If you want to watch CNN live on Roku, you’re in the right place. Thanks to the cord-cutting revolution, you have more options than ever when it comes to watching CNN live on Roku, even if you don’t have a cable subscription! Ready to get started? Let’s go over all of your best options for how to watch CNN live on Roku now.
Sling TV
Sling TV is the oldest internet TV “skinny bundle” service. The service began in early 2015 and is currently owned by DISH Network. Although it can be a bit confusing to sign up, It’s definitely the cheapest way to watch CNN live on Roku without cable.
Plans and channels
Sling TV has three main channel plans, as you can see below:
| Sling Orange Great Value $40.00/ month | 30+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 1 simultaneous stream | Try Sling |
| Sling Blue Great Value$40.00/ month | 40+ channels Fox, NBC, CNN, MSNBC New subscriber special 3 simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
| Sling Orange + Blue Best Value $55.00/ month | 45+ channels ESPN New subscriber special 4* simultaneous streams | Try Sling |
CNN is available with the $35/month “Sling Orange” plan. You’ll get CNN, as well as Newsy, Cheddar News and Cheddar Business, Bloomberg Television and Local Now, but that’s about it. You will also get ESPN and some other Disney-owned channels. Sling Blue provides CNN, as well as local NBC and Fox affiliates, and a similar lineup as Sling Orange, but with more channels.
You can choose which package is right for you after browsing the complete channel lineup, or combine Sling Orange + Blue for $55/month. Regardless of your choice, you’ll get CNN. You can also add the “News Extra” package for $5/month, which will get you channels like BBC World News, The Blaze, HLN, MSNBC, and RT, depending on the package you choose.
Features
Sling TV’s features are a bit confusing. Let’s start with simultaneous streams. You can stream Sling Orange channels on a single device, while Sling Blue channels can be streamed on up to 3 devices.
This restriction remains in place even if you get Sling Orange + Blue. Channels like ESPN that are exclusive to Orange can only be streamed on one device. However, channels that are shared, like CNN, can be streamed on up to 4 devices (3 from Blue, 1 from Orange). Yeah, it’s confusing.
Also, unlike every other internet TV service on the market, Sling TV also does not give you a free cloud DVR. You have to pay $5/month for a 50-hour DVR. This fee isn’t too high, but it’s still something to consider when thinking about subscribing to Sling.
Device support is good, though. You can download Sling TV for Roku, and you can also watch it at home on Apple TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV. iOS and Android devices are also supported, as are most modern web browsers. You can even watch on the Xbox One gaming console.
Interested? You can give Sling TV a shot for just $10 during your first month now, and see if it’s right for you.
fuboTV
fuboTV may be a sports-focused streaming service, but it also offers a surprising number of news channels, entertainment channels and more. Here’s what you need to know about how to watch CNN live on Roku with fuboTV.
Plans and channels
fuboTV has two main channel packages, as you can see in the below table:
The base-tier fubo package costs $45/month, and comes with CNN, as well as MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, CNBC World, HLN, and Fox Business, so you’ve got plenty of cable news options. Your local NBC, Fox, or CBS station may also be available through fuboTV, though this varies, depending on your location.
For $5/month more, you can get the fubo Extra package, which adds BBC World News and CNN International, as well as some other networks, bringing you to a total of around 100 channels.
Features
fuboTV has reasonably good features, though given the price point, they could be a bit better. You can stream on up to 2 devices at once, which is industry-standard. FuboTV comes with three simultaneous stream for an extra $6/month fee.
You also get cloud DVR included in the price. Storage is a bit limited at just 30 hours, but you can upgrade to 500 hours of storage with the $10/month Cloud DVR Plus add-on.
Platform support is good for fuboTV, too. Naturally, fuboTV has a Roku app, but you can also watch on the go on your iOS and Android devices, as well as on your web browser. Other living-room devices that are supported include Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.
You can try fuboTV for free now, and see if this service is right for you.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu With Live TV was introduced in 2017 and has quickly become one of the best ways to watch CNN live on Roku, due to great Roku support, a great list of channels, and good features.
