Sundance TV is a bit of a mixed bag these days. But it’s still a good place to go to see interesting independent films from around the world. And it’s easy to get without cable.
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- Philo: This service gives you 60+ live TV channel for just $25/mo!
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Table Of Contents
Sundance TV is yet another victim of channel drift, the wandering away of a once-niche TV network from its original wheelhouse. In this case, indie documentaries, short films, and world cinema.
But while Sundance these days does carry NCIS reruns, it also still has some international independent films. Read on for a closer look.
What Is Sundance TV
Sundance TV is indeed named for the famed Sundance Film Festival founded by Robert Redford. Of course, the festival was named for his breakout role in the classic 1969 George Roy Hill western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
It was first launched as The Sundance Channel in 1996 by Redford, Showtime (which would become part of Paramount Global), and PolyGram (which ended up part of NBCUniversal). In 2008, it was purchased by what is now AMC Networks, which also owned Sundance’s main rival, the Independent Film Channel (IFC).
Sundance TV is joined by its AMC sister-channels IFC in showcasing independent film, AMC for prestige drama series, ShortsTV for exclusively short-form productions, BBC American and BBC World News for Anglophiles, and WE tv for women-centered family and lifestyle reality.
AMC also offers the subscription-based streaming services Shudder (horror movies), Allblk (targeting viewers of color), Acorn TV (British and other English-speaking, non-American film and TV), AMC+, WE tv+, Sundance Now (more on this below), IFC Films Unlimited, and AMC Premiere.
Other non-AMC channels that cover international or independent films or film festivals are Fandor, Cinefest, Magnolia Selects, and Warriors & Gangsters.
Sundance TV Shows
Sundance TV still has some stuff to interest fans of films from the festival circuit, more artistic or avant-garde fare, British film and TV, and high(er)-brow reality shows. Its independent films from around the world include some that appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
But you won’t find those on the schedule most weeks. Instead, there are classic TV shows from just about every decade going back to the fifties and sixties.
And there are a few movies on the weekends like Young Guns starring Emilio Estevez, Man on Fire and Training Day with Denzel Washington, and Casino and Heat with Robert de Niro. These are all more what you would expect on AMC.
Featured shows on the Sundance TV website (available on-demand with TV provider credentials):
- State of the Union†
- NCIS
- Columbo
- JAG
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- This Close†
- Back (British)
- Green Porno
- Mammas
- Seduce Me
† Sundance TV Original
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Stream Sundance TV
Sundance TV isn’t hard to find. Most streaming services carry it. Channel lineups, prices, and additional features vary widely. But that means you can find a package that fits your viewing style and not pay for extras you don’t want (like with cable or satellite).
Let’s get down to some details.
Philo
Philo is your go-to service for saving money. For $25/mo, you get over 60 channels, a few of them being Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, and WE tv.
You also get unlimited cloud DVR and you can stream on up to 3 devices. The trade-off is no NBCUniversal (Bravo, Syfy, USA), WarnerMedia (TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network), Disney (Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform), local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox), or any sports or news channels (except BBC World News).
For everything you need to know, see our Philo review.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a smorgasbord of channel options. You pick a base package ($40.00/mo), and then customize it with extras and add-ons. The result is a custom package that’s cheaper if you like a few niche channels, but can get more expensive if you really enjoy the options of flipping through 80-140 networks.
Sundance TV fans will have to make a few choices: go for Sundance TV in the Hollywood Extra ($6/mo) or get AMC+ Extra ($7/mo), which includes on-demand access to content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and Sundance TV as well as full access to IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, and Sundance Now.
Sling also contains the most robust selection of premium add-on channels, and many feature indie and international movies and TV: Acorn TV, Cinefest, IFC Films Unlimited, Magnolia Selects, Shudder, and Warriors & Gangsters.
