HLN is one of the standard cable channels — known to hotel guests the world over. It really is a great way to get your bearings on the world. And now it airs true crime throughout the day. Best of all: you don’t need cable to watch it.
In a hurry? The biggest streaming services offer HLN. Here are our top picks:
- DIRECTV STREAM: Makes it easy to switch from cable to streaming with their 75+ channel Entertainment plan and options for much more. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: The top low-cost streaming service provides a great base channel lineup in both its plans. Save 50% with Sling TV.
- Hulu + Live TV: This total entertainment streaming service provides a great on-demand selection and all the essential live TV channels.
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
If you mainly watch morning news and true crime shows, you should find a way to add HLN to your channel lineup today. In addition to its outstanding morning programming, HLN boasts a quality daytime and primetime lineup that will provide maximum value for your streaming dollar.
Let’s take a closer look at its program lineup, which streaming services have this it, and where you can go to find even more news and true crime programming.
What Is HLN?
HLN first made it to the airwaves in 1982, and at the time, it was known as CNN2. This station was also known as “CNN Headline News” and just “Headline News” before adopting the HLN moniker. Throughout the 21st century, the station has cycled through a variety of formats in an effort to obtain greater market share.
In 2013, it attempted to become the cable news source for those who typically use social media. Over the next three years, it produced content that amplified viral videos and other content that was making waves online.
In 2016, the format changed to a combination of news during the day and true crime content during the evenings. However, HLN typically covers stories that are deemed to have the most entertainment value for its audience.
Over the last three years, many of the hard news programs that debuted on the channel were either canceled or moved to CNN.
HLN Shows
There is little doubt that Morning Express with Robin Meade is HLN’s flagship news show. It runs weekdays from through (ET). On Saturday and Sunday, Weekend Express is hosted by Susan Hendricks. It airs from to .
On the true crime side, Forensic Files and Forensic Files II are among the most viewed shows on HLN. If you are interested in historical true crime cases, you’ll want to check out How It Really Happened. Finally, Vengeance: Killer Neighbors and Vengeance: Killer Lovers are shows that you need to watch if you like stories about crimes of rage or passion.
Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
Stream HLN
Being part of its family, HLN is only available from streaming services that offer Turner channels.
Sling TV
HLN is available through the Sling Blue package. It comes with 40+ channels including CNN, Fox, and NBC. The cost is just $40.00/mo and you have many options for upgrading, including the News Extra for $6/mo, which contains BBC World News, Weather Nation, the Science Channel, and Newsmax.
It comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices at a time. See our Sling TV review and news overview for more information.
DIRECTV STREAM
HLN is available with the base (Entertainment) DIRECTV STREAM packages. It costs $69.99 per month and comes with roughly 80 channels.
If you subscribe online, you get unlimited cloud DVR. It comes with streaming on 20 devices at once. See our DIRECTV STREAM review for details.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV offers HLN as part of its base package of 85+ channels for $69.99. This also includes the Hulu on-demand library as well as ESPN+ and Disney+.
The plan includes unlimited cloud DVR, 9 months of storage, and simultaneous streaming on two devices. Get all the details in our Hulu + Live TV review.
YouTube TV
The YouTube TV base package starts at $64.99 and comes with dozens of channels including HLN and CNN. It includes unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices.
CNN Go
CNN Go is the official Turner news app. It allows users to live stream CNN, CNN International, and HLN. You need a TV provider log to use it. Note that Sling TV does not provide this access but the other streaming services do.
Live Stream Devices for HLN
All the services mentioned above let you watch HLN live on these devices:
- Android devices
- iOS devices (iPhones, iPads)
- Chromecast (built-in and external)
- TV devices (Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku)
- Samsung TVs
- Web browsers.
DIRECTV STREAM has its own (optional) device. You can purchase it directly from them.
The other services support a number of additional devices. These include TVs that are Android TV-powered as well as LG and Vizio TVs and Xbox One gaming devices. Hulu supports the Nintendo Switch. And both Hulu and YouTube support the PlayStation.
Other devices are supported. See our streaming reviews for complete details.
Superpower Your Live TV Streaming With a VPN
You can’t beat a VPN for privacy, security, and access. We have used them for years as an important part of our streaming toolkit and we recommend ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
i | See our VPN Buyer’s Guide for complete information on how to choose the best VPN for your needs. |
HLN Alternatives
There are various alternatives to HLN but because of its divided content, you may need two channels.
