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
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 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
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.
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:
| 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. | |
| Relief from Inflammation Connie Craig-Carrol & Founder Ken Meares investigates Omega XL, the ultimate all-natural solution for joint pain from inflammation. | |
| Love That Girl – The Hot Seat Imunique agrees to throw a bachelorette party for DeMiracle's fiance. | |
| Love That Girl – Gullible is as Gullible Does Jasmine attends Suckers Anonymous after being victimized one too many times; Cordell attempts to respond to a bully by packing a gun. | |
| Love That Girl – Shady Predictions Fabian's cousin does a palm reading for everyone in the gang and Latrell is warned that something terrible will happen to him soon. | |
| A Different World – Do You Take This Woman? As his wedding nears, Dwayne's cold feet are thawed by the hot tempers of the combative future mothers-in-law. | |
| A Different World – Mammy Dearest Whitley plans for a display of slave art until Lena (Jada Pinkett) reveals that Gilbert ancestors owned slaves. | |
| The Cosby Show – Together Again, and Again Denise shocks everyone when she announces she will not return to Hillman College. | |
| The Cosby Show – The Physical Cliff (Bill Cosby) frantically gets in shape for his annual physical. | |
| The Cosby Show – Rudy's All-Nighter Rudy invites a precocious friend to have a sleep-over, and Cliff agrees to perform a comedy routine. | |
| The Cosby Show – Move It The family wants better accommodations for Elvin and expectant Sondra. | |
| Living Single – Scoop Dreams A bike messenger whom Khadijah (Queen Latifah) reluctantly hired as a writer tries to scoop the competition. With Kim Fields Freeman. | |
| Living Single – Likes Father, Likes Son Regine's (Kim Fields Freeman) date with a handsome weatherman precipitates a stormy love triangle. With Erika Alexander, Kim Coles, Queen Latifah. Guest stars: Mario Van Peebles and Melvin Van Peebles. | |
| Living Single – Wake Up to the Breakup Max comes to regret encouraging Kyle to date other women; Regine gets tickets to the Brian McKnight concert. | |
| Living Single – Tibby or Not Tibby Overton's (John Henton) favorite uncle (J. Anthony Brown) advises him to dump Synclaire (Kim Coles). With Erika Alexander, Kim Fields Freeman, Queen Latifah. | |
| Fatal Attraction – The Masked Killer A masked gunman surprises a woman and her lover in bed; after a burst of gunfire leaves her lover dead, the woman says she can identify the disguised gunman; detectives hope that telephone records will prove her right. | |
| Fatal Attraction – Behind Locked Doors Theresa Williams' sister feels in her heart that something is terribly wrong, then she arrives at Theresa's home to find her sister's two youngest children wandering around outside and Theresa brutally murdered behind locked doors. | |
| For My Man – Internal Battle A teenage girl with a bright future has to decide how far she is willing to go for a bad boy who tries to pull her into his life of crime. | |
| For My Man – Daily Consequences A woman, consumed by love, must decide how far she will go for a man who promised her the world. | |
| For My Man – Walking on the Wild Side A savvy salon owner falls hard for a suave bad boy and agrees to help him run an escort service; things turn violent and she has to make a choice; let him keep his grip around her heart or take back her power and end it all. | |
| A Different World – Do You Take This Woman? As his wedding nears, Dwayne's cold feet are thawed by the hot tempers of the combative future mothers-in-law. | |
| A Different World – Mammy Dearest Whitley plans for a display of slave art until Lena (Jada Pinkett) reveals that Gilbert ancestors owned slaves. | |
| A Different World – Just Another Four-Letter Word Ron is forced to move out of his apartment after he spends the rent money pursuing his music career. | |
| A Different World – The Cat's in the Cradle Ron and Dwayne's version of a racial clash differs from that of three students from a rival school, landing all the students in jail. | |
| The Cosby Show – Together Again, and Again Denise shocks everyone when she announces she will not return to Hillman College. | |
| The Cosby Show – The Physical Cliff (Bill Cosby) frantically gets in shape for his annual physical. | |
| The Cosby Show – Rudy's All-Nighter Rudy invites a precocious friend to have a sleep-over, and Cliff agrees to perform a comedy routine. | |
| The Cosby Show – Move It The family wants better accommodations for Elvin and expectant Sondra. | |
| Living Single – Riot on the Set An evening of flubbed lines and miscues leads Synclaire (Kim Coles) to her true vocation. With Erika Alexander, Kim Fields Freeman and Queen Latifah. |
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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