Do you love true crime and investigation television? Then Investigation Discovery (ID) is perfect for you. You can watch some of the most shocking TV with stories pulled right from the headlines. And cord-cutters don’t need to worry because ID is widely available from streaming services.
In a hurry? If you just want to start watching ID and not go through all the pros and cons of your options, here are our three favorite options:
- Fubo: With 150+ channels, it offers something for everyone. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial!
- Philo: Super inexpensive live TV streaming service with 7-day free trial.
- Sling TV: Probably the best streaming service in terms of customization with a 50% discount your first month.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports, TV and movies because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve. Signup now.
Table Of Contents
Investigation Discovery, or ID, as it goes by these days, is Discovery’s foray into the true crime genre. It’s not hard to understand why true crime stories are so popular: they’re real-life mystery stories that beg for resolution.
True crime’s roots go back to Jack the Ripper and beyond, but the current surge in popularity is widely credited to the runaway success of the 2014 podcast Serial, the 2015 HBO documentary miniseries The Jinx, and the 2015 Netflix series Making a Murderer. Since 2016, ID’s ratings have soared and it’s become one of the most popular cable channels.
Read on to find out how you can catch the next episode of Detective Diaries and not get (financially) murdered by your cable bill.
How to Watch Investigation Discovery Live Without Cable
ID, as its name implies, is owned by Discovery Inc, which also owns Animal Planet, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), TLC, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, and DIY Network.
ID fans may also be interested in several other channels dedicated to crime, true or fictional: A&E’s Crime + Investigation, Law & Crime, Oxygen, and Start TV.
Although the term “cable channels” has stuck, you don’t need a cable company anymore to watch these channels. Several services stream the same channels over the internet, which you can watch just like a cable service.
Unlike a cable service, however, streaming services require no contracts, no installation visits, and no long-term commitments. And they generally cost less. Which services carry ID? Take a look below.
Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
Streaming Services with Investigation Discovery
All the major streaming services carry ID, so you’ve got options. Discovery either makes its channels irresistibly low-cost to license, or makes a lot of deals, because every service also carries the core Discovery brands — Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, and TLC — in its base package.
Read on to see what other channels might interest you.
Fubo
Fubo (formerly FuboTV) is a great service for the hard-core sports fan, but it’s got a lot more than just sports. Fubo’s Pro plan provides well over 130 channels for $79.99/mo. This includes ID and Discovery, all your local networks, Animal Planet, OWN, Oxygen, and Travel Channel.
Go for the Elite plan for $89.99/mo and you’ll get 170+ total channels including Discovery Life, Discovery Family, Cooking Channel, Destination America, DIY Network, and Dan Abrams’s Law & Crime Trial Network.
All plans come with 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage and simultaneous streaming on up to 10 devices.
Read our Fubo review for more information.
Philo
Philo is only $25/mo, but it saves money by passing on expensive affiliate markets (your local broadcast networks), WarnerMedia channels (HBO, former Turner channels), and NBCUniversal networks (E!, Bravo, Oxygen). It’s light on news channels and has no sports networks at all. But if it has what you’re looking for, it’s a great deal.
Philo’s 60+ channels include ID and the core Discovery channels, Animal Planet, Cooking Channel, Crime + Investigation, Destination America, DIY Network, Law & Crime, OWN, and Travel Channel. It features unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 screens at a time.
For more information see our Philo review.
Sling TV
The Sling Blue package is $40.00/mo for 40+ channels, streamable on up to 3 screens at one time with 50 hours of cloud DVR. It includes ID, Discovery, and Travel Channel. You can find Destination America in the Heartland Extra, Law & Crime and Newsmax in the News Extra, and Start TV in the Hollywood Extra — each for $6/mo or less if you get a bundle.
Sling TV has, by far, the fewest Discovery channels of any of the streaming services; it doesn’t carry Animal Planet, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, or OWN at all. But it does offer a great channel selection for a very low price.
Our Sling TV review lays out all your options.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) is a good “gateway” service for people who want the benefits of streaming but with as little major change to their setup as possible. It’s the only service that offers its own proprietary device, similar to a cable box, complete with voice-activated remote control.
Its base Entertainment plan is $79.99/mo for roughly 80 channels, including ID and Discovery plus Animal Planet and your local broadcast channels and comes with unlimited DVR as long as you sign-up online. The next tier, Choice, is $108.99/mo and you get all the Entertainment channels and Cooking Channel, Oprah Winfrey Network, Travel Channel, and regional sports networks.