News
- CNN: A sister station of HLN. Its top shows include Anderson Cooper 360 and CNN Tonight. Other popular programming includes Early Start and New Day.
- BNC: As the name suggests, the Black News Channel delivers news focused on the issues and concerns of the African American community. Its top shows include BNC Live and DC Tonight.
- Fox News: Although known for its nighttime opinion shows, its daytime programming is news-focused. You will find shows such as America’s Newsroom and Cavuto’s World.
- MSNBC: Like Fox News in being known for its nighttime opinion shows, it features straight news throughout the day (after the right-of-center Morning Joe). Shows include Andrea Mitchell Reports and Way too Early.
- Network News: ABC, CBS, and NBC have their own live news feeds. ABC and CBS both offer local news as well. You can watch them free of charge on most streaming platforms.
True Crime
- A&E: Known for its reality and true crime programming, its most popular programs include Cold Case Files and I Survived a Serial Killer. If you are interested in how detectives handle cases as they come in, you may also want to check out The First 48.
- Investigation Discovery: Offers a slew of popular shows such as Crime Scene Confidential and Deadly Women. Other interesting shows that air on this channel include I (Almost) Got Away With It and On the Case.
- Oxygen: Has a lineup that is mostly true crime or programs that feature similar content. These shows include An Unexpected Killer and Buried in the Backyard. Other popular programs include Dateline: Secrets Uncovered and Famous Cases Explained.
- TV One: Fffers a mixture of comedy and true crime programming. Its most prominent true crime shows are Fatal Attraction and Sins of the City.
Finally, HBO Max and Netflix have a significant amount of true crime programming that is available on-demand. You can add HBO Max Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, or YouTube TV.
Today’s HLN Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
Forensic Files – Moss, Not Grass Police are led to two suspects when a woman is found dead on a golf course. | |
Forensic Files – Material Witness Evidence leads directly to a killer when a teenager goes missing and a month later her body is found. | |
Forensic Files – Garden of Evil A sniffer dog and a blood splatter lead to the killer of a popular disc jockey. | |
Forensic Files – Sunday School Ambush Investigators unravel a twisted tale of lust, greed and deception after a woman claims her husband was gunned down by intruders. | |
Forensic Files – Penchant for Poison Arsenic poisoning is found to be the cause of a woman's mysterious illness. | |
Forensic Files – Bump in the Night A man is murdered in his sleep but no fingerprints are anywhere to be found; a shoe impression outside could lead to the killer. | |
Forensic Files – Sole Searching With very little else to go on, investigators find that a show impression puts them on the right track to finding a killer in Lansing, Mich. | |
Forensic Files – Murder on the Menu Chilling tale of debt & deceit when the head chef of a restaurant is found dead. | |
Forensic Files – Hot on the Trail Serial arsonist on the loose leaves no evidence. | |
Forensic Files – High 'n Dry A man becomes the prime suspect in his wife's death after forensic science raises questions about her apparent suicide. | |
Forensic Files – To the Viktor Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic seek links between three homicides that look like professional executions. | |
Forensic Files – Wired for Disaster Who put a bomb in the home of a 29-year-old woman and killed her? | |
Forensic Files – Moss, Not Grass Police are led to two suspects when a woman is found dead on a golf course. | |
Forensic Files – Material Witness Evidence leads directly to a killer when a teenager goes missing and a month later her body is found. | |
Forensic Files – Garden of Evil A sniffer dog and a blood splatter lead to the killer of a popular disc jockey. | |
Forensic Files – Sunday School Ambush Investigators unravel a twisted tale of lust, greed and deception after a woman claims her husband was gunned down by intruders. | |
Forensic Files – Penchant for Poison Arsenic poisoning is found to be the cause of a woman's mysterious illness. | |
Forensic Files – Bump in the Night A man is murdered in his sleep but no fingerprints are anywhere to be found; a shoe impression outside could lead to the killer. | |
Forensic Files – Sole Searching With very little else to go on, investigators find that a show impression puts them on the right track to finding a killer in Lansing, Mich. | |
Forensic Files – Murder on the Menu Chilling tale of debt & deceit when the head chef of a restaurant is found dead. | |
Forensic Files – Hot on the Trail Serial arsonist on the loose leaves no evidence. | |
Forensic Files – High 'n Dry A man becomes the prime suspect in his wife's death after forensic science raises questions about her apparent suicide. | |
