How to Watch Investigation Discovery Live Without Cable

Updated on July 10, 2025 • Written & edited by our Staff

True crime has become such a staple in American media consumption that there's now a whole channel dedicated to it. Investigation Discovery (ID) airs investigative documentaries like On the Case with Paula Zahn, Disappeared, CBS' 48 Hours, and NBC's Dateline.

You can watch Investigation Discovery (ID) live without cable on Sling TV Orange, Sling TV Blue, DirecTV Stream, Philo, or YouTube TV.

The cheapest option to watch Investigation Discovery (ID) live is Philo for $28/month.

Below, we count down the best ways to watch Investigation Discovery 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.

Here are the streaming services that include Investigation Discovery (ID)

$45.99/month | 33 channels including Investigation Discovery (ID)

Investigation Discovery (ID) on Sling TV Orange

Whether Orange or Blue, fans can hunt down Investigation Discovery (ID) on both plans. Other true crime channels available on both plans include A&E and Lifetime, but Orange has channels like Disney and ESPN that you can watch in between cases.

Go to Sling TV Orange

$45.99/month | 46 channels including Investigation Discovery (ID)

Investigation Discovery (ID) on Sling TV Blue

Like Orange, you can watch Investigation Discovery (ID) on Sling Blue, as well as other true crime channels like A&E and Lifetime. Blue as a whole tends to have more entertainment and news channels, so you can check out channels like HLN as well. Can't decide? Sling thankfully offers Sling Orange + Blue, as well as a whole range of add-ons you can explore.

Go to Sling TV Blue

$86.99/month | 135 channels including Investigation Discovery (ID) | 5 days free trial

Investigation Discovery (ID) on DirecTV Stream

If you're coming from cable, DirecTV Stream is the closest thing. The price may be similar, but the wide channel line-up is too, including all the channels you will ever want like Investigation Discovery (ID). On top of that, you can share your account with a large family, with up to 20 devices able to stream at the same time.

Go to DirecTV Stream

$28/month | 95 channels including Investigation Discovery (ID) | 7 days free trial

Investigation Discovery (ID) on Philo

Philo keeps its prices down by excluding sports and local TV. Thankfully, for true crime fans, Philo still has a lot of channels to offer from the genre, including Investigation Discovery (ID). That means you can watch the channel at less than half the price of the streamers listed here.

Go to Philo

$82.99/month | 143 channels including Investigation Discovery (ID) | 7 days free trial

Investigation Discovery (ID) on YouTube TV

With YouTube TV's easy interface and wide channel line-up, there's no need to hunt down good entertainment. For crime genre fans, you can just find Investigation Discovery (ID) on its search function. The line-up also includes other true crime channels like American Crimes, Oxygen True Crime, and Justice Central.

Go to YouTube TV

Craving for true crime? Investigation Discovery (ID) is the go-to channel for true crime documentaries, along with its sister channel HLN. Along with reruns of 20/20, Dateline, and 48 Hours, you can catch their original series like The Curious Case Of... and Evil Lives Here. Being owned by Warner Bros Discovery, all the shows are likely available on-demand through Max. Still, if you want to watch your favorite shows live, we hope that this list would help you find your next streaming service.

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