As political tensions rise, severe weather strikes, and scandals sprawl, it’s more important than ever to stay connected to a reliable source for news. Live TV news is critical to staying informed. At The Streamable, we’ve collected all the ways to stream live TV, and we’ll show you how to start watching for free.
If you already know the news channels most important to you, consult our Service Matchmaker to find the best streaming solution.
Network News and Local Affiliates
Many people turn to network news for a reliable view of the world. If you need ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, The CW, and Univision, those channels are available on multiple streaming services. In most cases, you will see the network affiliate in your area for a more local perspective.
For the most comprehensive channel lineup, we recommend DIRECTV STREAM. You can get started with a free trial.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CBS | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NBC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Telemundo | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| The CW | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| Univision | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
In most cases, you can also view your local channels with an antenna like these:
One For All HDTV Indoor Antenna
Up to 25 Mile Range
Mohu Leaf 50
Up to 60 Mile Range
The drawback of an antenna is that you can’t record TV. Each live TV streaming service offers some kind of free cloud DVR.
If you want to go the antenna route, The Streamable recommends adding a HDHomerun box, which can share your antenna signal with any internet-capable device in your home - your TV, tablet, phone, or computer. If you send the HDHomerun signal to Plex, you can use your computer as a DVR to record any broadcast shows.
In many cases, your local affiliate may have their own free app with video segments from their newscasts. Chicago’s WGN-TV+ is one such app.
Paramount+ offers a live stream of your local CBS affiliate if you pay for the $12.99 / month tier — that also includes the Showtime library. Peacock offers a live stream of local NBC affiliates in its $13.99 / month plan.
Cable News
Cable TV news can be helpful if you’re looking for 24 hours of coverage. Viewers should be mindful that these sources are not always objective. MSNBC often features a liberal slant, while Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN are wall-to-wall conservative opinions that often omit important facts or context.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| CNN | ✓ | + $0 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox News | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MSNBC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Newsmax | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | - | - | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| NewsNation | - | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| One America News Network | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
In the case of important breaking news, CNN does allow free viewing on the CNN app. During regular coverage, the CNN app is limited to a 10-minute free preview unless you sign in with credentials from a paid TV provider.
Some CNN content does make its way to Max, but you won’t find the full channel.
Peacock offers a fair amount of MSNBC programming, although you can’t access the entire lineup.
Financial News
If you love to track stocks and business news, these cable favorites are widely available on streaming services.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| Bloomberg TV | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | |
| CNBC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $6 | ✓ | |
| Fox Business Network | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $6 | ✓ | |
Certain CNBC segments are also available each day on Peacock.
PBS
For a straightforward look at the news in our world, PBS may be the most reliable source. The highly respected journalists take their jobs very seriously, and without sponsors, there’s no reason to deliver anything but the facts. We also recommend the PBS news docuseries “Frontline” for an in-depth look at the forces changing our world. Every episode is a masterclass in journalism.
Live Weather
If you’re concerned about weather coverage beyond what your local affiliate may provide, specialized weather channels are important. Fox Weather does have a free standalone app if you choose to view that way. You can also find Fox Weather on Fox Nation, Freevee, Plex, Sling Freestream, Tubi, and Xumo Play.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| FOX Weather | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| The Weather Channel | + $28 | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
Why are there no news-only streamers?
So far, every news-only streaming service has died after short runs. Level News lasted less than a year. An attempt to launch a direct-to-consumer CNN product (CNN+) crashed and burned within two weeks.
Most of the cable news channels you know are intentionally bundled with other channels to justify the cost they charge to the carriers. Another news-only streamer is possible, but unlikely. The news audience skews older, and advertisers are hard to come by.
Free Options
Luckily, you can watch a lot of news for free. Depending where you live, you should be able to get local news on some or all of these platforms, so download the apps and see which one works best for your area.
In some cases, you may not see live news, but rather a curated feed of stories that aired earlier on the network or affiliate.
-
Haystack News
Haystack News is a streaming service that pulls together news coverage from 400 local, national, and international providers. Users will see reports from ABC Owned Television Stations, CBS Television Stations, Cox Media Group, Fox Television Stations, Hearst Television, Hubbard Broadcasting, Nexstar Media Group, Scripps and more. You can use the service for free with ads or eliminate commercials for $4.99 / month.
This free service is one of our favorite news sources because you can curate your stream to the topics and broadcast partners you like best. See the full list of Haystack News partners.
-
Sling Freestream
Sling Freestream is a free ad-supported TV service offered through Sling TV. It offers 520+ free live TV channels and over 41,000 on demand shows and movies, such as “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Walking Dead,” and more.
Freestream offers BBC News, ABC News Live, CBS News, Scripps News, LiveNOW from FOX, News12 New York, and partial newscasts from FOX affiliates in major markets like New York, LA, Dallas, and Chicago.
-
Zeam
Zeam is a free streaming service offering content from nearly 300 local TV stations from ownership groups including Gray, CBS, News Press & Gazette, Hearst, and Morgan Murphy. At launch, Zeam will offer stations from nearly 80% of DMAs.
-
Local Now
Local Now is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to movies and TV shows. The service also provides several virtual streaming channels, including newscasts from New York, Denver, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, and West Palm Beach. Over 220 cities in the United States have a localized feed. Local Now offers live severe weather coverage from The Weather Channel to people viewing in areas impacted by the severe weather event
-
Pluto TV
Known mostly for its popular free entertainment channels, Pluto TV also offers multiple news channels, including CBS News (national), and CBS affiliates from New York, LA, and Chicago. Other channels include CNN RePlay, NBC News Now, Today All Day, 60 Minutes, WeatherNation, Sky News, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar News, Scripps News, and multiple right-wing opinion channels.
-
Tubi
While Tubi is one of our favorite movie and TV streaming apps, users can also find ABC News Live, NBC News Now, LiveNOW from FOX, ABC Localish, Today All Day, USA Today, Cheddar News, Scripps News, Euro News, FOX Weather, and many local affiliate newscasts.
-
Very Local
Very Local is a free streaming service providing local news, weather and exclusive local original series from all 27 Hearst Television markets.
-
Xumo Play
Although its primary focus is on-demand TV and movies, Xumo Play also offers news from 27 local affiliates.
-
Fox Local
FOX LOCAL is an ad-supported video streaming service for news, top stories, local and national coverage. The service presently offers local news from Detroit, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. It will soon expand to include Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Milwaukee, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tampa.
-
NewsNation
NewsNation is a free standalone streaming app that mirrors the content on its linear channel. It includes right-leaning news and opinion clips from shows like “CUOMO,” “Dan Abrams Live,” “Banfield,” and “On Balance.” The interface is identical to Haystack News, allowing users to follow specific topics and rate clips with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
-
Freebie TV
Freebie TV is a free streaming service featuring a small library of on-demand films and live channels.
