If you are a fan of reality shows, A&E is probably essential. But due to the channel’s popularity, it is widely provided by live TV streaming services. Read on to learn how you can get it without a cable provider.
In a hurry? Several of the top streaming services offer A&E. These are the best:
- 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% your first month with Sling TV.
- Philo: This service gives you 60+ live TV channel for just $25/mo!
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
A&E is the flagship cable TV channel of A+E Networks, which also encompasses History, Lifetime, Crime + Investigation, and Spike Jonze’s Vice.
The channel is still trying to recover from the cancellation in 2020 of its biggest hit Live PD, and it has a couple of brand new series starting in early 2022 to help it do that: the reality drama Adults Adopting Adults and documentary serial Secrets of Playboy.
You can stream pay TV channels like A&E through the internet at a fraction of the price of cable or satellite, with no contracts or inconvenient installation appointments. Read on for more details.
What Is A&E
Once the Arts & Entertainment Network, the A&E channel used to be up there with PBS as a source of cultural, academic, intellectual programming — such as its Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning series, Biography and British co-productions and imports.
Over the years, it has succumbed to the same channel drift that claimed its sister channel History and most of the Discovery channels. Now, its content is largely a mixture of reality shows like Storage Wars and true crime documentaries like Killer Cases.
A&E was riding high as the #8 cable channel in ratings in 2020 when George Floyd was killed, prompting the network to put its top-rated show Live PD on indefinite hiatus.
With the controversy around the Austin, TX police department’s handling of Javier Ambler’s death while in custody while filming the show, A&E decided to make the hiatus permanent. Given it was many viewers’ favorite show, half its audience left overnight and the network dropped to #20.
It didn’t help that the show occupied multiple primetime evenings, giving A&E channel a giant hole in its programming schedule that they had to scramble to fill.
It’s not the first time A&E has canceled a show amid political controversy and experienced a viewer backlash. In 2013, after one year on the air, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson was first put on hiatus, then reinstated, ticking off viewers on both sides of the controversy.
The network announced last year that it was going to focus on “total-audience metrics” versus the traditionally coveted 18-54-year-old group. According to entertainment analysts, this means they’re going to be focusing on the 55-and-over crowd.
However, a recent documentary on Janet Jackson that aired on both A&E and Lifetime did very well across all age groups, so things could be looking up again.
A&E Shows
The top TV shows on A&E include:
- Biography
- Cold Case Files
- Court Cam
- Hoarders
- Intervention
- Secrets of Playboy
- Storage Wars
- Voices Magnified.
Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN
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Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
How to Stream A&E
A&E’s sister channels at A+E Networks are FYI, History, Military History, Lifetime, LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), and Crime + Investigation. You can watch similar content — unscripted reality and documentaries — on Discovery’s TLC, NBCUniversal’s Bravo, and AMC Networks‘ WE tv.
Most of the major streaming services offer the A&E channel. The two major exceptions are FuboTV and YouTube TV.
Philo
Philo is a huge bargain, especially if you like the A+E channels. For $25/mo, you get over 60 channels, including all the A+E channels (except Military History) plus TLC and WE tv.
It doesn’t carry WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal (no Bravo), or Disney-owned channels. It’s also missing sports and your local networks. But it does come with a great interface, unlimited DVR, and streaming on up to 3 devices at once. And only Frndly is cheaper (see below).
Get all the details in our Philo review.
Sling TV
Sling TV lets you create your own custom package. It’s as close to a la carte cable as you’ll ever get. But you don’t even need that. A&E, Bravo, History, Lifetime, TLC, and Vice are all right there in the Sling Blue base plan for $40.00/mo. (Alternatively, you can get Sling Orange, which comes with fewer channels but does include ESPN and Disney Channel.)
Grab the Lifestyle Extra add-on for $6/mo to get FYI, LMN, WE tv, and more. 50 hours of cloud DVR are included, and you can watch Sling Blue on up to 3 devices at the same time.
Learn everything in our Sling TV review.
DIRECTV STREAM
If it’s in the top 50 cable channels, it’s likely that DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) carries it. So it’s not surprising at all to find A&E, Lifetime, History, TLC, Vice, WE tv, and Bravo all in the base tier, the Entertainment Package, which runs $79.99/mo.
DIRECTV STREAM also gives you all your local stations, as well as unlimited cloud DVR and unlimited devices streaming in your home at the same time.
For more, see our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV offers over 85 live TV channels, and, as the name says, Hulu. That means thousands of on-demand shows and movies. But that’s not all! It also comes with Disney+ and ESPN+.
The base plan is $76.99/mo and includes A&E, Bravo, FYI, History, Lifetime, LMN, TLC, and Vice. If you toss on the Entertainment Add-on, you can get Crime + Investigation and Military History — it’s the only service that carries the latter.
Check out our Hulu + Live TV review for details.
Vidgo
Vidgo undercuts a lot of the competition, while still keeping sports and news in the mix. Not especially strong on local networks, it does carry A&E, FYI, History, Lifetime, LMN, TLC, and Vice in its Plus package, which is $69.99/mo.
