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:

6:00pm	Discovery On Demand
7:00pm	Caught! – Life on the Edge A wild journey of outrageous clips; near-miss car crashes, avalanche disasters and a terrifying, death-defying glider ride.
7:30pm	Caught! – Don't Mess With Mother Nature A coast-to-coast adventure guided by Mother Nature; discovering America's diverse landscapes, mountains, and shorelines -- all while battling the elements and experiencing hilarious encounters with its wild creatures along the way.
8:00pm	Caught! – Go Big or Go Home A hilarious rollercoaster of laughs; action-packed clips filled with big thrills, spills, and countless surprises.
8:30pm	Caught! – Prisoners Gone Wild Whether they're in Missouri, France, or even Brazil, prisoners will always attempt hare-brained schemes to escape jail; they try to escape with help of modern technology, a Mission Impossible-esque disguise, and even a helicopter.
9:00pm	Caught! – High Crimes In the United States, a whopping 250,000 federal prison sentences annually are fueled by drugs and alcohol; from big-shot drug dealers to inebriated road warriors, law enforcement is guarding people against danger.
9:31pm	Caught! – Licensed to Thrill This week's comedy clips push boundaries and guarantee thrills -- no license is required, but buckle up for the ride.
10:00pm	Discovery On Demand
10:01pm	Mud Madness – Smash and Drag Bryce looks to defend his title against his nemesis, Josh, but things quickly get out of hand, ending with a broken rig and a bruised ego; hungry for a sponsor, AJ pushes his ATV to speeds of nearly 100mph.
11:00pm	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.
11:30pm	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.
12:00am	Caught! – Go Big or Go Home A hilarious rollercoaster of laughs; action-packed clips filled with big thrills, spills, and countless surprises.
12:30am	Caught! – Prisoners Gone Wild Whether they're in Missouri, France, or even Brazil, prisoners will always attempt hare-brained schemes to escape jail; they try to escape with help of modern technology, a Mission Impossible-esque disguise, and even a helicopter.
1:00am	Caught! – High Crimes In the United States, a whopping 250,000 federal prison sentences annually are fueled by drugs and alcohol; from big-shot drug dealers to inebriated road warriors, law enforcement is guarding people against danger.
1:31am	Caught! – Licensed to Thrill This week's comedy clips push boundaries and guarantee thrills -- no license is required, but buckle up for the ride.
2:00am	Discovery On Demand
2:01am	Mud Madness – Smash and Drag Bryce looks to defend his title against his nemesis, Josh, but things quickly get out of hand, ending with a broken rig and a bruised ego; hungry for a sponsor, AJ pushes his ATV to speeds of nearly 100mph.
3:00am	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.
3:30am	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.
4:00am	Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing – More Hides Than Friends Competitors battle for new resources in a grueling migration across punishing, elevated terrain; an injury puts Matt's challenge at risk; Waz unleashes a game-changing response to Jeff's cutthroat strategy; two survivalists exit the challenge.
6:00am	Ed Stafford: First Man Out – Scotland Ed invites ultramarathon runner Matt Graham back to see if Ed can reclaim his pride after Matt left him in his dust in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.
6:00am	Discovery On Demand
7:00am	Ed Stafford: First Man Out – Amazon Jungle Ed faces extreme temperatures and a brutal arid volcanic landscape; it will take everything he has to make it out alive.
8:00am	Ed Stafford: First Man Out – Turkana Ed risks his life in scorching hot North Kenya in the volcanic barrier to compete against Max Djenohan, a young, elite survivalist.
9:00am	Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine – Clash of the Cuts Tensions mount when Dave and Jason clash on strategies to stay on the gold; problems with the new wash plant put Chris in a vulnerable position.
10:00am	Discovery On Demand
10:00am	Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine – Crisis at the Creek With the team struggling, Dave's business partner arrives at the claim to observe the operation; his presence creates tension when he identifies one of the miners as the weak link.
11:00am	Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine – Shadow of Denali With winter closing in fast, Dave and Lance hedge their bets with a prospect in a historical mining district in the foothills of Mt. Denali.
12:00pm	Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine – On the Gold Again Dave tests positive for COVID and entrusts team mechanic Nathan with a solo prospect deep into the Alaskan wilderness. Back in Valdez, equipment breakdowns force greenhorn Andrew to step up.
1:00pm	Gold Rush – Cowboys & Dreamers Dave gets the call from Rob Towner for a once-in-a-lifetime prospect at Gravely Ranch, Mont., where he uncovers the best gold-bearing ground he's ever seen in the lower 48; he must earn the trust of a ranching family wary of miners.
2:00pm	Discovery On Demand
2:00pm	Gold Rush – Risky Business Back in Alaska, Dave's risky move with the washplant proves disastrous; with the big final push to close out the season about to begin, one crew member contemplates moving on early.
3:00pm	Gold Rush – Fortune Favors the Bold An approaching snowstorm threatens to shut Team Turin down, but the miners face snow, ice and deadly conditions in an effort to best their gold goal.
4:00pm	America's Backyard Gold – Carolina Rare Gold Dave Turin visits the Carolinas to show America's rarest, most valuable gold; ingenious everyday miners, a moonshiner looking to cash in on a family's claim, and a gold nomad show Dave that the site of America's first rush is still rich with gold.
5:00pm	America's Backyard Gold – Desert Gold Boom Dave Turin shows viewers where and how to find Mojave gold; from traditional dry washing techniques and an ancient Spanish method using a blanket to a modern prospector using his trusty vacuum, there's big gold for the taking.
6:00pm	Discovery On Demand
6:00pm	Gold Rush: White Water – Unfinished Business After a record find, Dustin knows many more of those six-ounce nuggets are within reach, leading him into a rematch with the site that defeated him last season; to reach those life-changing nuggets means tackling their biggest engineering feat yet.
7:00pm	Gold Rush: White Water – Welcome to My Nightmare An airboat accident could end this record-breaking season, and severe weather could make matters worse.

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: