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.
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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 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:
| CNN This Morning Stories from across the world and refreshing conversations. | |
| Inside Politics With Manu Raju Melanie Zanona; Catherine Lucey; Isaac Arnsdorf. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Wife's Double Life When a young man is thrown in jail for the murder of his newlywed wife, most people in their small Oklahoma community believe the case has been solved, then odd cell tower records and surprising DNA evidence force investigators to take a second look. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – SoCal Sting When a California mother of two is stabbed to death in her bedroom, police can't find any incriminating evidence; the case goes cold for years until a new detective uncovers a tiny clue that leads to an undercover sting to catch the killer. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Code of Silence In St. Petersburg, Fla., Cabretti Wheeler and his friend, Kyle Ellis, are killed; after the only eye-witness vanishes, it's up to Wheeler's mother, Lisa, to help police solve the case, even if it means risking her own life for justice. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Speaking From the Grave Margaret Purk is just days away from having her first baby when she is found dead from an apparent suicide; 24 years later, new clues lead investigators to re-open the case. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – The Vanishing Clerk On Easter Sunday, 18-year-old Heidi Allen vanishes from her convenience store job; two brothers are arrested for the kidnapping, but only one is convicted; years later, a chilling new story emerges implicating three other men in the crime. | |
| Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall – Eyes Like Daddy After a young mother is murdered inside her home, an early arrest and a surprising confession point to a dark conspiracy, leading investigators to someone many townspeople thought they knew. | |
| Forensic Files – Traces of Truth A high school gym teacher gives his friend a ride home but never returns; his wife and friend receive letters saying he started a new life, but they suspect foul play despite no body being discovered. | |
| Forensic Files – Honor Thy Father A 16-year-old girl is killed in her own home by her mother and father. Her parents said they acted in self-defense, but the forensic evidence indicates otherwise. | |
| Forensic Files – Hack Attack Investigators determine if a computer crash which almost ruined a manufacturing company was accidental or deliberate sabotage. | |
| Forensic Files – Deadly Curve Car with three Secret Service agents collides with local deputy's car; investigation launched into who was responsible for the deadly car accident finds two very different conclusions. | |
| Forensic Files – Visibility Zero The derailment of the Sunset Limited was the deadliest train crash in U.S. history killing 47 passengers and crew with several more injured. | |
| Forensic Files – Flashover Arson investigators attempt to determine the cause of the 1987 fire at the Kings Cross Underground Station in London. | |
| Forensic Files – Road Rage A discarded sleeping bag, containing bloody sneakers and a purse, leads police to the body of a young woman; a mark found on the victim's body enables police to track the killer. | |
| Forensic Files – Hunter or Hunted? A woman's apparent accidental death begins to look fishy after police uncover a letter written by the victim days before her untimely death. | |
| Forensic Files – In Harm's Way An Alaskan trooper finds a woman's body beside a frozen road, but evidence is scant even after a suspected murder weapon is found. | |
| Forensic Files – No Corpus Delicti Police link a clump of hair discovered in an isolated area with a woman who disappeared 20 years ago. | |
| Forensic Files – News at 11 A news anchor is shot to death outside her home in an apparent crime of passion by a fan; a police dog tracks the scent of the killer back to the crime scene. | |
| Forensic Files – Burning Desire A fire, caused by an unattended cigarette, kills the estranged wife of a police officer; forensic scientists discover that the cause is far more complicated. | |
| Forensic Files – Cloak of Deceit A trio of men, responsible for several bank robberies, leaves no evidence behind; forensic scientists help catch them by looking at the criminals' posture and clothing. | |
| Forensic Files – Bad Medicine When a woman's bone marrow test reveals arsenic poisoning, investigators try to determine if it is due to groundwater contamination or something more sinister. | |
| Forensic Files – Stick 'em Up A missing bank president's body is found floating in a lake; the duct tape used in binding him to a chair helps solve the crime. | |
| Forensic Files – Head Games A husband was shot and killed, forensic psychiatry helped the wife to remember the details for what happened. | |
| Forensic Files – Hack Attack Investigators determine if a computer crash which almost ruined a manufacturing company was accidental or deliberate sabotage. | |
| Forensic Files – Deadly Curve Car with three Secret Service agents collides with local deputy's car; investigation launched into who was responsible for the deadly car accident finds two very different conclusions. | |
| Forensic Files – Visibility Zero The derailment of the Sunset Limited was the deadliest train crash in U.S. history killing 47 passengers and crew with several more injured. | |
| Forensic Files – Flashover Arson investigators attempt to determine the cause of the 1987 fire at the Kings Cross Underground Station in London. | |
| Forensic Files – Road Rage A discarded sleeping bag, containing bloody sneakers and a purse, leads police to the body of a young woman; a mark found on the victim's body enables police to track the killer. | |
| Forensic Files – Hunter or Hunted? A woman's apparent accidental death begins to look fishy after police uncover a letter written by the victim days before her untimely death. | |
| Forensic Files – In Harm's Way An Alaskan trooper finds a woman's body beside a frozen road, but evidence is scant even after a suspected murder weapon is found. | |
| Forensic Files – No Corpus Delicti Police link a clump of hair discovered in an isolated area with a woman who disappeared 20 years ago. | |
| Forensic Files – News at 11 A news anchor is shot to death outside her home in an apparent crime of passion by a fan; a police dog tracks the scent of the killer back to the crime scene. | |
| Forensic Files – Burning Desire A fire, caused by an unattended cigarette, kills the estranged wife of a police officer; forensic scientists discover that the cause is far more complicated. | |
| Forensic Files – Cloak of Deceit A trio of men, responsible for several bank robberies, leaves no evidence behind; forensic scientists help catch them by looking at the criminals' posture and clothing. | |
| Forensic Files – Bad Medicine When a woman's bone marrow test reveals arsenic poisoning, investigators try to determine if it is due to groundwater contamination or something more sinister. | |
| Forensic Files – Stick 'em Up A missing bank president's body is found floating in a lake; the duct tape used in binding him to a chair helps solve the crime. | |
| Forensic Files – Head Games A husband was shot and killed, forensic psychiatry helped the wife to remember the details for what happened. | |
| Forensic Files II – The Barn A popular handyman in a New Hampshire town is found murdered and investigators follow forensic clues to a shocking conclusion. | |
| Forensic Files II – A Killer Disguise A young mother is murdered in a crowded parking lot in broad daylight. | |
| CNN News Central (HLN) The anchors share the latest stories about significant events that take place across the world and interview prominent figures. |
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
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