The beloved TCM is home to 20th-century classics. From the silent movies of the '20s and the screwballs of the '40s all the way to the technicolor wonders of the '60s and brassy indies of the '90s, it's all there. It's no surprise the network caused an uproar when it announced a drastic cost-cutting that saw the layoffs of half its staff. Fans (which included big names like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Ryan Reynolds) fought to preserve the historic channel, and needless to say, it's still up and running on TVs and streamers alike. If you're a cord-cutter wondering where you can watch TCM, we list all your options below. The cheapest would have to be Sling (that's with an add-on too), but if you're looking for something more comprehensive, DirecTV Stream and Hulu with Live TV are great options. You can read more about them below.
8 Best Services to Watch Turner Classic Movies Live Without Cable (TCM)
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Includes local channels and most major national networks. No commitment, cancel anytime.
Channels: TCM, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, RSNs, and most major channels.
Price: $86.99/month
Free trial: 5 days
Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Smart TVs and web browsers
Go to DirecTV Stream |
Named the "best all-around streaming service for cord-cutters" by Rolling Stone, DirecTV Stream tries to be all the good things about cable without any of the hassle. It has a big selection of channels, possibly the best stream quality in the market, and great DVR capability. For example, unlike with competitor Youtube TV, your DVR recordings on DirecTV will be the same quality as the live stream (often in 4K). The service also comes with a decent monthly price tag, and Netflix-style practicality that allows 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.
Price: $86.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Channel lineup: ABC, ACC Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Are We There Yet?, AXS TV, BABY FIRST, BabyTV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNNi, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, CW, Daystar HD, Discovery, 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, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HerSphere, HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION Television, Jewelry Television, MotorTrend, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV Classic, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, News Nation, 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 Sports, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, Spectrum SportsNet, SportsGrid, Start TV, SundanceTV, SYFY, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, The First, theGrio, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, WE tv, Women’s Sports Network
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV
The "Hulu + Live TV" plan mixes Hulu's exclusive offering of Originals with around 60 TV channels (the channels available depend on where you live). If you already have Hulu, getting the Live TV addition is usually cheaper than subscribing to another Live TV service. And if when you want to cancel the Live TV plan, you can click "cancel" on Hulu which will give you the option to keep the On-Demand part while cancelling the Live TV.
Price: $75.99/month
Free Trial: 3 days
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC Localish, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, 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 Sports 1, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, History, HLN, ID, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Localish, Military History Chanel, Motor Trend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBCLX, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS local channels, Pop, QVC, RSNs, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Spectrum SportsNet, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA Network, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV, Xbox
If you're a Sling TV subscriber looking to fortify your channel line-up, you might want to consider the Hollywood extra package—perfect if you're a movie fan and lover. It has eight channels dedicated to cinema, including SundanceTV (a treasure trove of indie gems) and Turner Classic Movies (endless classics for history film buffs). Sling Blue subscribers also get two additional channels: FXX and the FX Movie Channel, which are both subsidiaries of the Walt Disney company. Both libraries include films from 20th Century Studios, Twentieth Century Pictures, and Fox Film.
Price: $46/month
Channel lineup: Cinemoi, FXM, FXX, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, REELZ, Start TV, SundanceTV, TCM, Turner Classic Movies
Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($45 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland
Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Youtube TV has quickly grown into one of the best choices for Live TV, offering both local and national channels like ESPN, CNN, Comedy Central, and others. Youtube TV's marketing claims that by getting the platform, you could save up to $500 a year on cable. One major draw of the platform is unlimited cloud DVR storage that's included in the $72.99 plan. It's also one of the most widely available Live TV streaming services, as you can get it on virtually every device from Fire TV to XBOX to Smart TV brands like LG.
Price: $72.99/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, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dabl, Discovery, 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 Family, 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, News Nation, 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, RSNs, Scripps News, Scripps Sports, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, TCM, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telemundo local channels, The CW, The Great Courses, 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, VH1, WE tv
Device availability: Airplay supported, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Shareplay supported, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox
There's a reason why DirecTV Stream Choice is the provider's most popular package to date: it carries over 105 channels, many of which are specialty sports channels like Big Ten Network, MLB Network, and NBA TV; it has local channels and RSNs where available; it offers premium add-ons like Starz and HBO; and maybe most important of all, it's still under a hundred bucks, which is not something you can say about most live TV packages these days. In other words, Stream Choice is for those looking for extra sports coverage while wanting to enjoy the usual benefits of DirecTV, like unlimited screens and DVR, and keeping it all under a reasonable budget.
Price: $83.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby First TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS local channels, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fanduel TV, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, Fuse, FX, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Gem Shopping Network, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, HLN, Home Shopping Network, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MeTV, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, One America News, Ovation, OWN, Paramount Network, PBS local channels, PopTV, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, TV Land, Univision East, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
The most cable-like live TV package to date, DirecTV Stream Premier carries every possible channel you can think of. The sports department has ESPN and Fox Sports, to name a few, plus all the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB specialty channels. Meanwhile, the entertainment department has premium networks like HBO, Starz, Cinemax, and Showtime. It even has RSNs and local channels, all of which total more than 150 channels, so if you want your subscription to cover multiple bases, this is as comprehensive as it gets. All this comes to a hefty $160/month, which seems like a lot for a cord-cutting service, but with features like unlimited screens and DVR, it's worth considering if you have the budget to spare.
Price: $139.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ACC Network, AMC, American Heroes Channel HD, Animal Planet, Aspire, AXS TV, Baby First TV, BBC America, BBC News, BET, BET Her, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bounce, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS local channels, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, Cinemax, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Destination America, Discovery, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fanduel TV, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports FS2, Freeform, Fuse, Fuse Music, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Galavision, Game Show Network, Gem Shopping Network, GetTV, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HBO, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, HLN, Home Shopping Network, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2, National Geographic Wild, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, One America News, Ovation, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS local channels, Pop TV, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, Showtime, Showtime BET, Sportsman Channel, Starz, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, TV Land, Universal Kids, Univision East, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Spectrum TV Choice is an internet television service that is only available to Charter Spectrum internet customers.
It costs $29.99 per month plus a mandatory "flat tax" for local channels of $23.20. The channels available to you will depend on your location, but usually you can choose 10 more channels to add to your plan. Please be careful that after 30 days, you might not be able to change the list of 10 channels you choose.
Designed as an alternative to cable scubscriptions and on-demand streaming platforms, Spectrum TV Choice offers a combination of major cable channels and on-demand content that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players, and mobile apps. In the channel line-up, our editors chose 15 typical channels available to stream. You can read more in our dedicated explainer here: Spectrum TV Choice Explained: Plans, Pricing, Channels.
Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.
Exclusive to Spectrum internet users, Spectrum TV Stream is a live TV cord-cutting service that costs $40/month. It's cheaper than Spectrum's other TV plans, but that's because it doesn't carry sports and local channels—only news and entertainment. Some of the more notable ones include Disney, CNN, Fox, AMC, Discovery, and for classic Hollywood fans out there, the elusive TCM. It may not seem like much, especially when you compare it to similarly priced packages like Sling Orange, which for the same price covers sports, but it could be an attractive option for Spectrum users looking to pay for everything under one bill and who only need select cable channels to get their TV fix.
Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.
Let's recap the streaming services that allow you to watch TCM without cable.
What is the cheapest way to watch TCM?
The most cost-efficient way to watch TCM content is to get a subscription to Spectrum TV Stream for $39.99/month.
How to get a free trial to TCM?
You can get a limited time free trial to TCM by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM for free?
Unfortunately there are no streaming services that offer TCM 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)
- DirecTV Stream Premier (5 days free)
- DirecTV Stream Choice (5 days free)
- DirecTV Stream (5 days free)
- Hulu with Live TV (3 days free)
How to get a TCM live stream?
The platforms that will get you a TCM live stream are:
- DirecTV Stream
- Hulu with Live TV
- Sling TV + Hollywood Extra
- YouTube TV
- Spectrum TV Stream
- Spectrum TV Choice
- DirecTV Stream Premier
- DirecTV Stream Choice
How to watch TCM on Roku?
You can watch TCM on your Roku device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on an Amazon Fire TV?
TCM can be accessed on an Amazon Fire TV device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on an Apple TV device?
The streaming services that include TCM and are available on Apple TV are DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, and DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on a computer?
On a web browser head to the websites of DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice to start watching TCM.
How to watch TCM on iOS (iPhone or iPad)?
You can watch TCM on an iPhone or iPad by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on an Android phone?
You can watch TCM on an Android device such as Samsung or Google Pixel by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on an Android TV?
You can watch TCM on a Smart TV that runs on Android by getting a subscription to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, or DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to watch TCM on an Xbox?
You can watch TCM on an Xbox console through Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, or Spectrum TV Choice.
How to pay for a TCM subscription with Paypal?
The services that accept Paypal and carry TCM are: DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Spectrum TV Choice, DirecTV Stream Premier, and DirecTV Stream Choice.
How to pay for a TCM subscription with Apple Pay?
The services that accept Paypal and carry TCM are: Sling TV + Hollywood Extra.
How to pay for a TCM subscription with Google Pay?
The services that accept Paypal and carry TCM are: Sling TV + Hollywood Extra, and YouTube TV.
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.