You can stream on up to 3 devices, but Vidgo does take a pass on WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, and AMC Networks channels. And it includes no DVR and on-demand content.
See our Vidgo review for more information.
Other Ways to Stream A&E
None of those grab you? Don’t worry, there are more ways to stream The Art of Entertainment:
- Frndly TV: Frndly TV is a skinny bundle of over 30 general information, educational, and family live and on-demand channels starting at $7.99/mo. They recently reached an agreement with A+E to carry all of A&E’s sister networks. Other channels include the Hallmark Channel, Weather Channel, INSP, and BYU TV. (Frndly TV review)
- A&E Crime Central: A&E’s on-demand collection of 900+ true crime and justice system series and specials curated from A&E, History, and Lifetime/LMN. Featured shows include Dog the Bounty Hunter, After the First 48, 60 Days In, and Female Forces.
- Hulu: Hulu’s on-demand library starts at only $6.99/mo and contains over a dozen of A&E’s juiciest true crime and legal documentaries and series, as well as Storage Wars and Duck Dynasty.
- A&E App: Most devices allow you to watch A&E live and on-demand with this app. It requires that you have a TV provider to use it via TV Everywhere. You can similarly watch right on the A&E website.
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. |
Supported Devices to Stream A&E
Most of the streaming services listed above support the devices in use today. We’ll just go over the most popular devices but you can find complete lists in the streaming reviews.
Android TV-based televisions are not supported by DIRECTV STREAM but they are by the other services. In contrast, DIRECTV STREAM allows you to use its own device, which can make the switch to streaming easier.
You can also cast to your TV from a smartphone, tablet, or web browser using Chromecast that is either built-in or added as an external device. This is supported by all services.
Samsung smart TVs are supported by Hulu, Sling, and DIRECTV. Sling and Hulu also support LG and VIZIO smart TVs.
All the services support the popular TV “stick” devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. They also support mobile devices with iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.
The Xbox One gaming system is supported by Sling and Hulu. PlayStation and Nintendo Switch are supported by Hulu. And finally, Sling TV supports the Oculus VR system.
Today’s A&E Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| Zombie House Flipping – Dallas: Arcadia Derek and Chauncey take on a zombie house abandoned by previous flippers; with holes in the roof, termite damage, and a dilapidated porch, this nightmare house pushes their skills and budget to the limit. | |
| Zombie House Flipping – Bradley A probate house finally becomes available to the Zombie team, and their initial walk through reveals the makings of a sweet party pad. | |
| Zombie House Flipping – Tampa: Peppertree When Dolmar and the team get a deal on a 4 bedroom two bath from one of Dolmar's lender contacts in the suburb of Port Richey, it seems too good to be true; when the market shifts, it's causing Dolmar and his team to have to make a hard decision. | |
| Biography: WWE Legends – Bret Hart The story of one of the greatest technical athletes in the history of the sport, five-time WWE title holder Bret Hart, with a look at his celebrated career. | |
| Biography: WWE Legends – Shawn Michaels After drug addiction almost cost him his life, Shawn Michaels made one of the most improbably late-career comebacks in the history of WWE. | |
| WWE Rivals – Hulk Hogan vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were two men who pushed each other to greatness; they were close friends outside the ring and bitter enemies when the bell rang. | |
| WWE Rivals – Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Booker T WCW star, Booker T sought to make a name for himself by battling WWE's biggest superstar, Stone Cold Steve Austin; Gabriel Iglesias breaks down this memorable rivalry with Kofi Kingston, Natalya Neidhart, X-Pac and John Bradshaw Layfield. | |
| WWE's Most Wanted Treasures – The Miz WWE Superstar, The Miz joins Mick Foley and Lita in the search to track down items representing his awesome career achievements; a confrontation with a collector may have The Miz leaving empty handed. | |
| Secrets of the Hells Angels – The Killing of Margo Compton When a woman and her daughters are murdered in rural Oregon, a detective discovers that Hells Angels are involved and embarks on an 18-year quest to bring the killers to justice; family members and eyewitnesses tell their stories for the first time. | |
| WWE Rivals – Triple H vs. Batista The feud between Triple H and Batista is dissected by a roundtable of experts including Freddie Prinze Jr., Kevin Nash, Natalya, Bayley and John Bradshaw Layfield. | |
| WWE Rivals – Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Booker T WCW star, Booker T sought to make a name for himself by battling WWE's biggest superstar, Stone Cold Steve Austin; Gabriel Iglesias breaks down this memorable rivalry with Kofi Kingston, Natalya Neidhart, X-Pac and John Bradshaw Layfield. | |
| WWE's Most Wanted Treasures – The Miz WWE Superstar, The Miz joins Mick Foley and Lita in the search to track down items representing his awesome career achievements; a confrontation with a collector may have The Miz leaving empty handed. | |
| Secrets of the Hells Angels – The Killing of Margo Compton When a woman and her daughters are murdered in rural Oregon, a detective discovers that Hells Angels are involved and embarks on an 18-year quest to bring the killers to justice; family members and eyewitnesses tell their stories for the first time. | |
