If you are interested in nature, science, and history, Smithsonian Channel is for you. But you don’t need a long-term subscription to enjoy this “cable” channel. Read on to learn your options!
In a hurry? These are our three favorite services for getting Smithsonian Channel without cable or satellite:
- Fubo: With 150+ channels, it offers something for everyone. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
- DIRECTV STREAM: Provides everything you expect from cable with many options. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Philo: Super inexpensive live TV streaming service with 7-day free trial.
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Table Of Contents
The Smithsonian Channel offers an intriguing selection of programming about various topics, ranging from animal-focused shows to historical episodes to the explaining of how things work, such as trains and factories.
Simply put, this is a great channel for those who want to learn about the world. And its shows tend to be a nice balance of being relaxing, engaging, interesting, and thought-provoking.
Fortunately, cord-cutters have several options available for streaming this channel. Read on to learn them all.
Smithsonian Channel Basics
The Smithsonian Channel is an inspiration of the Smithsonian Institute, a Washington-based collection of museums and education and research facilities. The National Zoo is included in its facilities. It is the world’s largest complex of this type.
The Institute got its start in 1846 and was previously known as the United States National Museum. But that moniker was put to rest in 1967.
The channel by that name was launched in 2007. It is owned by Paramount Global and, unsurprisingly, much of its content is also available online at Paramount+ ($4.99/mo).
Note that despite the channel being named for a United States-based institution, its programming includes a significant amount of content that is unrelated to the US.
Programming
The types of programming available on the Smithsonian Channel consist of an interesting mix. Here is a selection of some of the shows that are broadcast on it.
- Aerial America: This series provides a beautiful from-above look at a location in the US, generally a state but sometimes a different specific destination instead. The views are generally from helicopters.
- Air Disasters: The show investigates various in-air tragedies and near-tragedies.
- Big Cat Country: One of the Smithsonian Channel’s favorite animal-focused shows. It features storytelling about lions as they go through their lives’ trials and tribulations.
- Mighty Planes: Aviation lovers regularly tune into this program, which features detailed insights into a specific aircraft or a collection of them.
- Mighty Ships: The Smithsonian Channel also looks at some of the greatest ships of the past and brings their details to your screen. Each episode follows a ship on a journey while doing so.
- Mystic Britain: Those wanting to learn as much as they can about Great Britain’s mystic past and mysterious sites should check out this show. For example, its first episode was named “Witches and Demons.”
- Secrets Unlocked: The world’s past is full of secrets, and this show helps unlock those.
- Wild Castles: If castles interest you, this is a show that is well worth checking out. Unsurprisingly, the series’ focus is outside of the US. Its premiere episode featured Germany’s famous and beautiful Heidelberg Castle.
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Stream Smithsonian Channel
Smithsonian Channel is not available over-the-air (OTA) so the only way to get it is through a streaming service. Thankfully, there are a number of great options.
FuboTV
The Smithsonian Channel is included with the base plan of FuboTV ($79.99/mo) as well. Also in that package are channels such as National Geographic, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Investigation Discovery, and USA. It also has a great collection of sports channels including almost two dozen that are focused on international soccer.
All Fubo plans come with 1000 hours of cloud DVR and simultaneous streaming on 10 devices. For details, see our FuboTV review.
Philo
Philo is your go-to service for saving money. For $25/mo, you get over 60 channels, a few of them being Smithsonian Channel, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, and WE tv. You also get unlimited cloud DVR and you can stream on up to 3 devices.
For everything you need to know, see our Philo review.
DIRECTV STREAM
With the DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) Ultimate plan ($119.99/mo), you get access to the Smithsonian Channel as well as 130+ other channels such as the Weather Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, USA, TNT, TBS, and History.
Alternatively, you can add the Movies Extra Pack ($5/mo) to a lesser plan, such as Entertainment ($79.99/mo). That add-on also includes 8 other channels including Crime & Investigation and Hallmark Drama.
All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR as long as you sign-up online and streaming on unlimited devices at once. Get more information in our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV ($76.99/mo) includes the Smithsonian Channel in its base plan. Also included are channels such as History, Travel Channel, TBS, TNT, and ESPN. In addition, note that this subscription includes access to Disney+ and ESPN+.
This plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR, 9 months of storage and allows you to stream on two devices at the same time. See our Hulu + Live TV review for more information.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV ($72.99/mo) is another streaming service that provides access to the Smithsonian Channel. Other networks that you can watch through it include Investigation Discovery, National Geographic, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, and Bravo.
Other Ways to Watch Smithsonian Channel
The live TV streaming services offer the only ways to live stream Smithsonian Channel. But there are other ways to what Smithsonian Channel content:
- Paramount+: A significant amount of Smithsonian Channel programming may be streamed through this for $4.99/mo. This also includes content from other CBS channels as well as the full Star Trek catalog and UEFA Champions League matches. Try Paramount+ for free! See our Paramount+ review.
- Smithsonian Channel App: Provides numerous videos related to this network, shorter ones generally being available to all and longer ones usually necessitating logging in with your TV provider. However, do note that a relatively small selection of full episodes is available for viewing here as well. You can do the same at SmithsonianChannel.com.
- YouTube: One option for viewing Smithsonian Channel content for free is by visiting the network’s official YouTube channel. Many videos, usually shorter ones, are available there.
- Purchase: Another alternative, which works best if you are simply looking for a specific show or a small selection of shows, is to buy access to episodes, which can be done through online platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Watching Smithsonian Channel on TVs and Other Devices
All major live TV streaming services support most of the popular devices today.
Other than DIRECTV STREAM, all the services we’ve discussed work on smart TVs based on Android TV as well as LG, Samsung, and VIZIO models. They all support Chromecast devices. They allow you to cast video from your phone or browser to your TV. This is an easy and popular way to watch.
All the services support the popular “stick” devices Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. The same goes for mobile devices based on iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android.
As for gaming consoles, All but DIRECTV STREAM support the Xbox One. Hulu and YouTube support the PlayStation. And Hulu also supports Nintendo Switch.
Check our streaming reviews for complete lists of supported devices because we’ve only listed the most popular.
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Today’s Smithsonian Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| Sinking the Lusitania: An American Tragedy Firsthand accounts of the sinking of the Lusitania. | |
| Air Disasters – Design Flaws When former race car driver Niki Lauda's planes nosedives into a Thai jungle, a one-in-a-million failure reveals a weak spot in every Boeing 767. Radio silence between pilots and air traffic controllers send investigators hunting for answers. | |
| Air Disasters – Caught in a Jam When a commuter turboprop crashes onto hilly terrain in New Zealand, a search for answers ensues. | |
| Air Disasters – Speed Trap A deadly midair collision between a commercial airliner and a F-4 Phantom reveals a lack of communication. | |
| Air Disasters – The Death of JFK Jr. When John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Piper Saratoga crashed in 1999, the NTSB faces enormous pressure to find the wreckage and the cause. | |
| Air Disasters – Death of the President Polish Air Force Flight 101, carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria Kaczynska and other top officials, crashes in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. | |
| Air Disasters – Kobe Bryant When basketball legend Kobe Bryant is killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, investigators examine the data, the wreckage, and the pilot's actions for clues. | |
| Air Disasters – Deadly Mission A new investigation sheds light on the controversial 1961 plane crash that killed U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. | |
| Air Disasters – Vanished On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447 stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 228 people on board. | |
| Air Disasters – Miracle Escape Passengers and crew escape a jet that skid off the runway before catching fire. | |
| Air Disasters – Seconds From Touchdown Facing a cascade of failures and a fire on board, a turboprop is just seconds from landing when it flips over and crashes. | |
| Air Disasters – Tragedy on the Potomac On 13 January 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 stalls at 300 feet altitude, strikes a road bridge and crashes into the Potomac River, killing 78 people. | |
| Air Disasters – Lethal Turn Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashes into mountainous woodlands while trying to land at Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, in low visibility. | |
| Air Disasters – Storming Out On its final approach to Charlotte, N.C., US Air Flight 1016 is engulfed in intense rain obstructing the view from the cockpit; the pilots abort the landing, but the aircraft crashes to earth, hurtling along a road and breaking apart. | |
| Air Disasters – Killer Attitude The pairing of a domineering pilot and an inexperienced first officer has deadly consequences in northern Minnesota. | |
| Air Disasters – Cruel Skies The U.S. Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Mo., and the importance of accurate weather forecasting to the aviation industry. | |
| Air Disasters – Deadly Reputation On July 17, 2007, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 slides off runway 35L at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, and crashes at high speed into a warehouse adjacent to a petrol station killing nearly 200 people. | |
| Air Disasters – Death and Denial In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying from New York City to Cairo, killing all 217 people on board; however, the cause of the crash is disputed. | |
| Air Disasters – Out of Sight A 1986 midair crash between planes near Los Angeles brings attention to disturbing congestion at airports. | |
| Air Disasters – Fire Fight A mechanical problem aboard an Air Canada plane turns into an all-out emergency six miles in the air. | |
| Air Disasters – Murder in the Skies When Germanwings Flight 9525 crashes in the French Alps, investigators discover shocking truths about the co-pilot's mental health. | |
| Air Disasters – Steep Impact When the crash of a commuter plane in Georgia killed a NASA astronaut, a four-term U.S. senator and 21 others, the disaster grabbed headlines around the world. | |
| Air Disasters – Terror in San Francisco The 2013 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco shocks the nation. | |
| Air Disasters – What Happened To Malaysian 370? Leading aviation experts are confronted with a shocking theory as they investigate one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time. | |
| Air Disasters – Dangerous Approach A Colorado commuter flight crashes five miles short of the runway, and the reasons why rock the airline industry. |
Wrapping Up
Those looking to watch shows such as Big Cat Country, Mighty Ships, and Wild Castles are going to enjoy settling in for an evening of Smithsonian Channel viewing. If you just want to watch the shows, check out Paramount+ ($4.99/mo). If you also want the live channel, we recommend Hulu + Live TV ($76.99/mo).
FAQs
Is the Smithsonian Channel free?
To receive access to most Smithsonian Channel episodes and its live broadcast, a charge is required. You could just pay $4.99/mo for access to Smithsonian Channel programming through Paramount+. Meanwhile, if you are set on free content, your best option is most likely its official YouTube channel. If you want the live channel, your cheapest option is FuboTV for $69.99/mo.
Can I subscribe to the Smithsonian Channel directly?
You cannot subscribe to the Smithsonian Channel directly, but you can watch many of its shows on Paramount+ ($4.99/mo). However, you will need to subscribe to a multi-channel streaming service in order to enjoy this channel’s regular programming as it is being broadcast on television.
What happened to Smithsonian Channel Plus?
Smithsonian Channel Plus had been a streaming service that had offered Smithsonian Channel content directly to its subscribers. However, it was brought under the Paramount+ umbrella, and that content can now be watched there as well as shows from channels such as CBS, BET, MTV, and Comedy Central for $4.99/mo.
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