How to Watch CNN Without Cable in 2026

CNN and Bloomberg are the only news outlets you’ll find in Sling Orange, which is one of Sling TV's two cable alternative packages. But the plan does give you a nice array of entertainment and sports channels, including Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Freeform, and MotorTrend, all of which aren’t available in Sling's other plan, Sling Blue.

Sling Blue is the preferred Sling plan if you want a variety of news outlets to tune into. Apart from CNN, it also carries MSNBC, Bloomberg, HLN, and even local affiliates of ABC, FOX, and NBC in select markets. It costs just as much as Sling Orange, but adds an extra $5/month to areas that get local channels.

Hulu with Live TV combines Hulu's on-demand films and TV shows with about a hundred live channels, including CNN. The streaming service has a nice range of sports, local, and news offerings, but its strength lies in entertainment. Since most Hulu with Live TV plans come bundled with Disney+, you also get on-demand access to Walt Disney brands like Marvel, Star Wars, Nat Geo, and Pixar.

CNN is available in all of DirecTV Stream's signature plans, which start at $86.99/month. These plans have everything from 4k channels and heavyweight DVR capabilities to regional sports networks and local channels. However, if the price is too much, DirecTV Stream also offers cheaper plans with significantly fewer channels called "genre packs." The MyEntertainment genre pack, in particular, only costs $34.99/month and streams CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and 40 other channels. It also comes with the ad-supported tiers of Hulu, Disney+, and Max at no additional cost.

Right off the bat: CNN Max, the 24/7 feed you get on Max Standard and Premium plans, isn't quite the same as the CNN cable channel. Yes, it's still live, streams breaking news, and provides the latest episodes of favorites like Amanpour and Anderson Cooper 360. However, it follows its own customized schedule and features exclusive shows. Since Max Standard is priced at $16.99/month (a far cry from live TV prices), many users consider CNN Max close enough to the real thing.

Is it an overstatement to say that this is the bundle to end all bundles? Probably, but it sure is a strong deal, one positioned to beat Xfinity's Netflix + Apple TV + Peacock bundle, which is still a few bucks cheaper, mind you. The Disney+ + Hulu + Max bundle combines all of the streaming services' on-demand content (no Hulu with Live TV here, sadly) and offers them in two tiers: With Ads, which costs $19.99/month, and No Ads, which costs $32.99/month. If you were to subscribe to them separately, they’d cost $22 and $37 respectively, so the bundle saves you some cash. You can purchase the bundle on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites, but where you can watch them can be quite tricky. To be brief: you can watch Hulu and Disney+ content on each of their apps (they're basically interchangeable), but you can only watch Max films and shows on the Hulu app. You can't watch Hulu or Disney+ on the Max app. As of now, the bundle doesn't offer free trials, but you can cancel your subscription anytime.

Thanks to its accessibility, familiar features, and unlimited cloud DVR, YouTube TV has become a top pick among cord-cutters. The live TV streaming service also boasts a channel lineup that covers all bases. It has sports (and sports add-ons), entertainment, lifestyle, and of course, news. Apart from CNN, it also streams MSNBC and BBC World News.

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.