| WWE Rivals – Triple H vs. Batista The feud between Triple H and Batista is dissected by a roundtable of experts including Freddie Prinze Jr., Kevin Nash, Natalya, Bayley and John Bradshaw Layfield. | |
| Who Stole My Life? Every 3 seconds an American's identity is stolen. Just how safe is your 401k? Your bank account? Your home? Your credit? Crime Reporter Tom Morris Jr. investigates the identity theft epidemic. Find out how you can help protect yourself with LifeLock. | |
| Car accident? Free Legal Consultation Legal professionals standing by to answer your questions. | |
| Help Israel & Ukraine There is an urgent need to help Jews suffering in Israel, Ukraine, and around the world. Act now and support the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in their lifesaving work. | |
| Oxypure Zero, Air Purifier With Zero Replacement Filters JD Scott shares the Oxypure Zero, a wifi-enabled air purifier with zero replacement filters. | |
| David Jeremiah Dr. David Jeremiah's goal is to deliver the unchanging Word of God to an ever-changing world. | |
| Joni: Table Talk Joni and guests tackle a wide range of relevant issues, controversial subjects and hard-hitting news topics with candor and wit. | |
| Court Cam Two brothers brutally attack their mother's murderer during his sentencing; a young woman messes with the wrong judge in bond court; an unrepentant murder suspect makes unveiled threats at the judge. | |
| Court Cam A look at some of the wildest courtroom moments: a defendant takes a desperate stab at a prosecutor with a metal shank; a foul-mouthed woman goes off on her attorney; a state trooper delivers powerful testimony. | |
| Court Cam A victim of kidnapping and attempted murder takes the stand to face her attacker; a man accused of murder believes his victim possessed supernatural powers; an angry judge loses his cool. | |
| Court Cam Tempers flare at the trial of the deadliest biker brawl in U.S. history; the father of a murder victim comes face to face with his daughter's killer; it's a matter of life or death when a defendant goes for a deputy's gun in a packed courtroom. | |
| Court Cam A look at some of the wildest courtroom moments; family members of defendants and victims erupt in a Florida courthouse; a murderer's shocking courtroom outburst; an unforgettable adoption brings a judge to tears. | |
| Court Cam Two teenage former best friends face off in court; a cold-blooded murderer addresses the family of his victim; a judge says the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. | |
| Court Cam A teen sues her parents; chilling testimony from the mastermind of a murderous prison escape; a hilarious judge handles the argument of a sovereign citizen perfectly. | |
| Court Cam A judge scolds a reckless driver who shut down an interstate; parents face their daughter's killer, who's also their son-in-law; a defendant with a sense of humor and a bad set of teeth. | |
| Court Cam A convicted quadruple murderer argues with the judge; a pastor who stole from his church hears from his congregation; a man who murdered his grandparents becomes disorderly in the courtroom. | |
| Court Cam Some of the wildest courtroom moments; a judge loses his job when his temper gets the best of him; a standard security check gets physical; a father gains national attention through an unforgettable act of forgiveness. | |
| Court Cam A murderer explodes in the courtroom; a defendant pulls out all the stops to convince the court he's insane; a teenage girl learns her fate during a controversial and historic trial. | |
| Court Cam A convicted cop killer goes on an f-bomb tirade in court; a defendant reveals his fandom for the judge before that same judge admonishes him for bad behavior in virtual court; the family of a murder victim lashes out at the killer - a family friend. |
Wrapping Up
So don’t miss out on any of your favorite A&E programs. Sign up for one of the services above, and you can go ahead and sweep your cable bill right under the rug without missing any episodes of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures or Extreme Unboxing.
Our top recommendation to watch A&E is Philo. Try Philo free for 7 days.
FAQs
Are A&E shows available on-demand?
A&E shows certainly are available on-demand! All of the services above except Vidgo have at least some on-demand content, which generally contains at least recent episodes of current shows. In addition, Hulu has a number of A&E series available and Amazon Prime Video has some included as well (and some you have to buy).
You could also subscribe to A&E Crime Central, A+E Networks’ on-demand library of true crime-related programming from across its major channels, either by itself directly through A+E or through Amazon Prime Channels, Apple TV Channels, or Roku Channels.
Is A&E available on FuboTV?
Sadly, FuboTV (and YouTube TV) have not reached an agreement with A+E Networks to carry any of its channels, which is why you won’t see FYI, Crime + Investigation, either of the History channels, either of the Lifetime channels, or Vice on those services either.
What is the cheapest way to get A&E?
That would be Frndly TV at $7.99/mo. It’s a mix of on-demand and live channels including Local Now, UPtv, Outdoor Channel, Game Show Network — basically a lineup of cable TV’s Most Inoffensive Channels, ranging from completely neutral (The Weather Channel) to religious-tinged (Dove Channel, BYU TV) to determinedly wholesome (Hallmark, INSP). They just acquired the A+E Networks channels, including A&E.
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