8 Best Services to Watch Animal Planet Live Without Cable

cord-cutting › animal planet • March 19, 2025 • The Staff

From documentaries on wildlife to shows about pets and in general humans' relationships with our animal friends - Animal Planet is a great place for nature lovers.

You can watch Animal Planet without cable on DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Optimum Entertainment TV, Spectrum TV Choice, Xfinity Choice TV, or Spectrum TV Stream.

The cheapest option to watch Animal Planet is Philo for $28/month. Unfortunately, you cannot watch Animal Planet with Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Fubo.

Below, we count down the best ways to watch Animal Planet that cord-cutters use. We made this ranking based on each service's value: how many other channels each dollar of subscription will get you.

Our top three ways to watch Animal Planet:

DirecTV Stream 5-day free trial.	$86.99/month	Watch

Philo 7-day free trial.	$28/month	Watch

Hulu with Live TV 3-day free trial.	$82.99/month	Watch

Animal Planet on DirecTV Stream

Free trial includes Animal Planet

DirecTV Stream is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or for a $120, you can get a box with a custom remote control for the service. But without the box, DirecTV Stream functions like a Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to stream Live TV from anywhere by downloading the app. Within your home, you can stream on up to 20 devices (!), and from outside your home you can stream on up to three devices.

Go to DirecTV Stream

Price: $86.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Channel lineup: ABC, ACC Digital Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Are We There Yet?, Ax Men, AXS TV, Baby First, BBC America, BET, Big 12, Bloomberg TV, Bob Ross, Boomerang, Bravo, BUZZR, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, C NBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, Curiosity Now, CW, Daystar HD, Declassified, Discovery Channel, Duck Dynasty, E! Entertainment, EarthxTV, Ebony TV, El Rey Rebel, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FMC, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Weather, Freeform, FUEL TV, Fuse Music, FX, FXX, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HerSphere, HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, ion Television, Jewelry Television, MeatEater TV, MotorTrend, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, News Nation, Newsmax, Nick Jr., One America News, Ovation, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, Poker GO, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Racing America, REELZ, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, Scientology Network, Scripps News, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, SportsGrid, Start TV, SundanceTV, SYFY, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, The First, theGrio, TLC, TNA, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, Waypoint TV, WE tv, Women’s Sports Network, Yahoo! Finance

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV

Animal Planet on Philo

Longest free trial for Animal Planet

If you already have other streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Philo is the perfect option to get access to Live TV without spending too much money. At $28, it has an offer that beats much more expensive services. Plus, in terms of the channel lineup, it has a little bit for everyone, from news channels like BBC World News to the Discovery Channel, to Nickelodeon and Vice.

Go to Philo

Price: $28/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather Network, AMC, AMC Plus, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, Baywatch, BBC America, BBC News, BET, BET Her, Catchy Comedy, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cook’s Country, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Dabl, Deck the Hallmark, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, FETV, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Gusto TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Mystery, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, KIN, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MeTV Toons, Motor Trend, MSG SportsZone, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Oprah Winfrey Network, Overtime, Paramount Network, Perform by LIFETIME, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Pop TV, RetroCrush, REVOLT, Revry, Ryan and Friends, Scares by Shudder, Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Story Television, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Holiday, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, WE tv, Xtreme Outdoor by HISTORY

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG Smart TV, Roku, Samsung TV

Animal Planet on Hulu with Live TV

Free trial includes Animal Planet

Hulu with Live TV is an obvious choice if you already have Hulu On-Demand, as you'll get to keep all your payment information and history, interact with a similar interface, and get a Live TV service without much effort.

Go to Hulu with Live TV

Price: $82.99/month

Free Trial: 3 days

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg TV+, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, C NBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cozi TV, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN College Extra, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Game Show Network, Get TV, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, History, HLN, ID, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, LiveNOW, Localish, Military History Channel, Motor Trend, MSNBC, MTV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBCLX, NBCSN, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA Network, Vevo '80s, Vevo '90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Features, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Animal Planet on YouTube TV

Longest free trial for Animal Planet

If you enjoy using the DVR option, Youtube TV is arguably the best option in the market for you: it gives you unlimited DVR storage on the Cloud (accessible from any of your devices), and it saves each of your recordings for 9 months. Also, you can share Youtube TV with up to six accounts, so if you have a big family, this is a much better option than getting a bunch of cheaper Live TV subscriptions. Youtube TV allows up to three accounts of the six to watch at the same time.