Forensic Files – To the Viktor Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic seek links between three homicides that look like professional executions. | |
Forensic Files – Wired for Disaster Who put a bomb in the home of a 29-year-old woman and killed her? | |
CNN This Morning Stories from across the world and refreshing conversations. | |
CNN This Morning Stories from across the world and refreshing conversations. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – New Mexico Desert Killings When a young woman vanishes from a New Mexico convenience store, two detectives discover tracks in the dirt that may lead to answers; after a second woman disappears, it's a race against time to stop a possible serial killer. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Innocence Lost In 2006, a young woman and her baby are found murdered at home; detectives discover a complicated romance, a revelation and evidence to make an arrest. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Vanishing on I-95 A woman vanishes while driving on I-95 in Florida; her divorce leads police one way, then her body is found, suggesting a different more horrible path; another woman reads about the case and has a hunch she knows the killer. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – The Jersey Devil Star student Brittney Gregory, 16, vanishes from Brick Township, N.J., in 2004; police launch an investigation that leads them into a world of dark secrets and dangerous players as they strive to solve her disappearance. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Driven to Murder After helping a friend fix his computer, 18-year-old tech prodigy Sam Poss takes off on foot and never returns home. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – The Sheriff's Son After an Arkansas outdoorsman disappears, authorities wade through accusations and rumors in their hunt for the missing man; as they zero in on a suspect and the body count rises, detectives rush to capture the killer before it's too late. | |
Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Shot in the Dark Twenty-eight-year-old U.S. Army veteran Joey Fulgham is shot dead in his bed in May 2003; police have a lot of ground to cover with a large number of suspects, including Joey's wife, her jealous boyfriend and even her protective teenage brother. | |
Forensic Files – Wood-Be Killer Fire wood found a a crime scene helps investigators locate a killer. | |
Forensic Files – Naughty or Nyce After a tycoon's wife is found dead in her SUV submerged in a half-frozen creek, police begin to suspect it wasn't an accident. | |
Forensic Files – Going for Broke A Russian immigrant is found dead and a strange phone call to his office is the only lead investigators have. | |
Forensic Files – Just Desserts Physical evidence intially condemns a prime suspect to a double homicide, but DNA from a discarded spoon points to another. | |
Forensic Files – Sunday's Wake A child's death from flu-like symptoms triggers an investigation that ranges from the United States to Egypt and uncovers murder. | |
Forensic Files – Shattered Dreams A couple is found dead in a car with broken windows but no shattered glass. | |
Forensic Files – Dockter Visit Key suspect has a solid alibi in the murder of a war veteran. But police get a lead by finding a new suspect with a sweet tooth. |
Wrapping Up
If you have an affinity for network news and true crime programming, HLN has you covered all day and night. Available on a variety of streaming platforms, HLN is relatively easy to get without having to pay more than you want or need to for your favorite shows.
We recommend Sling TV for HLN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there no news on HLN?
There is still news during the morning hours on HLN both during the week and on weekends. However, during the day, you will need to watch CNN or one of the other news outlets that we discussed above to get coverage of breaking news and other top stories.
How can I watch other news channel without cable TV?
We have guides on watch most of the important news channels:
- Fox
- Fox Business
- Fox News
- HLN
- MSNBC
- NBC
Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord
- Pick the right streaming service
- Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
- Supercharge your internet provider
That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!
Page Updates ▼▲
-
Updated some sub-sections. Updated some section headings. Image changes.
-
Image changes. Added links. Various changes.
-
Added VPN info. Image changes.
-
Added buttons for streaming services. Various changes.
-
Added links to streaming services. Pricing updates. Misc changes to content. Deleted unneeded sub-section.
-
Image changes. Added useful links. Reworded some things.
-
More links. Changed a few bits of content.
-
Added links to streaming services. Added a few links. Misc changes. Reformatting.
-
States That Have Produced the Best Actors and Actresses - 09/06/2022 -
Exclusive Sports on Hulu + Live TV - 07/24/2022 -
Just How Good Is Hulu + Live TV’s Local TV Coverage? - 07/03/2022