TV One provides true crime and other programming aimed at a middle-aged Black audience. But it’s enjoyed by a much broader group. And no one need a cable contract to enjoy it. Read on to learn your options.
In a hurry? TV One is not as widely available online as some channels. But you still have a few good options:
- DIRECTV STREAM: This full cable replacement service gives you everything you expect from cable and more for less money. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Philo: Super inexpensive live TV streaming service with 7-day free trial.
If you can’t watch your favorite sports, TV and movies because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve. Signup now.
Table Of Contents
TV One is among several channels launched in the last twenty years to feature programming produced by and for people of color. It differentiates itself from its predecessor (and competitor) BET by targeting an older demographic, 25- to 54-year-olds.
But you don’t need a cable or satellite subscription to catch the latest episode of Unsung. Read on to find out how you can watch the largest Black-owned network without the cable company taking you for a ride.
What Is TV One
TV One’s parent company, Urban One, was founded as Radio One back in 1980 (the same year as BET). TV One itself came along in 2004, in response to criticism of BET’s representation of people of color and a desire from older African-Americans for content that wasn’t wall-to-wall music videos or obnoxious teen reality.
The channel has grown to become the largest African-American-owned media conglomerate, encompassing over 50 radio stations, two TV channels, a syndication service, a set of online brands, and a brand-management agency to support the whole media empire.
TV One is not the only network vying for Black viewers. Aside from its own sister-station Cleo TV (targeting women of color), there’s:
- Allblk (AMC)
- aspireTV (UP Entertainment)
- BET (Paramount Global)
- BET
- BET Her
- BET Gospel
- BET Jams
- BET Soul
- Black News Channel (BNC — a newcomer to the industry)
- Bounce TV (the first African-American targeted broadcast channel)
- Fox Soul (Fox’s digital streaming local-ish channel)
- Oprah Winfrey Network (also known as OWN, targeting Black women)
- Revolt (urban music channel founded by Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs).
TV One Shows
TV One’s content consists mostly of true-crime series (For My Man, Sins of the City, Fatal Attraction), documentaries on Black America and notable individuals (Uncensored, Unsung, Hey, Black America!), lifestyle reality and talk shows (One Stage to the Next, Life Therapy, Sister Circle), original movies (Christmas Dilemma, Blood on Her Badge, Bad Dad Rehab), and classic African-American series (In Living Color, Empire, What’s Happening!!, Family Matters).
It also airs the annual Urban One Honors, which celebrates entertainers, artists, educators, and community leaders of color.
Featured original series include:
- Fatal Attraction: True crime series that centers around a different romance-turned-homicidal each week.
- Life Therapy: Actress-turned-life-coach AJ Johnson gives clients a dose of straight talk to help them improve their lives.
- Rickey Smiley for Real: Reality show that follows the professional and personal life of the comedian.
- Sins of the City: Limited anthology true-crime docuseries that examines the dark side of a different city each week via an in-depth review of a crime that had a major impact on that city, from initial discovery to the trial aftermath.
- Unsung: TV One’s award-winning breakout biography series spotlights overlooked and under-credited R&B, hip-hop, soul, and gospel musicians from the 1960s on. It has spawned spin-off series Unsung Hollywood (focusing on actors and shows), Unsung Presents: The Decades, and at least two Unsung Films made-for-TV biopics.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
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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 TV One
Many cable TV companies carry TV One, but you can watch it cheaper and with no long-term contracts and commitments with a live TV streaming service. The biggest services (Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV) do not offer it. But a few others do.
Philo
Philo is a great choice for those looking to save a little (actually a lot) on their TV provider. You get over 60 channels for $25/mo, including TV One, Cleo TV, aspireTV, BET, BET Her, OWN, and Revolt. But it is missing all local channels. Try Philo free for 7 days.
No messing around with tiers or packages; they have one plan, three add-ons for movies, unlimited DVR, and simultaneous streaming on up to 3 devices for all accounts. Just note that this service has no sports channels or local stations. (Philo review)
DIRECTV STREAM
If the saying is, “Go big or go home,” DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) is not going home. Urban One fans can get both TV One and Cleo TV in the Choice Package for $108.99/mo, as well as the Oprah Winfrey Network, BET, and Black News Channel (the only streaming service that carries BNC). New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.