Go to YouTube TV

Price: $82.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Channel lineup: ABC, ABC News, ACCN, Adult Swim, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Big Ten Network, Bounce, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS Sports Network, Charge!, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, C NBC, C NBC World, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Docurama, Dove Channel, E!, ESPN, ESPN U, ESPN2, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, Justice Central TV, LAFC Channel, Law & Crime, Live Now, Local Now, Localish, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, My TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, NBCLX, NBCSN, NECN, Neon, News Nation, Newsmax, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Orlando City Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, PC Mag, Pop, QVC, Recipe.TV, Scripps News, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBD, TBS, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telemundo local channels, Tennis 2, The CW, The Great Courses, The Walking Dead Universe, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tru TV, Turner Classic Movies, TV Land, TYT, Unimas, Unimas local channels, Universal Kids, Univision, Univision local channels, USA Network, VH1, WE tv, YouTube Originals, Zen channel

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox

Animal Planet on Optimum Entertainment TV

Second cheapest option for Animal Planet

Optimum Entertainment TV is a live TV plan that offers about 80 live channels for $30/month. It's only available to those using Optimum Internet, which starts at $40/month, and an Optimum Stream device, which costs $5/month. Its lineup has yet to feature sports channels and local networks, though it does cover news for the New York tri-state area via its very own News 12 channel. Other notable channels include HGTV, Discovery, History, AMC, Nickelodeon, Hallmark, and Lifetime. For now, Optimum Entertainment TV is only available in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas. Unlike their cable service, there is no commitment so you can cancel anytime. The only catch is that you can't cancel online and have to get on the phone with Optimum to do so.

Go to Optimum Entertainment TV

Price: $30/month

Device availability: Optimum Stream

Animal Planet on Spectrum TV Choice

Longest free trial for Animal Planet

You need to already be subscribed to Charter Spectrum internet services in order to access Spectrum TV Choice and other services under Spectrum TV umbrella. That includes broadcasts and on-demand content from over 60 major channels networks including Viacom, Discovery, A&E, AMC and Hallmark.

On the other hand, you won’t be able to custom add any extra channels, and you can’t access other major TV broadcasters like ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC, nor the many ESPN and Fox Sports channels––the absence of which helps keep the cost of the service down. Note: ESPN is back on Spectrum!

Go to Spectrum TV Choice

Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.

Animal Planet on Xfinity Choice TV

Animal Planet + local channels

If you already subscribe to Xfinity internet, Choice TV is an easy way to get access to some live TV channels while staying in the Xfinity ecosystem. The start price, at $18 per month, is attractive, but the add-ons quickly add-up. Exact pricing depends on where you are based.

Go to Xfinity Choice TV

Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.

Animal Planet on Spectrum TV Stream

No commitment

This newcomer to cord-cutting quietly launched in April 2024. It's about 90 channels for $39.99, without any additional fees like a local channels surcharge, because there are simply no local channels. What you won't find either are sports channels. And some of the channels are Spectrum channels like Spectrum Originals and Spectrum News.

With Philo having a similar channel lineup but costing $15 less, you probably need a very good reason to go for Spectrum TV Stream. But, it's always nice to have another option.

Go to Spectrum TV Stream

Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.

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Let's recap the streaming services that allow you to watch Animal Planet without cable.

What is the cheapest way to watch Animal Planet?

The most cost-efficient way to watch Animal Planet content is to get a subscription to Philo for $28/month.

How to get a free trial to Animal Planet?

You can get a limited time free trial to Animal Planet by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet for free?

Unfortunately there are no streaming services that offer Animal Planet completely for free. That said, as we mentioned above you can get it for free for a limited time by subscribing to a service with a free trial. Here they are, this time ranked by which one offers the longest free trial:

YouTube TV (7 days free)
Spectrum TV Choice (7 days free)
Philo (7 days free)
DirecTV Stream (5 days free)
Hulu with Live TV (3 days free)

How to get a Animal Planet live stream?

The platforms that will get you a Animal Planet live stream right now are: DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Xfinity Choice TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, or Optimum Entertainment TV.

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How to watch Animal Planet outside the US?

You can watch Animal Planet abroad by combining NordVPN and one of the streaming services above like DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, or YouTube TV.

How to watch Animal Planet on Roku?

You can watch Animal Planet on your Roku device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Xfinity Choice TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet on an Amazon Fire TV?

Animal Planet can be accessed on an Amazon Fire TV device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, or YouTube TV.

How to watch Animal Planet on an Apple TV device?

The streaming services that include Animal Planet and are available on Apple TV are DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet on a computer?

On a web browser head to the websites of DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Xfinity Choice TV, or Spectrum TV Choice to start watching Animal Planet.

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How to watch Animal Planet on iOS (iPhone or iPad)?

You can watch Animal Planet on an iPhone or iPad by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet on an Android phone?

You can watch Animal Planet on an Android device such as Samsung or Google Pixel by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet on an Android TV?

You can watch Animal Planet on a Smart TV that runs on Android by getting a subscription to DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

How to watch Animal Planet on an Xbox?

You can watch Animal Planet on an Xbox console through Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or Spectrum TV Choice.

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How to pay for a Animal Planet subscription with Paypal?

The services that accept Paypal and carry Animal Planet are: DirecTV Stream, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, and Spectrum TV Choice.

How to pay for a Animal Planet subscription with Apple Pay?

The services that accept Paypal and carry Animal Planet are: Philo.

How to pay for a Animal Planet subscription with Google Pay?

The services that accept Paypal and carry Animal Planet are: Philo, and YouTube TV.