All Sling plans come with 50 hours of cloud DVR. The Sling Blue plan comes with streaming on up to 3 devices but the Sling Orange is limited to one. See our Sling TV review.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is the closest you get to traditional cable. If you liked everything about cable except the bill, the contract, and installation appointment, sign up! But it’s better than even that.
Its Entertainment Package ($79.99/mo) has the biggest percentage of the most popular cable channels, including Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, and WE tv. If you want ShortsTV and IFC, you’ll have to upgrade to the Choice Package ($108.99/mo).
All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR (online sign-up) and streaming on unlimited devices at once. For more details, see our DIRECTV STREAM review.
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YouTube TV
YouTubeTV offers over 85 channels for $72.99/mo, including Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, and WE tv. They also have an expansive collection of a la carte premium channels (not as good as Sling TV, however) to choose from: Acorn TV, AMC+, Fandor, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, Sundance Now, and WE tv+ are just a few.
Sundance Now
Sundance Now is Sundance’s subscription-based on-demand streaming service. It’s got all the independent, international, original stuff that used to be the focus of Sundance TV.
New content is added every week. Current popular items are Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle (a Sundance Now Exclusive), season 2 of The Split, The Little Drummer Girl, and A Discovery of Witches (a Sundance Now/Shudder Original).
Membership starts at $6.99/mo, or $59.99/yr, and you can subscribe through Sling TV or YouTubeTV or just go to the Sundance Now website and sign up through them.
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TVs and Devices to Watch Sundance TV
Pretty much any smart TV or other streaming device that you’ve purchased in the last few years should be supported by the streaming services we’ve discussed above. These include:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Android mobile
- Chromecast
- iOS devices
- Roku
- Web browsers
Philo doesn’t support Samsung smart TVs, but the others do. And DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t support Android TV-based devices but the others do. Sling and YouTube both support LG and VIZIO smart TVs as well as Xbox gaming systems.
Don’t see your device listed here? See our streaming service reviews for complete details.
Today’s Sundance TV Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
S.W.A.T. – Hopeless Sinner Chris brings the team into her personal mission to save a teenage girl from a predatory religious leader; Hondo receives troubling news about Darryl; Tan's wedding planning hits a snag. | |
S.W.A.T. – Under Fire A sniper targets the Los Angeles Fire Department; the rivalry between Chris, Street and Tan ratchets up; Street and Molly's relationship is strained by his complicated history with his imprisoned mother. | |
S.W.A.T. – Crusade The team searches for a group of extremists carrying out coordinated attacks against local businesses; Deacon and his wife find themselves at odds when she wants to enroll their daughter in private school. | |
S.W.A.T. – Next of Kin A tragic mission leads each member of the SWAT team to contend with their emotional distress in varied ways. | |
S.W.A.T. – Buried As the team helps the LAPD search for the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance, they're joined in the field by a new team member; the strain between Chris and Street comes to a head. | |
S.W.A.T. – Positive Thinking Mumford returns to work and investigates a 15-year-old cold case that holds a personal connection and leads to the discovery of a dangerous drug ring; Hondo is leery of Leroy's motives. | |
S.W.A.T. – U-Turn A high-stakes domestic disturbance involving a father and his two young daughters leads the team to race against the clock to save a group of international activists. | |
NCIS – Devil's Trifecta When FBI Agent Fornell becomes the target of a shooting, he and the NCIS team launch a joint investigation; rumors run wild when Diane, the ex-wife of both Gibbs and Fornell, spends the night at McGee's. | |
NCIS – You Better Watch Out Tony's father (Robert Wagner) visits for Christmas; as the team tackles a murder investigation, Abby can't contain her excitement over holiday festivities. | |
NCIS – Shabbat Shalom As the team investigates a connection between a dead journalist and a Navy petty officer, Ziva is surprised by a visit from her father (Michael Nouri). | |
NCIS – Shiva After an event that hits close to home, the team unites to find answers and protect vulnerable colleagues. | |