You also get all your local regional sports networks so you can follow your home team on the court, diamond, rink, or field. If you sign-up online, all plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on unlimited devices at once. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Vidgo
Vidgo costs $69.99/mo. In all, you get 100+ channel lineup, which includes TV One, aspireTV, BET, and OWN. It also includes a lot of content that is family-friendly (Disney Channel) and sports-oriented (ESPN).
Note that Vidgo does not offer any DVR service or on-demand content, and offers limited local network support. You can, however, stream on up to three devices at once. (Vidgo review)
Streaming Devices for TV Now
You can watch TV Now on most streaming devices regardless of the service you select:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android phones and tablets
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- Roku
- Web browser.
DIRECTV STREAM makes things very easy by providing the option of using its own device (it costs $120 or $5/mo for 24 months). You can also use Samsung smart TVs with it.
Vidgo and Philo support devices built on Android TV. And Philo allows you to use the Amazon Fire tablet.
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 TV One Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| Mercy Ships Mercy Ship's crew of world class medical volunteers sail across the globe providing lifesaving surgeries to those with nowhere else to turn. | |
| Love That Girl – Poppin' Bottles Kelly's news of pregnancy; Delroy goes through a mid-life crisis and starts dressing younger; the gang puts on an intervention. | |
| Love That Girl – The Twilaugh Zone Latrell watches the Twilight Zone and falls asleep; Delroy gets greedy; Adonis sends back his plate of food. | |
| Love That Girl – Imunique Gets Fired Imunique gets fired; Jasmine becomes overwhelmed. | |
| A Different World – How Great Thou Art Whitley ignores her boss and buys a painting; Freddie hosts a radio talk show. | |
| A Different World – Showtime at Hillman Walter hosts a telethon for the community center, but fails to get the phones ringing. | |
| The Cosby Show – Looking Back In a series of flashbacks, the Huxtables help Elvin understand Sondra by reliving events from the family's past. | |
| The Cosby Show – Looking Back In a series of flashbacks, the Huxtables help Elvin understand Sondra by reliving events from the family's past. | |
| The Cosby Show – Bookworm Clair takes Cliff to the first coed meeting of her book discussion group. | |
| The Cosby Show – Dance Mania Theo and Cockroach plan on attending the taping of a TV dance show; Cliff learns "new math" from Vanessa. | |
| Living Single – To Grandmother's House We Go Regine (Kim Fields) and Khadijah's (Queen Latifah) mothers go on vacation, leaving the girls to baby-sit Khadijah's grandmother (Barbara Montgomery). Guest stars Chip Hurd and Rita Owens. | |
| Living Single – Talk Showdown An appearance on a talk show about "Roommates From Heaven" ends with Regine (Kim Fields) packing her bags. | |
| Living Single – The Shake Up Khadijah (Queen Latifah) doesn't take Regine's (Kim Fields) threat of moving out seriously until she leaves. | |
| Living Single – Come Back Little Diva After making good on her threat to move out, Regine hosts a housewarming party in her new less-than-glamorous studio. | |
| Fatal Attraction – The Secrets We Keep A family is thrown into turmoil after grandmother Marilyn Brinson disappears in Kansas City, Mo. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Wrong Turn Asia Harris is gunned down in her vehicle on a dark, secluded road, leaving her family and friends rattled; while police race to find Harris' killer, they discover she had some secrets of her own. | |
| For My Man – Led Astray by Love A woman who is unlucky in love meets a smooth-talking older man and thinks she has finally found someone with whom to start a life. | |
| For My Man – Fallen From Redemption When a young woman is released from prison, she is determined to live her life on the straight and narrow; however, her efforts are derailed after she falls hard for a handsome stranger who drags her down into a dark place. | |
| For My Man – Boy Next Door A young mother gives up a life of security with a wholesome family man to live on the edge with the bad boy she cannot resist. | |
| A Different World – How Great Thou Art Whitley ignores her boss and buys a painting; Freddie hosts a radio talk show. | |
| A Different World – Showtime at Hillman Walter hosts a telethon for the community center, but fails to get the phones ringing. | |
| A Different World – Sister to Sister, Sister Kim decides to pledge a sorority and finds that Whitley is the pledge mistress. | |
| A Different World – Monet Is the Root of All Evil Whitley sponsors an art show that is labeled obscene by an outside group. | |
| The Cosby Show – Looking Back In a series of flashbacks, the Huxtables help Elvin understand Sondra by reliving events from the family's past. | |