Plans and channels
Hulu With Live TV keeps things simple. You pay $40/month, and for your money, you get a package of up to 70 channels, depending on your location.
You’ll get CNN as a part of this channel package, as well as your local NBC/FOX/NBC/ABC affiliates for local news, if available, and ABC News, Cheddar Business, CNBC, CNN International, Fox News and Fox Business, and MSNBC, as well as HLN. You’ll also get plenty of sports and entertainment channels.
Features
Hulu With Live TV has a few standout features. One of the most unique features about your subscription is that it comes with a free Hulu on-demand subscription. You can watch every episode of archived content from the Hulu on-demand service at no extra charge. That’s an $8/month value.
Hulu also offers a pretty good cloud DVR, which provides 50 hours of storage for no additional fee. If you want, you can quadruple your storage space to 200 hours for a $15/month fee. You can stream on only 2 devices at once by default, but you can upgrade this, too. For $15/month you can get the “Unlimited Screens” package, which will allow you to stream on as many devices as you want on your home WiFi network, and on up to 3 devices at once outside of your home network.
Hulu is available for the Roku, but also supports a number of other devices, including iOS and Android devices, web browsers, the Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, a selection of Smart TVs, the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles, and even the Nintendo Switch gaming console.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV was launched by Google in 2017 and has slowly been rolling out to most major metropolitan areas of the country ever since, though some rural areas still do not have access to the service. YouTube TV has great channels and features, making it one of our top choices for how to watch CNN live on Roku.
Plans and channels
Like Hulu With Live TV, YouTube TV has only one package of channels. You’ll get around 70 channels for your $40/month subscription, including CNN, local ABC/NBC/FOX/CBS affiliates where available, BBC World News, Cheddar Business, Cheddar News, CNBC, Fox News and Fox Business, MSNBC, HLN, and Newsy, alongside a huge number of top entertainment and sports channels.
Features
YouTube TV has absolutely stellar features, which is one of the reasons it’s been so popular among cord-cutters. The biggest game-changer is the free cloud DVR. With the YouTube TV DVR, you can store unlimited recordings for up to 9 months, with no restrictions on how many hours of content you can save.
You also can stream on 3 devices at once for no additional fee, which puts YouTube TV above DirecTV Now, fuboTV, and Hulu With Live TV (without Unlimited Screens.)
And while YouTube TV lacked Roku support when it was first launched, and only supported iOS, Android, Chromecast and the Chrome web browser, support for Roku was added in 2018. YouTube TV also supports Apple TV, as well as a number of smart TVs from Samsung, LG, VIZIO, Hisense, and Sharp, as well as Xbox One consoles.
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now is owned by AT&T and offers a great selection of channels at a reasonable price. However, its features (notably its DVR) still are lagging behind the competition. Despite this, though, it’s still a good way to watch CNN live on Roku.
The CNNgo App
One of the best things about internet TV services is that, just like traditional TV services, you can use your login information to view specific channels through their native applications, such as CNNgo.
You can download the CNNgo app for Roku, and sign in, just like you would with a normal cable subscription. What’s the catch? So far, this only works with fuboTV. We tested Sling, Hulu, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and DirecTV Now, and none of these services were accepted as TV providers for CNN Go.
Hopefully, this changes in the future, but for now, you’ll need fuboTV – or a traditional cable subscription – to watch CNN live on Roku using the CNNgo app.
Why do this at all? The main reason is that using CNNgo helps you get around simultaneous stream restrictions. If you watch CNN through CNNgo, you won’t use either of your two fuboTV streams, meaning two other members of your family or household can use fuboTV at the same time, which gives you some increased flexibility.
Eric Liston is a content writer based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2015, he’s been writing about technology, cord-cutting, and helping everyday people save money. He also has expertise writing about medicine, dentistry, insurance, and a variety of other industries. No matter what he’s writing, his focus is always on simplifying complex concepts and making them approachable for everyone. When he’s not slamming away on his keyboard at his home office, you’ll find Eric reading sci-fi novels, improving his disc golf game (he just hit his first 400-foot drive) and playing video games on his gaming PC.
Good info for people like myself , a 73 y/o who needs simplicity when trying to make up my mind.