgrounds. Second off, teens were disturbingly risqué, like Paula Abdul in “Cold Hearted Snake.” Those super-lame executives who watch her slinky dance with shock? Yup, that was me, wondering just what she and her scantily-clad fellow dancers were up to when the lights dimmed.
Thirty years later, MTV does not quite have the distinction of showing today’s youth all the possibilities of the mature world beyond. We have the internet for that kind of thing. (Plus, it must be said even back then I very quickly turned the TV channel to watch Star Trek. I decided I would don a Starfleet uniform before Debbie’s hat or Paula’s catsuit.)
Today, despite the “M” for music still in the name, MTV shows are more about the scandalous personalities in reality shows. Even the top-hits music video show “Total Request Live” is gone. Instead, MTV shows the drama and antics of “Jersey Shore,” “Teen Mom OG,” “Ex on the Beach,” and the show “Catfish,” which explores online romances gone wrong. You can still catch a few music videos on MTV Classic, but even that is nothing compared to the musical juggernaut that is YouTube.
That said, the annual Video Music Awards (or VMAs) still carry on the tradition of allowing the channel to rank and reward musicians, a bit like the good old days. Annually MTV fans get to vote via the channel’s web site and Instagram to say who had the best choreography, the best song of the summer, best power anthem, etc.
Fortunately, unlike 11-year-old me at my friend’s house, you do not need to have cable to check in on the VMAs or any of MTV’s other modern programming.
For information on watching other TV channels online check out: How To Watch Any TV Channel Online Without Cable
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