| The Cosby Show – Looking Back In a series of flashbacks, the Huxtables help Elvin understand Sondra by reliving events from the family's past. | |
| The Cosby Show – Bookworm Clair takes Cliff to the first coed meeting of her book discussion group. | |
| The Cosby Show – Dance Mania Theo and Cockroach plan on attending the taping of a TV dance show; Cliff learns "new math" from Vanessa. | |
| Fatal Attraction – The Devil Within Shortly after a large worker's comp settlement gave one family a chance at a good life, the husband and father is found dead in his truck; as police expose dark secrets, they're led to a cold-blooded killer nobody expected. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Caught in a Web A young man survives a near fatal shooting, rebuilds his life, and starts looking for love, only to disappear without a trace. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Blinded by Love When a kindhearted janitor is beaten to death in his home, it doesn't take long to learn he was embroiled in a love triangle with his wife and a close friend. | |
| Fatal Attraction – A Homicidal Haze When a young woman is found shot to death, it's hard to imagine why anyone would have harmed her; as investigators uncover potential suspects, they're challenged by violent backgrounds, mental health issues, drug problems, and obsessive behavior. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Devil in Disguise When a nursing student disappears, suspicion immediately falls on her boyfriend and the other woman in his life; police struggle to pinpoint a suspect until a guilty conscience leads them to her body -- and her killer. | |
| Fatal Attraction – The Evil Within A bright, young scientist is brutally murdered at work without witnesses; detectives struggle to identify the killer until he's found hiding in plain sight. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Chasing a Monster When a former addict disappears, police worry she may have relapsed; when her body is found in her abandoned car, investigators suspect foul play; police chase a killer who has a very dark past. | |
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| Behind the scenes with Blair Underwood on Pain Take a behind-the-scenes look at award-winning actor and producer, Blair Underwood, on pain and the effects of inflammation on the body. | |
| Relief from Inflammation Connie Craig-Carrol & Founder Ken Meares investigates Omega XL, the ultimate all-natural solution for joint pain from inflammation. | |
| Shark Matrix™ Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop Experience hands-free cleaning with Shark Matrix™ Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop! Matrix Clean precision grid cleaning leaves no spots and the Sonic Mopping™ feature scrubs 100x times per minute removing stuck on stains. |
Wrapping Up
So you don’t have to rely on cable to get your True Crime Mondays on, or catch all the inspiring stories over Women’s History Month. Just subscribe to one of the services listed above, and you can cut the cord without cutting off Fatal Attraction.
Our top choice to stream TV One is Philo since it offers a full lineup of channels and great extras. Try Philo free for 7 days.
FAQs
What awards shows does TV One broadcast?
Currently, TV One airs the Urban One Honors, run by its parent company for various artistic and community contributions. In the past, it has carried the Stellar Gospel Music Awards and the NAACP Image Awards (both have since moved to BET). It has also previously broadcast the Triumph Awards, presented by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
Can I watch TV One through its app or website?
There are some full episodes available on the website (particularly in the Rewind section), and you can watch Rewind episodes (prior seasons) on the iOS app, but newer episodes require a TV provider login. The Roku and Android apps require a TV provider login to watch anything. None of the streaming services seem to provide TV Everywhere access to TV One, however.
Can I watch TV One with an antenna?
No. Over-the-air (OTA) networks, like your local ABC, NBC, Fox, or CBS broadcast stations, are free for anyone to pick up with an antenna, but are also included in many pay TV subscriptions as well. TV One is not OTA; it’s a pay channel, like Discovery, BET, or TBS. That means you need to subscribe to a pay TV provider to get it: cable, satellite, or internet streaming (like the services above).
Who owns TV One?
TV One is wholly owned by Urban One, originally founded as Radio One by Cathy Hughes. It was built starting from a single radio station in Washington, DC in 1980, by Hughes and her son Alfred Liggins. When Radio One went public in 1999, Hughes became the first woman of color to lead a publicly-traded company.
Urban One has since acquired Reach Media, HelloBeautiful.com, and Elev8.com. Hughes and Liggins have both been inducted into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame.
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