TCM Channel Live Stream: Watch Movies Without Ads or Cable Cheaper Online

Movie fans love TCM because it runs unedited films without commercials. At one time, you needed a cable subscription to get the channel. But no more! Read on to learn all your options to watch TCM.

In a hurry? If you want to start watching TCM without cable now, these three streaming services provide immediate access, and a lot more.

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How To Watch TCM Live Without Cable

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is unusual in the “basic cable” world. It doesn’t run any commercials. The channel is funded primarily on carriage fees, the money that cable, satellite, and streaming companies pay for rights to provide the channel to their customers.

As a result of this, TCM is not as widely available as, say, Discovery or Hallmark. But it is still available for one main reason: there are a lot of TCM fans! Famed director Martin Scorsese plays it in his editing room for inspiration. Like him, most TCM viewers are older. But this is changing with more and more young people tuning in.

Since TCM is not broadcast over the air, you can’t get with an antenna, or for free. You need to purchase it through a third-party provider. And for those who want to avoid long contracts with cable and satellite companies, streaming services are the only option.

All you need is an internet connection and a supported streaming device. If you’re reading this, you likely already have both. All you need to do is sign up with the right streaming service — you can decide which one that is below.

Sling TV

Movie Channels	AMC, Bravo, Disney, SyFy
Total Channels	40+
Cloud DVR	50 hours
Simultaneous Screens	3
Free Trial	❌
Sling TV Price*	$40.00/mo

Sling TV does not offer TCM with either of its base plans. Sling Blue does, however, provide you with AMC, Bravo, Disney, SyFy, and almost 40 other channels for just $40.00/mo.

One of the selling points of Sling TV is how easy it is to personalize with add-ons. For $6/mo, you get the Hollywood Extra add-on, which includes TCM, FXM, Cinémoi, and 7 other film-oriented channels. That’s $41 per month and you have TCM with a bunch of other channels.

For another $6/mo, you can get the Lifestyle Extra add-on, which includes Lifetime Movies, the 3 Hallmark channels, and 6 others.

This plan comes with 50 hours of DVR storage and the ability to stream on up to three screens at one time.

Check out these in-depth articles on Sling TV for more:

• Sling TV Review
• Sling TV Packages
• Sling TV Local Channels
• Sling TV Devices.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

DIRECTV STREAM

Movie Channels	AMC, Bravo, Disney, SyFy, TCM
Total Channels	75+
Cloud DVR	Unlimited*
Simultaneous Screens	Unlimited
Free Trial*	✅
DIRECTV STREAM Price	$79.99/mo

The DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) base (Entertainment) plan offers 75+ channels for $79.99/mo. It comes with TCM as well as AMC, Bravo, Disney, and SyFy. If you also want FXM and Lifetime Movies, you will need to choose the Ultimate plan. It comes with 130+ channels (including HBO MAX free for a year) for $119.99/mo.

The cloud DVR that comes with DIRECTV STREAM is unlimited as long as you sign-up online.

On the other hand, DIRECTV STREAM has the best deal in the industry when it comes to sharing an account. You can use your account on unlimited devices simultaneously in one household and away.

Read more about DIRECTV STREAM in our detailed review.

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Hulu + Live TV

Movie Channels	AMC, Bravo, Disney, FXM, LTM, SyFy, TCM
Total Channels	85+
Cloud DVR	Unlimited*
Simultaneous Screens	2
Free Trial	❌
Hulu Price	$76.99/mo

Hulu is known for its on-demand streaming service. It is extremely popular with cord-cutters who don’t care about watching live TV but want to stay up on recently aired shows. Hulu + Live TV adds to that 85+ live channels for $76.99/mo.

In addition to TCM, Hulu + Live TV offers other movie channels like AMC, Bravo, Disney, FXM, Lifetime Movies, and SyFy. And you get Disney+ and ESPN+. They also provide access to premium movie channels like Cinemax, Showtime, HBO, and Starz.

Hulu + Live TV comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage). You can also stream on up to two screens at one time. The simultaneous screens can be upgraded.

Find out more from these guides:

• Hulu + Live TV Review
• Hulu + Live TV Packages
• Hulu + Live TV Local Channels.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

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.

Get ExpressVPN Today

Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.

Other Ways to Get TCM Online

There are other ways to watch TCM live:

• TCM.com: You can watch both the east and west coast feeds of TCM as well as a huge collection of movies on-demand. This requires a login from your streaming service. It doesn’t work with Sling TV, however.
• TCM App: This is the same as the TCM.com website but it runs on Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices.
• YouTube TV: a general streaming service similar to Hulu + Live TV.

TVs and Devices That Support TCM

The three streaming services that we’ve discussed above support most of the streaming devices that are currently in use.

All of them support the main “stick” devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. They also support Chromecast, which allows your TV to accept casts from mobile devices and web browsers (if the TV doesn’t already support this).

Hulu and Sling support smart TVs with Android TV. DIRECTV STREAM and Sling TV support recent Samsung smart TVs. They also support a number of other devices including LG smart TVs, Xbox One gaming consoles, and Oculus VR devices.

DIRECTV STREAM supports its own device, which can be an easy way to move away from cable, without having to mess with third-party devices.

And finally, all the streaming services support web browsers. This has an advantage — most devices that run web browsers can be connected to a smart TV for display.

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.

Today’s TCM Schedule

Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:

3:00pm	Movie – Lili A French teen (Leslie Caron) joins a carnival and meets a lying magician (Jean-Pierre Aumont) and a loving puppeteer (Mel Ferrer).
4:30pm	Movie – The Wagons Roll at Night A carnival operator (Humphrey Bogart) tries to end his sister's fling with a rookie lion tamer (Eddie Albert).
6:00pm	Movie – Carnival Story Willie (Anne Baxter), a German woman, joins an American carnival passing through Munich. While traveling town to town, she joins Frank in his high-dive act, but tragedy is only a slip away.
8:00pm	Movie – Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid A gumshoe (Steve Martin) hunts a Nazi (Carl Reiner) for a svelte client (Rachel Ward) and meets rough characters clipped from 1940s films.
10:00pm	Movie – Dirty Rotten Scoundrels An American con man (Steve Martin) and his British rival (Michael Caine) target a soap heiress (Glenne Headly) from Cleveland on the French Riviera.
12:00am	Movie – Father of the Bride A harried patriarch (Steve Martin) faces separation anxiety, exorbitant costs and more as he prepares for his daughter's (Kimberly Williams) wedding.
2:00am	Movie – Pennies From Heaven A sheet-music salesman (Steve Martin) escapes his wife, girlfriend (Bernadette Peters) and the Depression through his songs.
4:00am	Movie – Robin and the Seven Hoods Robbo (Frank Sinatra), Little John (Dean Martin), Will (Sammy Davis Jr.) and company are charitable gangsters fighting for turf in 1928 Chicago.
6:15am	Movie – Maya A big-game hunter's (Clint Walker) son (Jay North) and a Hindu boy (Sajid Kahn) deliver a baby white elephant to an Indian temple.
8:00am	Grin and Share It Butch and Droopy finally strike gold in their mine so Butch tries to do away with Droopy so he can have his share too.
8:07am	Movie – Believe It or Not No. 10 Oddities include the smallest residence house and a futuristic garage.
8:15am	Movie – Glimpses of Peru The landscape, culture and people of Peru.
8:24am	Movie – The Walking Dead An executed convict returns from the grave to revenge himself against the gangsters who framed him for murder.
9:30am	Screen Directors Playhouse – The Brush Roper An old man who likes to tell exaggerated western tales, chases a mad, dangerous bull single handedly to prove his skills as a cowboy.
10:00am	Popeye the Sailor – Never Kick a Woman Popeye teaches Olive self-defense.
10:07am	Movie – The Falcon Takes Over The Falcon (George Sanders) seeks ex-convict Moose Malloy's long-lost girlfriend.
11:30am	Movie – Buzzin' Around Fatty (Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle) manages to invent a liquid that makes objects unbreakable, but in a rush to demonstrate the invention he accidentally grabs a jar of moonshine.
12:00pm	Movie – Tonight and Every Night An old London stage manager recalls a performer's (Rita Hayworth) wartime romance with an RAF pilot (Lee Bowman).
1:45pm	Movie – Angels in the Outfield The Pittsburgh Pirates' manager (Paul Douglas) sees hope after a newswoman (Janet Leigh) reports a girl saw angels on their side.
3:45pm	Movie – The Liquidator A British spy chief (Trevor Howard) recruits and trains a squeamish playboy (Rod Taylor) to be an on-call assassin.

Wrapping Up

TCM has thousands of ad-free movies for you to enjoy, and now you can do it without cable.

We recommend Sling TV for streaming TCM. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

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Get comfortable and start streaming while enjoying more for less money!

FAQs

How do I watch TCM for free?

TCM is a pay-TV station. It isn’t broadcast over the air and isn’t available for free. You must get it from a third-party provider. There is no way to get TCM free long-term.

How do I get TCM on-demand?

“TCM on-demand” or “Watch TCM” is available through the TCM website or app. These give you access to the east and west coast live streams of TCM. But they also give you on-demand access to TCM’s large collection of classic films. To use this, you must log in with your streaming services using TV everywhere. 

What type of shows does TCM offer?

TCM doesn’t have much in the way of shows — they just air movies. This is one reason that many film fans like it so much. They present one film after another with introductions by the hosts. What’s more, there are no adverts on TCM, so films run uninterrupted.

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