How to Watch the History Channel Without Cable: Your Best Options

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The good news is most cable television content can be streamed. If you like to watch the History Channel without cable, you can subscribe to streaming services like Philo, Sling TV, Vidgo and even the History Vault. You can also get History on the History Channel app, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV and Disney+ but they all come with caveats. Before signing up for any of the above streaming services, it’s important you know the caveats. Read on to find out.

The History Channel is home to a vast library of reality, documentaries and historical dramas like Vikings, America: The Story of Us. But with cable bills growing during the pandemic, it’s time to look for an alternative.

Philo

For $20 a month, Philo is a low-priced choice for people looking for a live TV streaming service. The service offers the History channel alongside top networks like Animal Planet, HGTV, Nickelodeon, AMC, MTV, Comedy Central and more.

But the big caveat here is, Philo doesn’t have sports, news or local channels.

You can work around this by purchasing a quality antenna. Read more about local networks and antennas on our blog post, Do Indoor TV Antennas Really Work, here.

Moreover, Philo isn’t as customizable as other streaming services. You cannot upgrade the standard plan to gain access to more networks. You can purchase the EPIX and STARZ add-ons for an extra $6 and $9 a month, respectively, but that’s it.

Regardless, with 63 channels and 60,000 on-demand TV shows and movies for $20 a month, Philo provides a lot of content bang for the buck.

You can watch three streams at the same time and create ten accounts in one profile.

The service also offers a generous unlimited DVR storage and it will save your recordings for up to 30 days. You can even fast forward through commercials if you record shows with the DVR.

If you forget to save or record a particular show, Philo lets you replay anything aired within the last 72 hours.

Do keep in mind, you need a phone number or email address, an internet connection and a supported streaming device to enjoy Philo. Supported streaming devices include Roku, Apple TV, web browsers and mobile devices.

You can try the service for two days by entering your phone number or email address. But to use the full 7-day free trial, you need to enter your billing information.

There are no contracts, or hidden fees and you can cancel anytime.

Sling TV Blue

Like Philo, Sling TV is an affordable alternative to cable TV.

While Sling Orange offers the History Channel, Sling Blue carries additional networks like National Geographic, Discovery Channel and TLC.

For $30 a month, you can couple the History channel with networks like CNN, TBS, FOX Sports 1, Cartoon Network and more.

Depending on your area, you can also watch FOX and NBC’s local affiliated networks. But again, we recommend purchasing an antenna for the best options in receiving local channels.

Unlike Philo, you can customize your streaming experience for a price.

For instance, for an extra $5 a month, you can enjoy channels like NatGeo Wild, Destination America and American Heroes Channel with the Heartland Extra add-on.

If you are looking for international programs, Sling TV also offers add-ons aimed at Asian, European, Latin and Middle Eastern subscribers.

Additionally, the service gives you access to 10 hours of cloud DVR storage. You can upgrade this to 50 hours with the Cloud DVR Plus.

Three simultaneous streams can be active with Sling Blue. Supporting Sling streaming devices include Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, mobile devices and web browsers.

Sling TV offers a 3-day free trial. But even without a free trial, you can still watch 5,000+ TV shows and movies with Sling Free. There are no commitment and you don’t need to sign up. Go to Sling’s website, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Free Content.”

Alternatively, you can browse through Sling Free on Roku, Amazon and Android devices. Open the Sling TV app and click “Explore Free Content”.

Even though the content is free, it is limited. There are a few live TV offerings and on-demand TV shows, which consists mostly of incomplete seasons. Plus, most of the on-demand movies are old and obscure. However, there are hidden gems on the free service—for example, the 1935 film adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

Vidgo Core

For $45 a month, Vidgo Core gives you access to 68 networks—33 of which are the top channels of 2019 like the History Channel, Discovery Channel, ESPN and FOX News. The service also has a vast library of Video-On-Demand.

From ABC to FOX, local channels are available depending on your area. You can also use TV Everywhere to access these local channels.

With TV Everywhere, you can stream Vidgo channels and on-demand content even if you are on the go or if your three simultaneous streams are in use.

Follow these steps to use TV Everywhere:

1. Visit the website or install your favorite channel apps from your device’s app store.
2. Open the app and select your streaming provider when prompted.
3. Log in with your Vidgo username and password.

The feature offers 36 networks such as History, TLC, Nickelodeon and ESPN.

Unfortunately, CBS and NBC affiliated networks are not available on Vidgo or through the TV Everywhere app, but you can remedy this with a good TV antenna.

Like Philo, Vidgo is not customizable. You cannot purchase premium or add-on packages. If you want more channels, Vidgo Plus offers Core’s basic network lineup plus 20 more channels for $55 a month.

Vidgo does not have a DVR but it does have a playback feature, allowing users to catch up on any missed content within 24 hours.

The service also has an innovative watch party feature called the Social TV Experience. Social TV allows subscribers to join public watch parties or the ability to create private ones. You can enjoy this function with friends on up to three devices. Social TV allows you to chat, post memes, GIFs and live video reactions to your favorite series or movies.

Vidgo offers a 3-day free trial. The service won’t charge if you cancel the service within three days.

History Vault

If you want to exclusively watch History shows, you can opt for their on-demand streaming service called the History Vault.

For $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, the service provides you 2,000+ ad-free series and documentaries. They include the likes of The Men Who Built America, Barbarians Rising, WWII: The World in Crisis and more. History’s reality shows are not available.

However, most features are limited. You can watch on unlimited screens, but only iOS, Android, web browsers, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices support the service.

Google Chromecast, gaming consoles and other smart TVs are not supported.

Video downloading is only available on iOS devices and if you sign out of the app, your downloads are deleted.

Despite its limitations, History Vault is perfect for those craving strong historical shows.

There’s a 7-day free trial and you can cancel anytime.

Is There A History Channel App?

Yes. There are plenty of shows available for free on the app. However, the free content isn’t extensive. You can only watch select episodes from certain shows without verifying your cable TV or satellite TV subscription.

At the time of writing, there are six shows available for free. Some of these shows, like Forged in Fire, has 41 episodes unlocked for everyone.

But in most cases, the app only gives you free access to previews and clips to convince you into signing up to a service.

Can You Get The History Channel On Amazon Prime?

Not exactly. You can stream some of the History Channel’s shows like Vikings, America: The Story Us, and Ancient Aliens, but it lacks live TV viewing options.

Regardless, Amazon Prime is a cheaper alternative. The service costs $12.99 a month or $119 a year.

If you only want to watch Amazon’s on-demand library, you can sign up for an Amazon Video membership, which costs $8.99 a month. With Amazon Video, you can download or stream thousands of Prime movies and shows, but you lose the free two-day shipping of Amazon Prime.

Whichever the case, Amazon Prime and Video allow you to stream on three devices at once. There is an available 30-day free trial with no additional fees.

Is the History Channel On YouTube TV?

No. the History Channel is not a part of YouTube TV’s channel lineup. However, some users have decided to couple YouTube TV with Philo.

The two services complement each other. YouTube TV offers some of the major news and sports networks but lacks channels like A&E, GSN and History, which Philo has. Likewise, YouTube TV answers Philo’s channel gaps.

With YouTube TV, the price goes up to $84.99 a month. However, you will get more than 100 live streaming channels and thousands of titles on both services’ Video-On-Demand library. YouTube TV has a 7-day free trial, but the service sometimes extends this to 14-days.

Is The History Channel On Disney+?

You won’t find any of the History Channel’s shows on Disney+. However, for $61.99 a month, you can purchase the Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle. Disney+ may be an affordable and extensive on-demand streaming service, but it lacks live TV streaming, sports and some of the popular cable network shows.

Thankfully, the bundle solves this issue. Disney+ gives you access to family-friendly shows and movies. Moreover, Hulu + Live TV has more mature live and on-demand content and if you’re looking for sports, ESPN+ satisfies those needs.

Each streaming service on the bundle carries different trial periods and apps, so you will need to download and log in to each app separately.

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to stream the History Channel without cable. You can even be creative and pair one service with another to enhance your streaming experience.

Philo is the least expensive choice in our list. If you don’t particularly care about regional, sports and news, you’ll get a lot for $20/month. If you want to stream History without missing popular networks, you can couple Philo with YouTube TV.

Sling Blue is the most customizable option, but the price increases when adding extras and upgrades.

Like Philo, what you see is what you get with Vidgo Core. However, you’ll find the all-star channel lineup and Social TV Experience quiet robust.

You can also try on-demand streaming services like Amazon Prime, History Vault and Disney+, but the latter requires Hulu + Live TV to gain access to History’s shows.

In the end, the choice ultimately depends on your family needs.

How are you watching the History Channel? Are you using traditional cable TV or streaming on one of the newer services? Let us know your experiences below to help our readers.

Lloyd Rano Opalec

Additional Resources

Read, The Cheapest Way to Watch The Hallmark Channel here

How To Watch HGTV Online Without Cable here

How To Watch TNT Without Cable here

4 Things Cable Companies Don’t Want You To Know About TV Antennas here