Destination America, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, DIY Network, and Oxygen are all on the Ultimate tier ($119.99/mo). Crime + Investigation is available as an add-on.
To see all your options, read our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu’s on-demand library is arguably the best because of its next-day availability of many of your favorite shows. Hulu + Live TV adds over 85 live channels to that for $76.99/mo. This includes ID and Discovery, all your local broadcast network affiliates, Animal Planet, ESPN+, Disney+, Oxygen, Start TV, and Travel Channel.
Sign up for Hulu Live’s Entertainment Add-on for $7.99/mo and you’ll also enjoy Cooking Channel, Crime + Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Life, Discovery Family, and DIY Network.
Hulu offers unlimited cloud DVR (9 months of storage) and streaming on up to 2 devices at the same time. See our Hulu + Live TV review for details.
Try Hulu + Live TV for 3 Days Free!
Vidgo
Vidgo is a two-tiered service aimed at families and college sports fans. Their base plan, Vidgo Plus, is $69.99/mo for over 100 channels, including ID, Discovery, Animal Planet, DIY Network, Law & Crime, OWN, and Travel Channel. Vidgo Premium is $84.99/mo and adds Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Cooking Channel, and Destination America, among others.
You can stream on up to 3 screens at a time, but there is no DVR functionality or on-demand content. Broadcast networks are limited to Fox and ABC.
Check out our Vidgo review for more information.
Other Ways to Stream Investigation Discovery
There are other ways to get the ID live stream or just the on-demand content:
- Hulu: The base on-demand plan for $7.99/mo has back seasons of a half-dozen ID shows, most notably Homicide Hunter and Deadly Women. (Black Friday details)
- YouTube TV: Similar to Hulu + Live TV, features 85+ channels for $72.99/mo, including ID and Discovery.
- ID Website: Some shows/episodes require a TV provider login (eg, streaming service), like the most recent episodes of On the Case with Paula Zahn. But there’s a lot to watch for free, like the entire seven-season run of American Monster.
- Discovery+: Discovery’s on-demand streaming subscription service, with exclusive series as well as classic shows and specials from across all the Discovery brands. Plans start at $4.99/mo with a 7-day free trial.
Superpower Your Live TV Streaming With a VPN
You can’t beat a VPN for privacy, security, and access. We have used them for years as an important part of our streaming toolkit and we recommend ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
| i | See our VPN Buyer’s Guide for complete information on how to choose the best VPN for your needs. |
TVs and Devices to Live Stream ID
You’ll need a streaming device to watch ID. Fortunately, the streaming services we’ve discussed support most that are currently in use. For example, they all support the “stick” devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku.
Android and iOS mobile devices are similarly supported. And you can use them (and some web browsers) to cast ID to your TV via Chromecast.
Other than DIRECTV STREAM, all services support smart TVs that are based on Android TV.
Other than Philo and Vidgo, the services support Samsung smart TVs. Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV support LG and Vizio smart TVs. Fubo also supports Hisense TVs. Fubo, Hulu, and Sling support the Xbox One. Hulu also supports the PlayStation.
These are just the most popular devices. Our streaming reviews have complete lists.
Today’s Investigation Discovery Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase – Reversal of Fortune Michael Peterson's defense unveils a long sought-after piece of evidence, catching the prosecution off guard; bombshell revelations about an expert witness threaten to unravel the entire case and give Peterson a shot at freedom. | |
| An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase – I Whispered Her Name Investigators discover novelist Michael Peterson clutching his dead wife, Kathleen, at the bottom of their back staircase; Peterson insists her death is the result of a tragic fall, but investigators believe otherwise. | |
| An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase – Lightning Strikes Twice Stunned investigators discover that Michael Peterson's friend, Liz Ratliff, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase 16 years ago; the trial begins with experts battling over the interpretation of blood spatter. | |
| An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase – Reversal of Fortune Michael Peterson's defense unveils a long sought-after piece of evidence, catching the prosecution off guard; bombshell revelations about an expert witness threaten to unravel the entire case and give Peterson a shot at freedom. | |
| Fear Thy Neighbor – Bones of Contention Two neighbors who are down on their luck bond over their struggle; when one buries the other in debt with a hustle gone wrong, things fall apart, but their co-dependence keeps them entwined until an act of revenge. | |
| 20/20 on ID – The Death of a Playmate: The Dorothy Stratten Story - Part One Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy catapulted to fame; Paul Snider discovered the teen in Vancouver and married her. | |
