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 – Tagging a Suspect Pieces of plastic the size of sand hold clues to a bombing. | |
| Forensic Files – Strong Impressions At first glance it appears a young woman suffocated, but further investigation shows the scene was staged. | |
| Forensic Files – Cereal Killer A killer is careless when a home is destroyed by fire and a young boy is missing. | |
| Forensic Files – Crash Course A patrol officer is shocked by the amount of blood at a traffic accident and is shocked by the coroner's ruling until an anonymous phone call re-ignites the case. | |
| Forensic Files – A Leg up on Crime An irrigation canal murder remains unsolved until a similar murder occurs. | |
| Forensic Files – Tight-Fitting Genes The light of day and DNA picture painted by molecular biologist reveals new clues about a nighttime traffic accident. | |
| Forensic Files – Deadly Valentine Blood splatter evidence contradicts an obstetrician's story who found his wife dead. | |
| Forensic Files II – Last Gasp After a young mother is found brutally murdered in her home, investigators find startling clues on her cell phone that could lead to her killer. | |
| Forensic Files II – Killer Snapshot An amazing new forensic tool turns a cold case around. | |
| CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. | |
| CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. | |
| CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. | |
| How It Really Happened – Finding Susan Powell: The Secret They Couldn't Talk About Part 1 Susan Powell, a twenty-eight-year-old mother of two, goes missing in December of 2009; more details about Susan's marriage to Josh and their life behind closed doors emerge. | |
| How It Really Happened – Finding Susan Powell: What the Children Saw Part 2 Authorities search for missing mother of two, Susan Powell, in every nook and cranny of the desert in Western Utah while her friends and family wait for a break in the case. | |
| How It Really Happened – Escape From Dannemora: Killers Part 1 Two dangerous killers break out of prison; convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat cut through steel walls and crawl through pipes to escape. | |
| How It Really Happened – Escape From Dannemora: Getaway Car Part 2 The manhunt for escaped prisoners Richard Matt and David Sweat expands from the United States to Canada; thousands of leads, but still no sign of the missing men. | |
| How It Really Happened – Bernie Madoff: Most Hated Man Part 1 Bernie Madoff was a legend on Wall Street but he would eventually confess to his sons that he had been living a lie, that this secret fund was nothing more than a multi-billion dollar fraud and the largest Ponzi scheme ever. | |
| How It Really Happened – Bernie Madoff: Who Else Knew? Part 2 The news of Bernie Madoff's arrest sent shockwaves around the world; investigators unravel a scheme that went back decades and involved several loyal employees. | |
| How It Really Happened – Last Days of Glenn Frey: Heartache Tonight Glenn Frey was a multi-talented musician and along with Don Henley, co-founded the legendary band, the Eagles; when Glenn Frey died in 2016 his fans were shocked. | |
| How It Really Happened – The Dartmouth Murders: Evil in a Small Town Well known and liked Dartmouth College professors Half and Suzanne Zantop's incredible lives came to a shocking end when they brutally murdered in their home; with few leads and clues investigators are stumped. | |
| Forensic Files – Picture This A missing teen is found dead several days later. | |
| Forensic Files – Oily in the Morning When police recovered the submerged car of missing man, they found no body; the investigation that followed uncovers a deadly obsession and the motive for murder. | |
| Forensic Files – Gold Rush Emergency dispatch recieved a call from a man who said his girlfriend shot and killed herself. But the wound was not self-inflicted. | |
| Forensic Files – Four on the Floor Police investigate a Native American woman's murder less than 10 miles from another murder scene. | |
| Forensic Files – Writer's Block Experts seek answers to a young businesswoman's death just before she was to testify in a criminal trial. | |
| Forensic Files – A Clean Getaway An anonymous caller reports the rape and murder of a dry cleaner employee; two eyewitnesses tell two similar but not identical stories. | |
| Forensic Files – Prints Among Thieves Police blame a botched robbery when an eccentric elderly millionaire is found dead, but the motive could be wrong. | |
| Forensic Files – Unholy Alliance Woman disappears from grocery store parking lot in Boulder, Colo.; investigators find extraordinary clues in a pair of bloody gloves, unique tire tracks, and ordinary grass and pine needles. | |
| Forensic Files – Signed, Sealed & Delivered; Cop Out Retracing the steps of real investigations with interviews and dramatic re-creations as experts draw on forensic science to solve baffling crimes and other mysteries. | |
| Forensic Files – Cop Out Police suspect a gay college student's slaying is a hate crime until forensic evidence points the case in another direction. | |
| Forensic Files – Summer Obsession Investigation into an accidental drowning focuses on one person, with a million reasons to kill. | |
| Forensic Files – Elemental Clue Two women are murdered in the same town and police fear a serial killer is on the loose, further investigation finds that they were both close to the same man. | |
| Forensic Files – Picture This A missing teen is found dead several days later. | |
| Forensic Files – Oily in the Morning When police recovered the submerged car of missing man, they found no body; the investigation that followed uncovers a deadly obsession and the motive for murder. | |
| Forensic Files – Gold Rush Emergency dispatch recieved a call from a man who said his girlfriend shot and killed herself. But the wound was not self-inflicted. | |
| Forensic Files – Four on the Floor Police investigate a Native American woman's murder less than 10 miles from another murder scene. | |
| Forensic Files – Writer's Block Experts seek answers to a young businesswoman's death just before she was to testify in a criminal trial. | |
| Forensic Files – A Clean Getaway An anonymous caller reports the rape and murder of a dry cleaner employee; two eyewitnesses tell two similar but not identical stories. |
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