Discovery Channel Without Cable: Live Stream Online or Watch With Discovery App

Discovery is one of the iconic cable TV stations. It isn’t most people’s favorite channel, but it’s one that most people want around because of its consistently interesting high-quality content. Thankfully, it isn’t necessary to have cable to include Discovery in your channel lineup.

In a hurry? If you just want to make sure you have Discovery and related channels, these streaming services are great choices:

Debuting in 1985, the Discovery Channel almost immediately became one of the important sources of information for those who enjoyed topics such as history and science. In 1988, the first iteration of Shark Week was seen by viewers in hundreds of thousands of households throughout the United States.

Today, Discovery is available to more than 50 million households. And it is available on a number of streaming platforms. In addition, there are a number of offshoots such as Investigation Discovery, Discovery Family, and Discovery Life.

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Discovery Family and Discovery Life

Discovery has two other channels that are usually (but not always) available with it:

• Discovery Family: Cartoons such as Transformers, Pound Puppies, Littlest Pet Shop, Super Monsters, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reign until evening. Then live-action shows the whole family can watch together take over. These include Too Cute! (puppies), America’s Cutest Cat, and Chopped Junior, a pint-sized cooking competition.
• Discovery Life: Originally a health and fitness channel, now runs mostly TLC shows with a spotlight on emergency room horror stories, addiction, mental illness, sex, pregnancy, and childbirth. Popular series include My Strange Addiction, Untold Stories of the ER, I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, and Sex Sent Me To The ER.

How to Watch Discovery Channel Live Without Cable

Watching content via a streaming service may be ideal for those who want the flexibility to watch television on their terms. Most platforms allow you to cancel service whenever you want or take your plan to a new home or apartment without the need to go through a formal transfer process.

The Discovery Channel is a premium “cable” network, which means that you won’t be able to watch it with an antenna. The same is true of the other channels that fall under the Discovery umbrella of networks.

To watch these channels without a cable or satellite subscription, you will need to subscribe to one of the several streaming platforms that offer it as part of their base or premium packages.

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Streaming Services with Discovery Channel

Most major streaming platforms provide access to content produced by Discovery and its sister networks. Therefore, it should be relatively easy to find a plan that meets both your needs and your budget.

FuboTV

Discovery is available in the base (Pro) FuboTV plan for $79.99/mo. You can also get Discovery Life and Discovery Family with the Fubo Extra ($7.99/mo) plan that includes 48 total channels. It has 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage and allows streaming up to 10 devices.

If you want to watch this channel in Spanish, you can acquire Discovery Familia, Discovery en Español, and 14 others with the Latino Plus add-on for an extra $19.99 per month.

If you are a sports fan, FuboTV is the way to go. Of its 130+ channel lineup, a third are sports-oriented. It also features what we consider the best interface in the industry.

For all the details, see our FuboTV review.

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Philo

Philo comes with Discovery, Discovery Life, and Discovery Family as part of its base 65+ channel lineup. You will pay $25/mo for this service, and you can add various movie and entertainment options for an additional monthly fee.

Philo may be the best option for those who don’t watch sports or don’t want to pay extra for local channels. The absence of these kinds of channels is what keeps its price so low.

But apart from relatively limited channel selection, Philo is a first-class streaming service with a great interface, unlimited DVR, and streaming on up to 3 devices.

See our Philo review for all the details.

Try Philo Free for 7 Days

Sling TV

Discovery Channel is available along with 40+ others with the Sling Blue package for $40.00/mo. You also get Investigation Discovery as well as the local affiliates of Fox and NBC. Unfortunately, there is no way to get Discovery Family and Discovery Life with Sling TV.

But if Discovery Channel is enough, Sling TV is an awesome service with 50 hours of DVR, streaming on 3 simultaneous devices, and a great interface. Save 50% on Sling TV now!

See our Sling TV review for more information.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) offers Discovery Channel and Investigation Discovery with its base Entertainment play with 75+ channels for $79.99/mo. If you upgrade to the Ultimate plan ($119.99/mo), you get 130+ channels including Discovery Family and Discovery Life. Discovery en Español is also available as an add-on.

Read our DIRECTV STREAM review for details.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV offers Discovery Channel along with 85+ others for $76.99/mo. It also comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage). This includes a bunch of sports channels and network affiliates in almost every location. You also get Disney+ and ESPN+. Try one month for $76.99.

