HLN is one of the standard cable channels — known to hotel guests the world over. It really is a great way to get your bearings on the world. And now it airs true crime throughout the day. Best of all: you don’t need cable to watch it.
In a hurry? The biggest streaming services offer HLN. Here are our top picks:
- DIRECTV STREAM: Makes it easy to switch from cable to streaming with their 75+ channel Entertainment plan and options for much more. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: The top low-cost streaming service provides a great base channel lineup in both its plans. Save 50% with Sling TV.
- Hulu + Live TV: This total entertainment streaming service provides a great on-demand selection and all the essential live TV channels.
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
If you mainly watch morning news and true crime shows, you should find a way to add HLN to your channel lineup today. In addition to its outstanding morning programming, HLN boasts a quality daytime and primetime lineup that will provide maximum value for your streaming dollar.
Let’s take a closer look at its program lineup, which streaming services have this it, and where you can go to find even more news and true crime programming.
What Is HLN?
HLN first made it to the airwaves in 1982, and at the time, it was known as CNN2. This station was also known as “CNN Headline News” and just “Headline News” before adopting the HLN moniker. Throughout the 21st century, the station has cycled through a variety of formats in an effort to obtain greater market share.
In 2013, it attempted to become the cable news source for those who typically use social media. Over the next three years, it produced content that amplified viral videos and other content that was making waves online.
In 2016, the format changed to a combination of news during the day and true crime content during the evenings. However, HLN typically covers stories that are deemed to have the most entertainment value for its audience.
Over the last three years, many of the hard news programs that debuted on the channel were either canceled or moved to CNN.
HLN Shows
There is little doubt that Morning Express with Robin Meade is HLN’s flagship news show. It runs weekdays from through (ET). On Saturday and Sunday, Weekend Express is hosted by Susan Hendricks. It airs from to .
On the true crime side, Forensic Files and Forensic Files II are among the most viewed shows on HLN. If you are interested in historical true crime cases, you’ll want to check out How It Really Happened. Finally, Vengeance: Killer Neighbors and Vengeance: Killer Lovers are shows that you need to watch if you like stories about crimes of rage or passion.
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.
Stream HLN
Being part of its family, HLN is only available from streaming services that offer Turner channels.
Sling TV
HLN is available through the Sling Blue package. It comes with 40+ channels including CNN, Fox, and NBC. The cost is just $40.00/mo and you have many options for upgrading, including the News Extra for $6/mo, which contains BBC World News, Weather Nation, the Science Channel, and Newsmax.
It comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices at a time. See our Sling TV review and news overview for more information.
DIRECTV STREAM
HLN is available with the base (Entertainment) DIRECTV STREAM packages. It costs $69.99 per month and comes with roughly 80 channels.
If you subscribe online, you get unlimited cloud DVR. It comes with streaming on 20 devices at once. See our DIRECTV STREAM review for details.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV offers HLN as part of its base package of 85+ channels for $69.99. This also includes the Hulu on-demand library as well as ESPN+ and Disney+.
The plan includes unlimited cloud DVR, 9 months of storage, and simultaneous streaming on two devices. Get all the details in our Hulu + Live TV review.
YouTube TV
The YouTube TV base package starts at $64.99 and comes with dozens of channels including HLN and CNN. It includes unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices.
CNN Go
CNN Go is the official Turner news app. It allows users to live stream CNN, CNN International, and HLN. You need a TV provider log to use it. Note that Sling TV does not provide this access but the other streaming services do.
Live Stream Devices for HLN
All the services mentioned above let you watch HLN live on these devices:
- Android devices
- iOS devices (iPhones, iPads)
- Chromecast (built-in and external)
- TV devices (Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku)
- Samsung TVs
- Web browsers.
DIRECTV STREAM has its own (optional) device. You can purchase it directly from them.
The other services support a number of additional devices. These include TVs that are Android TV-powered as well as LG and Vizio TVs and Xbox One gaming devices. Hulu supports the Nintendo Switch. And both Hulu and YouTube support the PlayStation.
Other devices are supported. See our streaming reviews for complete details.
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. |
HLN Alternatives
There are various alternatives to HLN but because of its divided content, you may need two channels.