NCIS – Hit and Run The investigation into a car accident that killed a Marine and a young woman brings up upsetting childhood memories for Abby; Ducky says the crash may not have been an accident. | |
NCIS – Canary The NCIS team finds an infamous hacker who could lead them to the world's most wanted cyber terrorist. | |
NCIS – Hereafter While on leave as he mourns the loss of his wife, Director Vance uncovers information that makes him question everything. | |
NCIS – Detour When Jimmy and Ducky disappear while transporting a body from a crime scene, the team races to find them. | |
NCIS – Prime Suspect Gibbs' barber asks for help when he suspects his son is involved in a high-profile crime; the team looks into the disappearance of Navy funds. | |
Columbo – How to Dial a Murder Columbo suspects a psychologist (Nicol Williamson), a noted expert in mind control, is guilty of murder. | |
Columbo – Murder by the Book A blackmailer interferes with a mystery writer's scheme to kill his former partner in a perfect crime. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Opie's Fortune Opie finds a purse containing $50, but Andy tells him that the money will only be his if no one claims it within a week. Soon, Opie gets the money but has to return it. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Goodbye, Sheriff Taylor Andy lets Barney take over as sheriff for a day when he goes to Raleigh to attend a job interview. By the time he returns, Barney has turned the whole town upside down. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – The Pageant Aunt Bee gets the leading role in Mayberry's Centennial Pageant when Clara is suddenly called out of town. However, Aunt Bee is a terrible actress, causing her to get kicked out at her first rehearsal. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – The Darling Baby The Darling family returns to Mayberry to look for a husband for Charlene's newborn daughter. Things get complicated when they choose Opie and refuse to take no for an answer. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Andy and Helen Have Their Day Andy and Helen take a day off to go on a picnic, but are constantly interrupted by Barney, Goober and other people. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Three Wishes for Opie Barney buys a fortune-telling game and mistakenly summons the 200-year-old spirit of a count who offers to grant Opie three wishes. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Otis Sues the County Otis slips in the sheriff's office and a crooked lawyer convinces him to sue the county so it will be forced to upgrade the jail. Thinking Andy and Barney will be happy, Otis agrees. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Barney Fife, Realtor Barney becomes a part-time real-estate agent and soon has a couple of buyers and sellers lined up, including Andy. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – Goober Takes a Car Apart Left in charge for just a few days, Goober dismantles a car in Andy's office. | |
The Andy Griffith Show – The Rehabilitation of Otis Otis rides into town on a cow under the impression that it's a horse. |
Wrapping Up
Where can you tune in to see Isabella Rossallini dressing up as a male snail to show mollusk mating habits in a 2 minute short? You know the answer!
Just sign up for one of the services listed above and you can join Colman Domingo and guests for Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s every Sunday morning — and the cable company isn’t invited.
We recommend Sling TV for fans of Sundance TV.
FAQs
Can I watch Sundance TV with AMC+?
The Sundance TV channel is not included with AMC+. Sundance TV is a linear channel — that’s a traditional live TV channel with a schedule. AMC+ is AMC Network’s uber-streaming service, which combines all their other single-channel niche streaming services’ content and adds the best of AMC itself and the entire Walking Dead Universe.
In many ways, AMC+ (or Sundance Now described above) may be much more what you’re looking for. It has the prestige drama series, international selections, and psychological thrillers that used to be on Sundance TV, AMC, and the other channels.
And you can watch episodes a full week before they air on their live channel to everyone else. Subscriptions start at $8.99/mo. It’s cheaper to get it with Sling TV.
Why don’t Hulu + Live TV or FuboTV offer Sundance TV?
Neither Hulu + Live TV nor FuboTV carry any channels from AMC Networks, which owns Sundance TV and AMC among others. Content providers charge a carriage fee per channel per subscriber. Even the larger TV providers have to make hard choices about which channels to carry in order to keep subscription costs down for customers. Fubo also doesn’t carry WarnerMedia or A&E, YouTube TV doesn’t carry A&E, and Fubo and Hulu, for whatever reason, decided not to go for AMC.
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