TV One provides true crime and other programming aimed at a middle-aged Black audience. But it’s enjoyed by a much broader group. And no one need a cable contract to enjoy it. Read on to learn your options.
In a hurry? TV One is not as widely available online as some channels. But you still have a few good options:
- DIRECTV STREAM: This full cable replacement service gives you everything you expect from cable and more for less money. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Philo: Super inexpensive live TV streaming service with 7-day free trial.
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
TV One is among several channels launched in the last twenty years to feature programming produced by and for people of color. It differentiates itself from its predecessor (and competitor) BET by targeting an older demographic, 25- to 54-year-olds.
But you don’t need a cable or satellite subscription to catch the latest episode of Unsung. Read on to find out how you can watch the largest Black-owned network without the cable company taking you for a ride.
What Is TV One
TV One’s parent company, Urban One, was founded as Radio One back in 1980 (the same year as BET). TV One itself came along in 2004, in response to criticism of BET’s representation of people of color and a desire from older African-Americans for content that wasn’t wall-to-wall music videos or obnoxious teen reality.
The channel has grown to become the largest African-American-owned media conglomerate, encompassing over 50 radio stations, two TV channels, a syndication service, a set of online brands, and a brand-management agency to support the whole media empire.
TV One is not the only network vying for Black viewers. Aside from its own sister-station Cleo TV (targeting women of color), there’s:
- Allblk (AMC)
- aspireTV (UP Entertainment)
- BET (Paramount Global)
- BET
- BET Her
- BET Gospel
- BET Jams
- BET Soul
- Black News Channel (BNC — a newcomer to the industry)
- Bounce TV (the first African-American targeted broadcast channel)
- Fox Soul (Fox’s digital streaming local-ish channel)
- Oprah Winfrey Network (also known as OWN, targeting Black women)
- Revolt (urban music channel founded by Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs).
TV One Shows
TV One’s content consists mostly of true-crime series (For My Man, Sins of the City, Fatal Attraction), documentaries on Black America and notable individuals (Uncensored, Unsung, Hey, Black America!), lifestyle reality and talk shows (One Stage to the Next, Life Therapy, Sister Circle), original movies (Christmas Dilemma, Blood on Her Badge, Bad Dad Rehab), and classic African-American series (In Living Color, Empire, What’s Happening!!, Family Matters).
It also airs the annual Urban One Honors, which celebrates entertainers, artists, educators, and community leaders of color.
Featured original series include:
- Fatal Attraction: True crime series that centers around a different romance-turned-homicidal each week.
- Life Therapy: Actress-turned-life-coach AJ Johnson gives clients a dose of straight talk to help them improve their lives.
- Rickey Smiley for Real: Reality show that follows the professional and personal life of the comedian.
- Sins of the City: Limited anthology true-crime docuseries that examines the dark side of a different city each week via an in-depth review of a crime that had a major impact on that city, from initial discovery to the trial aftermath.
- Unsung: TV One’s award-winning breakout biography series spotlights overlooked and under-credited R&B, hip-hop, soul, and gospel musicians from the 1960s on. It has spawned spin-off series Unsung Hollywood (focusing on actors and shows), Unsung Presents: The Decades, and at least two Unsung Films made-for-TV biopics.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
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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.
Stream TV One
Many cable TV companies carry TV One, but you can watch it cheaper and with no long-term contracts and commitments with a live TV streaming service. The biggest services (Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV) do not offer it. But a few others do.
Philo
Philo is a great choice for those looking to save a little (actually a lot) on their TV provider. You get over 60 channels for $25/mo, including TV One, Cleo TV, aspireTV, BET, BET Her, OWN, and Revolt. But it is missing all local channels. Try Philo free for 7 days.
No messing around with tiers or packages; they have one plan, three add-ons for movies, unlimited DVR, and simultaneous streaming on up to 3 devices for all accounts. Just note that this service has no sports channels or local stations. (Philo review)
DIRECTV STREAM
If the saying is, “Go big or go home,” DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) is not going home. Urban One fans can get both TV One and Cleo TV in the Choice Package for $108.99/mo, as well as the Oprah Winfrey Network, BET, and Black News Channel (the only streaming service that carries BNC). New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.