News
- CNN: A sister station of HLN. Its top shows include Anderson Cooper 360 and CNN Tonight. Other popular programming includes Early Start and New Day.
- BNC: As the name suggests, the Black News Channel delivers news focused on the issues and concerns of the African American community. Its top shows include BNC Live and DC Tonight.
- Fox News: Although known for its nighttime opinion shows, its daytime programming is news-focused. You will find shows such as America’s Newsroom and Cavuto’s World.
- MSNBC: Like Fox News in being known for its nighttime opinion shows, it features straight news throughout the day (after the right-of-center Morning Joe). Shows include Andrea Mitchell Reports and Way too Early.
- Network News: ABC, CBS, and NBC have their own live news feeds. ABC and CBS both offer local news as well. You can watch them free of charge on most streaming platforms.
True Crime
- A&E: Known for its reality and true crime programming, its most popular programs include Cold Case Files and I Survived a Serial Killer. If you are interested in how detectives handle cases as they come in, you may also want to check out The First 48.
- Investigation Discovery: Offers a slew of popular shows such as Crime Scene Confidential and Deadly Women. Other interesting shows that air on this channel include I (Almost) Got Away With It and On the Case.
- Oxygen: Has a lineup that is mostly true crime or programs that feature similar content. These shows include An Unexpected Killer and Buried in the Backyard. Other popular programs include Dateline: Secrets Uncovered and Famous Cases Explained.
- TV One: Fffers a mixture of comedy and true crime programming. Its most prominent true crime shows are Fatal Attraction and Sins of the City.
Finally, HBO Max and Netflix have a significant amount of true crime programming that is available on-demand. You can add HBO Max Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, or YouTube TV.
Today’s HLN Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
Forensic Files – Something's Fishy A well-liked bank vice president collapses and dies after taking pain pills laced with cyanide; the search for a motive reveals a callous suspect who had murdered once before. |
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Forensic Files – Sealed With a Kiss Evidence reveals a teacher who complained of being stalked and harassed by another teacher was scamming police. |
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Forensic Files – Postal Mortem A man kills two people with bombs in an effort to get investors off his back, but authorities catch onto him and he becomes sentenced to life with no chance of parole. |
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Forensic Files – Micro-Clues A man arrested for the sexual assault and attempted murder of a boy in a European country becomes linked to a murder in Zurich, Switzerland, through analysis of microorganisms. |
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Forensic Files – Deadly Parasites Heavy rains and snow run-off carry manure into Milwaukee's water supply in 1993, leading to an epidemic of gastrointestinal illness affecting 400,000 people. |
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Forensic Files – Without a Trace Autopsies reveal that a string of unexplained deaths in Omaha resulted from poison-induced liver disintegration. |
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Forensic Files – Knot for Everyone In a series of murders near Sacramento, Calif., a killer gags and molests prostitutes, cuts their clothes in random patterns and cuts off their hair; microscopic evidence helps solve the case. |
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Forensic Files – The Talking Skull After the discovery of a skull in the forest near a boy scout camp, police use facial reconstruction to identify the body. |
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Forensic Files – Deadly Delivery Investigators use obscure evidence to find the person responsible for killing justice officials with mail bombs in the South. |
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Forensic Files – Grave Evidence Forensic scientists provide authorities with evidence that a death deemed accidental 20 years ago was actually murder. |
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Forensic Files II – The Barn A popular handyman in a New Hampshire town is found murdered and investigators follow forensic clues to a shocking conclusion. |
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Forensic Files II – A Killer Disguise A young mother is murdered in a crowded parking lot in broad daylight. |
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CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. |
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CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. |
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CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Road to Hell A speck of blood makes a big splash during the investigation of the stabbing death of Debra Rawls in Summerfield, Fla. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Burning Secret Police search for a missing New Hampshire woman's body and learn of a resident's grudge. |
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Nightmare Next Door – New England Nightmare A woman and her young daughter are slain in their home; police find a mysterious photograph that exposes the killer. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Murder 101 In Carbondale, Illinois, everyone lives in fear when a woman is strangled to death; with a lack of evidence, police need more than two decades to unravel the mystery. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Flames of Passion The horrifying discovery of a man's charred remains leaves an Ohio town rattled; at first police are led astray, but after 6 years, the sinister plot finally comes to light. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Little Girl Lost A 9-year-old girl does not show up for dinner, leaving her mother fearing the worst; a tip comes from unexpected witnesses and leads directly to the killer. |
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Nightmare Next Door – Double Murder Inferno A Washington town is shattered when a woman is murdered and her house goes up in flames; when the predator strikes again, police fear they are dealing with a serial killer. |
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Nightmare Next Door – One Deadly Night In North Carolina, the grisly discovery of a woman's body has everyone puzzled; police must take a wild ride through the victim's past in order to finally catch the killer. |
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Forensic Files – Deadly Formula Detectives learn that a genetic disorder caused the deaths of a woman's children, resulting in an overturned conviction. |
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Forensic Files – Beaten by a Hair When a young woman goes missing on the way to the train station, investigators use a strand of hair and a bloody pillowcase to find a suspect. |
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Forensic Files – Crime Seen Investigators reopen a case from 1984 involving the rape of a young Virginia woman when DNA testing refutes her identification of the rapist and calls everything into question, leading to the accused person's exoneration. |
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Forensic Files – Speck of Evidence A speck of bicycle paint and a speck of nickel left over from a collision with a twice-convicted child molester's car provide critical clues in the murder of a 9-year-old. |
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Forensic Files – Broken Bond A 2-year-old boy's brain seizures and breathing problems baffle doctors until they learn the mother exhibits signs of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare condition that led her to physically abuse her son and contributed to her daughter's death. |
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Forensic Files – Out of the Ashes Two years after an 18-year-old's murder in Albion, Mich., a tiny drop of blood and burned bones lead police to her killers. |
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Forensic Files – Invisible Intruder A mother claims that an intruder murdered her two sons, but lacking a motive, police use blood-spatter analysis and behavioral profiling to reconstruct a different scenario. |
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Forensic Files – The Killing Room A routine missing persons report leads Texas police to discover a deadly love triangle; evidence found in a suspect's home matches the murder scene and leads to the indictment of the victim's girlfriend and her lover. |
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Forensic Files – Ultimate Betrayal A 1995 fire razes the mansion of a Kansas doctor, killing two of her three children; disturbing accounts from an ex-husband lead investigators to believe the doctor set the blaze herself. |
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Forensic Files – Cement the Case A husband confesses to his wife's murder, only to be found not guilty a year later when a phone tip and forensic evidence point to another. |
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Forensic Files – Innocence Lost In Lorton, Va., police attempt to determine who abducted 5-year-old Melissa Brannen after she disappears from a Christmas party, but cannot be certain until they match hair from a rabbit-fur jacket Brannen wore that day. |
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Forensic Files – Til Death Do Us Part When a Pennsylvania man checks into a hospital for leg pain and later dies of thallium poisoning, police investigate his wife and find her in the process of collecting an insurance payment for her previous husband's death. |
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Forensic Files – Deadly Formula Detectives learn that a genetic disorder caused the deaths of a woman's children, resulting in an overturned conviction. |
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Forensic Files – Beaten by a Hair When a young woman goes missing on the way to the train station, investigators use a strand of hair and a bloody pillowcase to find a suspect. |
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Forensic Files – Crime Seen Investigators reopen a case from 1984 involving the rape of a young Virginia woman when DNA testing refutes her identification of the rapist and calls everything into question, leading to the accused person's exoneration. |
Wrapping Up
If you have an affinity for network news and true crime programming, HLN has you covered all day and night. Available on a variety of streaming platforms, HLN is relatively easy to get without having to pay more than you want or need to for your favorite shows.
We recommend Sling TV for HLN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there no news on HLN?
There is still news during the morning hours on HLN both during the week and on weekends. However, during the day, you will need to watch CNN or one of the other news outlets that we discussed above to get coverage of breaking news and other top stories.
How can I watch other news channel without cable TV?
We have guides on watch most of the important news channels:
- Fox
- Fox Business
- Fox News
- HLN
- MSNBC
- NBC
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