| 20/20 on ID – The Death of a Playmate: The Dorothy Stratten Story - Part Two Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy catapulted to fame. | |
| The Perfect Murder – Vanished in Vegas Multi-millionaire Las Vegas real estate developer Ron Rudin goes missing; to find him, detectives trace twisted a path filled with haunting spirits, dark obsession and greed. | |
| The Perfect Murder – The Last Blitz University of Miami football player Marlin Barnes and his friend, Timwanika Lumpkins, are beaten to death in Barnes' apartment; as detectives search for the vicious killer, the crime sends shock waves through the campus and community. | |
| The Perfect Murder – Whidbey Island Mystery At Christmastime, Russel Douglas is found shot to death in his car on a deserted road on Whidbey Island north of Seattle; it's the start of a case that will take a decade to solve and leave many with lingering questions. | |
| I Went Undercover – Mercenary Rules A teenager approaches police with a tip about a friend's shocking crime only to find himself on a bizarre odyssey to clear his own name. | |
| I Went Undercover – Flirting With Murder A woman suspected of murdering her ex-husband starts flirting with the cop sent to bring her down; but the two develop an unusual close relationship and begin plotting another murder. | |
| I Went Undercover – The Hit on the Handyman Police receive a tip that a Florida businesswoman seeks to hire a hit man; as investigators delve further into her past, they find that murder-for-hire may be just the tip of the iceberg; the race is on to save the lives of three unsuspecting people. | |
| Web of Lies – The Sick Boy A young woman turns to the Internet for help and advice when her young son mysteriously falls ill. | |
| Web of Lies – Tainted Love Lonely retiree Alex Strategos finds comfort in the arms of a 69-year-old woman whom he met online, then he begins suffering from a wave of unexplained illnesses. | |
| Web of Lies – Swipe Right for Murder When Ashley Pegram goes missing after meeting a man through a dating app, the race to find her focuses on her internet admirer; detectives soon discover she is caught up in a nightmarish trap set by an online predator with murder on his mind. | |
| Web of Lies – Crime Scene Selfie Twenty-three-year-old Amanda Taylor shares her entire life on the Internet, then a tragedy takes place, and her posts take a dark turn. | |
| Deadly Women – Tipping Point When Amy Bishop Anderson isn't granted tenure, her disappointment turns deadly; Lisa Shuler destroys the evidence of a kinky love affair; housekeeper Bridget Durgan retaliates against her bosses after being fired. | |
| Deadly Women – Love Leaves Town A pregnant 20-year-old woman takes deadly measures when her boyfriend threatens to leave her; a woman sets her eyes on her fiancé's bank account; involved in a love triangle, a housewife chooses to end one relationship permanently. | |
| Deadly Women – Kiss Then Kill When love goes wrong, it is a dangerous game for women who kiss, then kill. | |
| Deadly Women – Beauty and the Beastly Sometimes beauty can mask the ugliest of truths. | |
| A Heated Defense When Shelley Nance is stabbed to death, the shocking murder sends the community of Lake Highlands, Texas, into a panic; friends are stunned as police zero in on her closest friends; what they uncover is jealousy, hate, and a bizarre fatal attraction. | |
| Spacey Unmasked A forensic look at actor Kevin Spacey's meteoric rise to stardom and spectacular fall from grace amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior, as several men speak about their experiences with him. | |
| Spacey Unmasked Explores the life of Kevin Spacey, one of the most powerful and respected actors in the world, from his meteoric rise to stardom through his spectacular fall from grace amid accusations of grooming, sexual harassment and abuse made by multiple men. | |
| Signs of a Psychopath – He Thought We Were Buddies A man calls 911 with his dying breath, and first responders arrive to find him brutally murdered and stabbed 59 times; when detectives question his best friend, they uncover a tangled story of deception and jealousy that ends in psychopathic rage. |
Wrapping Up
As you can see by this list, there is no need to live in terror from your cable bill. And you don’t need Paula Zahn to close this case!
Just sign up for one of the streaming services discussed in this article and you can enjoy ID while making sure your predatory cable bill never targets you again!
FAQ
Where did Investigation Discovery come from?
ID launched back in 1996 with the ridiculously cumbersome name “Discovery Civilization Network: The World History and Geography Channel.” It was part of a four-channel bundle together with what would become Destination America, Science, and Discovery Family. From 2002 to 2006, The New York Times and Discovery ran the channel together, first as Discovery Civilization Channel and then as Discovery Times. They experimented with focusing on current events and modern history, then on US culture.
The Times left the venture in 2006, but the name didn’t change until the 2008 relaunch as Investigation Discovery with a newly appointed focus on true crime stories. The now-popular network rebranded as simply ID in 2020, with a brand new logo.
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