You also get all your local regional sports networks so you can follow your home team on the court, diamond, rink, or field. If you sign-up online, all plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on unlimited devices at once. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Vidgo
Vidgo costs $69.99/mo. In all, you get 100+ channel lineup, which includes TV One, aspireTV, BET, and OWN. It also includes a lot of content that is family-friendly (Disney Channel) and sports-oriented (ESPN).
Note that Vidgo does not offer any DVR service or on-demand content, and offers limited local network support. You can, however, stream on up to three devices at once. (Vidgo review)
Streaming Devices for TV Now
You can watch TV Now on most streaming devices regardless of the service you select:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android phones and tablets
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- Roku
- Web browser.
DIRECTV STREAM makes things very easy by providing the option of using its own device (it costs $120 or $5/mo for 24 months). You can also use Samsung smart TVs with it.
Vidgo and Philo support devices built on Android TV. And Philo allows you to use the Amazon Fire tablet.
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. |
Today’s TV One Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| The Cosby Show – Vanessa's Rich Vanessa is labeled a conceited rich girl after two girls visit her home. | |
| Living Single – Five Card Stud After Regine (Kim Fields) dates Kyle's (T.C. Carson) boss (Bobby Hosea), he overhears the man maligning her reputation. | |
| Living Single – Love Is a Many Splintered Thing Khadijah (Queen Latifah) neglects her roommates when she becomes involved in a new romance. Guest star: Adam Lazarre-White. With Kim Fields. | |
| Living Single – A Tale of Two Tattles Regine's (Kim Fields) friend (Mark Curry) uses material she told him in confidence in his stand-up comedy routine. With Queen Latifah. | |
| Living Single – She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother When Khadijah's mother visits on Mother's Day, she brings her friend Laverne, Regine's estranged mother. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Bad Blood With a loving partner and happy family life, no one could imagine the horrifying tragedy that destroyed a woman's storybook future. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Shooting Spree When a probation officer is found dead in her own driveway, police fear that a vengeful probationer might be on the loose. | |
| For My Man – In Too Deep When the bodies of a missing couple surface in the waters around New Orleans, detectives wonder who could have committed such a heinous crime. | |
| For My Man – Circle of Trust A close-knit community is gripped with fear after two families are found brutally murdered; as police seek to unravel the mystery, it leads them down a trail of lies, proving no one can be trusted, even loved ones. | |
| For My Man – Love on the Run A young model meets a handsome man while grieving for her late father, and her future suddenly seems brighter; soon, she finds herself following this charmer down a dark road, destroying anyone who gets in their way, all in the name of love. | |
| A Different World – Pride and Prejudice Whitley deals with a sales clerk's (Peggy Walton-Walker) racism in her own way, succeeding only in complicating the situation. | |
| A Different World – Success, Lies and Videotape A visit by Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) prompts the students to think about their career goals. | |
| A Different World – A World Alike Kim is offered a scholarship by a company with South African ties. | |
| A Different World – That's the Trouble With You All Whitley's jealousy gets in the way after she pairs Dwayne with a date. | |
| The Cosby Show – Mother, May I? Friends urge Vanessa to wear makeup even though Clair doesn't allow it. | |
| The Cosby Show – The March Theo is disappointed after he gets an average grade on a history paper that he was sure would get an A. | |
| The Cosby Show – Theo's Flight Theo is inspired by a school speaker and asks his parents for flying lessons. | |
| The Cosby Show – Vanessa's Rich Vanessa is labeled a conceited rich girl after two girls visit her home. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Dangerous Addiction Eric and Constance's dreams of happiness are cut short when Eric is shot to death by a diabolical killer. | |
| Fatal Attraction – A Deadly Feud When a young college student is gunned down in a fast-food restaurant, police initially suspect that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the shocking truth soon reveals that he was the target in a feud turned deadly. | |