You can get Discovery Family and Discovery Life through the Entertainment add-on ($7.99/mo), which includes 14 other channels. In addition, Discovery Familia and Discovery en Español can be yours by signing up for the Español add-on ($4.99/mo).

Get all the details in our Hulu + Live TV review.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Vidgo

Like Sling TV, Vidgo offers both the primary Discovery network as well as Investigation Discovery as part of its base package for $69.99/mo for a total of over 100 channels.

For $84.99/mo, you can upgrade to the Vidgo Premium package, which includes Discovery Life and Discovery Family. Discovery Familia and Discovery en Espanol are both available as part of the Vidgo Mas package, which offers 25+ channels for $39.99/mo.

Check out for Vidgo review for more information.

Try Vidgo Today!

Other Ways to Get Discovery Channel

There are other ways to watch Discovery without signing up for a cable or satellite subscription.

• Discovery+: This $4.99/mo plan allows you to stream most Discovery shows. You do not get the live stream, however. But you also get content from the sister channels.
• YouTube TV: Its base plan comes with Discovery and Investigation Discovery along with 100+ other live TV channels for $72.99/mo. None of the other Discovery channels are available.
• Discovery App: You can stream Discovery through its app, but you will need a streaming subscription to log in.

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TVs and Streaming Devices for Discovery Channel

You’ll need a device capable of installing streaming apps to watch Discovery Channel. This should be easy enough because you almost certainly own one or more of them. For example, all the services support the standard “stick” devices:

• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• Roku.

Mobile devices running Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad) are also supported. And you can use them to cast Discovery to your TV using Chromecast.

All the services (except DIRECTV STREAM) support Android TV-based devices. And, of course, you can use a web browser, which can be connected to a TV.

All the services except Philo and Vidgo support Samsung smart TVs. Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV support LG and Vizio smart TVs. FuboTV supports Hisense TVs. Hulu, Sling, and FuboTV also support the Xbox One gaming console.

There are other devices supported. See our individual reviews for a complete list.

Today’s Discovery Schedule

Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:

9:01pm	Naked and Afraid – The Death Ledge Three young survivalists test their skills in the coastal rainforest of Ecuador, where they risk their lives scaling a massive rock cliff to forage for food.
10:00pm	Discovery On Demand
11:01pm	Naked and Afraid – Honduran Hell In the mountainous rainforest of Honduras, a survivalist with an unusual past is paired with a hard-headed police detective to try and survive 21 days, but predatory jaguars, swarms of fire ants and a debilitating injury threaten their challenge.
12:00am	Naked and Afraid – Poison Control Crippled by injuries and toxic frogs, an adrenaline junkie and a self-proclaimed renaissance redneck must dig deep to try to endure 21 days in Colombia.
1:01am	Naked and Afraid – The Death Ledge Three young survivalists test their skills in the coastal rainforest of Ecuador, where they risk their lives scaling a massive rock cliff to forage for food.
2:00am	Discovery On Demand
3:01am	Naked and Afraid – Honduran Hell In the mountainous rainforest of Honduras, a survivalist with an unusual past is paired with a hard-headed police detective to try and survive 21 days, but predatory jaguars, swarms of fire ants and a debilitating injury threaten their challenge.
4:00am	Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing – Burned and On Notice With competitors split into camps, simmering tensions come to a boil; Matt scores a meat win; Gary tries a dangerous climb to secure a critical cache; Jeff spirals after cutting his hand, burning his foot and facing backlash from the others.
6:00am	Discovery On Demand
6:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – Death Row A trash-talker must survive a post-apocalyptic twist while escaping Bison Prison.
7:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – African Ambush It's Matt's turn and the Dudes send him on an African survival safari; Jake tries to up the game by tempting Matt with additional challenges.
8:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – No-Sleep Nightmare Tim suffers a long day in Norway.
9:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – Epic Fail The guys cook up one of their biggest challenges yet by sending Jake to the middle of the Namibia desert; no food, little water, and hundreds of miles of scorching heat and sand challenge Jake.
10:00am	Discovery On Demand
10:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – The Hunger Game Wildlife tracker Casey wants to bring an animal instinct to the game; the Dudes oblige by dropping him unprepared on British Columbia's frigid Pemberton Ice Cap.
11:00am	Dude, You're Screwed – Island of Death Jake is given the chance to redeem himself on Death Island.
12:00pm	Caught! – Nature Strikes Back Everything in nature wants to kill humans -- animals, gravity, even the weather; just when one thinks they've conquered nature, nature fights back -- from angry bison and gale-force winds to giant spiders and bear attacks.
12:30pm	Caught! – Vacation Mayhem Vacations create new experiences and memories that last a lifetime; every misadventure, from spring break smackdowns to terrible tourist fails.
1:00pm	Caught! – SWAT Teams Unleashed Witnessing elite police units execute daring raids and high-stakes takedowns nationwide; from Florida's fiery standoffs to tense hostage crises, experience the relentless courage of these specially-trained officers.
1:30pm	Caught! – Disorder in the Court Courtroom chaos caught on camera; if the judge's gavel isn't enough to calm down criminals, brave bailiffs and cops have to step in; shocking attacks, escape attempts, and stolen firearms make for a very dramatic day in court.
2:00pm	Discovery On Demand
2:00pm	Caught! – Roadway Ridiculousness Motorists and pedestrians, beware -- whether it's teens stealing police cruisers or a taxi drivers fighting off assailants with insane driving maneuvers, the highway is a danger zone until law enforcement takes down the menacing drivers.
2:30pm	Caught! – Leave It to the Professionals Amateurs attempt outrageous activities; hilarious stunts, spills, and thrills gone wrong showcase backyard engineering, clueless humans and uncooperative machinery.
3:00pm	Caught! – Work Hard and Play Harder Humorous, insightful scenarios abound across diverse landscapes; witnessing firsthand the quirky side of American life; exploring unexpectedly uproarious outcomes of hard work and determination.
3:30pm	Caught! – Life on the Edge A wild journey of outrageous clips; near-miss car crashes, avalanche disasters and a terrifying, death-defying glider ride.
4:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – Seven Million Dollar Seizure At the Brownsville, Texas, point of entry, officers encounter drug trafficking, fraudulent documents and illegal merchandise; authorities seize $7 million worth of marijuana hidden inside a rolled carpet during a routine cargo inspection.
5:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – Deadly Cargo Officers discover firearms that may be intended for a Mexican drug lord; a load of Fentanyl hidden in an ice cream freezer; a truck driver transporting puppies is under scrutiny; a wanted woman is detained in Brownsville.
6:00pm	Discovery On Demand
6:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – A Light Bulb Moment The cartel tries to sneak one last shipment over the border just before midnight; officers uncover a delivery that isn't what it seems; a woman acting erratically is found with a Santa Muerte statue, indicating she may have cartel connections.
7:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – Cross-Border Smuggling A man returning from Mexico requires emergency Narcan after a suspected opioid overdose; an unlikely family is caught trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico; a woman attempting to sneak prescription meds into the U.S. is caught red-handed.
8:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – Cocaine Chihuahua As a man attempts to cross the border, he is flagged as having an outstanding manslaughter warrant; officers discover a secret stash of cocaine hidden inside a tractor-trailer; a woman caught with prescription pills is suspected of drug dealing.
9:00pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – A King-Size Bust A mother and daughter are caught under the influence of meth. A million-dollar load is found within a shipment of mattresses. A young traveler attempts to smuggle pills in his waistband. Officers apprehend a man with an outstanding warrant.
10:00pm	Discovery On Demand
10:01pm	Contraband: Seized at the Border – Lime and Punishment A man crosses with something that fell from the sky - literally- as well as the remains of a federally protected animal. Officers find a stay-at-home mom who may have a side hustle dealing pills and a shipment of limes arrives with an extra surprise.

Wrapping Up

Over the past 35+ years, Discovery has been helping people learn more about the world around them. Whether you want to learn how to cook, renovate your home, or complete other tasks, it is likely a channel that you will enjoy watching.

The same is true if you are a science, history, or general education buff who likes to watch content that is thoughtful and exciting at the same time.

You can get Discovery through most general streaming services. And you can get most of its content by signing up for Discovery+.

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FAQs

How many channels are part of the Discovery brand?

In addition to Discovery, Discovery Life, and Discovery Family, Discovery Inc owns the Science Channel, Food Network, and almost a dozen other channels. Most of the channels are available through your favorite streaming service. They also own the Spanish-language channels Discovery Familia and Discovery en Español

Do I need to adjust my device’s settings to watch content in Spanish?

As a general rule, Discovery channels that broadcast in Spanish will stream just like channels that broadcast content in English. However, it may be possible to watch Spanish content with subtitles if you need help following along for any reason. Alternatively, it may be possible to watch content with Spanish subtitles if that makes it easier to meet your content consumption needs.

How to stream other family and kids channels?

Here are our guides for watching related channels: