Here’s How to Watch Discovery Channel Live for Free, Just in Time for Shark Week

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If you love Discovery Channel’s fascinating documentaries and guilty-pleasure reality series, you’ll be happy to know there’s a way to watch them without emptying your wallet. We’re covering all the best ways to watch Discovery Channel live for free up ahead, so you can get back to enjoying everything from Shark Week to your favorite reality marathons without breaking the bank.

Discovery Channel launched in June 1985 and quickly became the go-to network for anyone craving real-world stories and educational programming. Under Warner Bros. Discovery’s umbrella, it’s evolved into something a bit more dynamic than your typical documentary channel: think of it as the place where science meets entertainment, with a healthy dose of addictive reality shows thrown in. The programming covers all bases, from jaw-dropping nature footage to the kind of reality series that spark endless comment threads on social media.

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The network truly shines with its signature programming blocks. Shark Week takes over summer viewing, while shows like Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush, and Naked and Afraid have built devoted followings in their own right. You’ll also find top-tier documentaries and science content that holds its own against other premium networks.

How to Watch Discovery Channel at a Glance

• Available on: DirecTV, Philo, Sling, and Hulu + Live TV
• Free trial periods: DirecTV offers a five-day free trial; Philo offers a seven-day free trial

Beyond the marquee shows, you’ll also find gems like How It’s Made for satisfying your curiosity about everyday objects, MythBusters reruns for science enthusiasts, and Planet Earth specials for those breathtaking nature moments that make you appreciate our world.

Want to dive into all this content without the hefty monthly bills? Here’s how to stream Discovery Channel live without spending a dime.

How to Watch Discovery Channel Live for Free

Since Discovery Channel lives behind the paywall of cable and streaming services, your best bet is to consider free trials and promotional offers from platforms that carry the network—like DirecTV Stream, Philo, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV—before committing to any long-term agreements.

DirecTV Stream includes Discovery Channel in its Entertainment, Choice, Ultimate, and Premier packages, complete with a five-day free trial for new subscribers. It’s basically the streaming version of traditional satellite service, so you get that familiar channel-flipping experience with the modern convenience of a streaming service.

Philo stands out as probably your most budget-friendly option for Discovery Channel access. Every plan includes the network, plus you get a solid seven-day free trial to test things out. Since Philo focuses mainly on entertainment and lifestyle channels rather than sports, it’s perfect if documentaries and reality shows are your main interest—and the price stays reasonable even after the trial ends.

Sling TV also carries Discovery Channel in both its Blue and Orange + Blue packages, giving you some flexibility in how you want to structure your channel lineup. While Sling doesn’t currently offer a free trial, the overall pricing tends to be lower than traditional cable alternatives. Lastly, Hulu + Live TV bundles Discovery Channel into all its live TV plans. They also don’t offer any free trials, but the service is handy if you’re already thinking about upgrading your streaming setup to include both live channels and Hulu’s massive on-demand library in one package.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Watch Discovery Channel with DirecTV Stream

– Five-day free trial
– Includes local networks and 90+ channels

$0+ Buy Now

DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial and four plans: Entertainment, which comes with 90+ channels and costs $84.99 per month; Choice, which comes with 125+ channels and costs $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which comes with 160+ channels and costs $84.99 per month; and Premier, which comes with 185+ channels and costs $124.99 per month. All plans include local networks where available and unlimited Cloud DVR recording. DirecTV also offers a current deal where users can receive between $30 to $40 off their first month and $5 to $20 off any following months if they subscribe to a 24-month plan.

Best free trial

Watch Discovery Channel with Philo

– Seven-day free trial
– 70+ channels

$0+ Buy Now

Philo offers a seven-day free trial and starts at $28 per month, making it one of the cheapest live TV streaming services. Along with offering 70+ channels, Philo comes with 75,000+ movies and shows on demand, as well as unlimited DVR.

budget-pick

Watch Discovery Channel with Sling TV

– Half off your first month
– 30+ channels

$23+ Buy Now

Sling TV offers three plans: Sling Orange, which comes with 34 channels and costs $45.99 per month; Sling Blue, which comes with 47 channels and costs $50.99 per month; and Sling Orange & Blue, which comes with all the channels included in both Sling Orange and Sling Blue and costs $65.99 per month. Sling also has a current deal where users can receive 50% off their first month.

UPGRADE PICK

Watch Discovery Channel with Hulu + Live TV

– Includes free Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ plans

$81.99+ Buy Now

Hulu + Live TV offers four plans. The cheapest plan, Live TV Only, costs $81.99 per month and comes with access to Hulu’s live TV content. The next cheapest plan costs $1 more at $82.99 per month and comes with Hulu’s live TV content, as well as access to Hulu’s streaming library with ads, Disney+ with ads, and ESPN+ with ads. For Disney+ with no ads, users can subscribe for $87.99 per month. And for Hulu and Disney+ with no ads, the price is $95.99 per month.

Discovery Channel Programming

Here’s a full list of Discovery Channel’s current program offerings:

• Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction
• America’s Backyard Gold
• Bering Sea Gold
• Caught!
• Contraband: Seized at the Airport
• Contraband: Seized at the Border
• Contraband: Seized at Sea
• Deadliest Catch
• Destinations of the Damned with Zak Bagans
• Expedition Bigfoot
• Expedition Files
• Expedition Unknown
• Expedition X
• Filthy Fortunes
• Ghost Adventures
• Ghost Adventures: House Calls
• Gold Rush
• Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge’s Mine Rescue
• Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail
• Gold Rush: White Water
• Hoffman Family Gold
• Harpoon Hunters
• Homestead Rescue
• How It’s Made
• Hustlers Gamblers Crooks
• In the Eye of the Storm
• The Last Woodsmen
• Lost Monster Files
• Moonshiners
• Moonshiners: Master Distiller
• Mud Madness
• Mysteries of the Abandoned
• Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America
• Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch
• Naked and Afraid
• Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing
• Naked and Afraid XL
• Outback Opal Hunters
• Red Bull Soapbox Race
• Sin City Tow
• Street Outlaws: Locals Only
• Wild & Weird America