| PAYBACK – Life Over Limb After a near-fatal shooting at Georgia gas station, the suspects look to live out their "Bonnie and Clyde" fantasy on social media, sparking a nationwide manhunt; authorities scramble to capture them as the violence looks to be escalating. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Fueled by Rage Two carpooling commuters find the body of a woman whose throat was slashed in a parking lot; the savage wounds suggest that the murder was a crime of passion fueled by rage. | |
| Fatal Attraction – A Deadly Feud When a young college student is gunned down in a fast-food restaurant, police initially suspect that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the shocking truth soon reveals that he was the target in a feud turned deadly. | |
| PAYBACK – Life Over Limb After a near-fatal shooting at Georgia gas station, the suspects look to live out their "Bonnie and Clyde" fantasy on social media, sparking a nationwide manhunt; authorities scramble to capture them as the violence looks to be escalating. | |
| PAYBACK – Javaris Crittenton A former professional basketball player out for revenge decides to take justice into his own hands, but his murderous intent finds the wrong target, shattering the lives of a loving family. | |
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| Love That Girl – Shady Predictions Fabian's cousin does a palm reading for everyone in the gang and Latrell is warned that something terrible will happen to him soon. | |
| Love That Girl – Assets and Liabilities Delroy finds a way out of paying his taxes; Imunique and Jasmine are both into the same guy. | |
| Love That Girl – Business is Business Delroy evicts Latrell; Latrell takes Delroy to a court show; Fabian is on hold with the cable company. | |
| A Different World – A Campfire Story Dwayne and Walter regale a group of students with tales of recruiting a star basketball player (Christopher Carter Hooks). | |
| A Different World – Hillman Isn't Through With You Yet Whitley's career planning has fallen a bit short of its intended mark. | |
| The Cosby Show – Denise Gets a `D' Denise tries to explain to her parents why she received a below-average grade on an English paper. | |
| The Cosby Show – A Girl and Her Dog Rudy finds a lost dog, but has trouble letting go when its owner comes to get it. | |
| The Cosby Show – War Stories Cliff's father and his Army buddies trade war stories during a card game. | |
| The Cosby Show – Cliff in Charge Cliff and his father take charge of the household while Clair and her mother-in-law are visiting Denise at college. |
Wrapping Up
So you don’t have to rely on cable to get your True Crime Mondays on, or catch all the inspiring stories over Women’s History Month. Just subscribe to one of the services listed above, and you can cut the cord without cutting off Fatal Attraction.
Our top choice to stream TV One is Philo since it offers a full lineup of channels and great extras. Try Philo free for 7 days.
FAQs
What awards shows does TV One broadcast?
Currently, TV One airs the Urban One Honors, run by its parent company for various artistic and community contributions. In the past, it has carried the Stellar Gospel Music Awards and the NAACP Image Awards (both have since moved to BET). It has also previously broadcast the Triumph Awards, presented by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
Can I watch TV One through its app or website?
There are some full episodes available on the website (particularly in the Rewind section), and you can watch Rewind episodes (prior seasons) on the iOS app, but newer episodes require a TV provider login. The Roku and Android apps require a TV provider login to watch anything. None of the streaming services seem to provide TV Everywhere access to TV One, however.
Can I watch TV One with an antenna?
No. Over-the-air (OTA) networks, like your local ABC, NBC, Fox, or CBS broadcast stations, are free for anyone to pick up with an antenna, but are also included in many pay TV subscriptions as well. TV One is not OTA; it’s a pay channel, like Discovery, BET, or TBS. That means you need to subscribe to a pay TV provider to get it: cable, satellite, or internet streaming (like the services above).
Who owns TV One?
TV One is wholly owned by Urban One, originally founded as Radio One by Cathy Hughes. It was built starting from a single radio station in Washington, DC in 1980, by Hughes and her son Alfred Liggins. When Radio One went public in 1999, Hughes became the first woman of color to lead a publicly-traded company.
Urban One has since acquired Reach Media, HelloBeautiful.com, and Elev8.com. Hughes and Liggins have both been inducted into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame.
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