Amazon Fire TV and the Amazon Fire TV Stick are both great tools for cord-cutters. Inexpensive and flexible, these devices let you watch web content and stream television directly to your big-screen TV – no fancy “Smart TV” required!
So if you’re a cord-cutter and interested in how to watch the USA Network live on your Amazon Fire TV, you’ve come to the right place.
Check out these six options for watching USA Network live on the Amazon Fire TV, and enjoy your favorite shows like Psych, Suits, and Mr. Robot.
[toc]
USA Network and Internet TV Services
Even just a few years ago, there was no legal way to watch the USA Network live on without cable. But in recent years, more Americans than ever have been canceling their cable subscriptions. This has inspired a rise in “skinny bundles.”
Skinny bundles are internet-based TV services that provide a selection of cable channels for a low monthly rate, without a contract. Examples of skinny bundle services include DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, and Philo.
Most skinny bundles include popular cable and broadcast networks, including USA. Because these internet TV services are a fraction of the cost of cable – usually between $20-$50, depending on the package – they have become very popular.
Skinny bundles also offer great features like cloud-based DVRs, and on-demand programming.
Best of all, USA Network treats some internet TV services like cable subscriptions when it comes to logging into the USA Network app. That means you can watch USA either on your favorite streaming service, or directly from their app. We’ll discuss this in more detail later.
For now, let’s dive in to the 5 “skinny bundles” which offer USA Network.
fuboTV
fuboTV began as a sports-focused streaming service for people who like international sports like rugby, cricket, and F1 racing. Many core cable TV channels are on the fuboTV menu as well.
Subscription plans and channels
fuboTV only provides you with one subscription plan, though you can choose from a variety of add-on channels. It costs $45 per month, recently increased from $40 per month. You can get your first month for $20, though, which is a good discount.
This subscription plan gives you the USA Network, as well as some other cable entertainment networks like A&E, Bravo, And E!
However, most channels are sports-focused, like Fox Sports, beIN Sports, CBS Sports Network, and The Olympic Channel. If you’re not really into sports, this channel package is probably not for you. It’s quite expensive, with relatively few non-sports focused channels.
Features
fuboTV includes a cloud DVR with your subscription, but it’s pretty limited, compared to some of our other picks. You get 30 hours of storage, or 10 show “slots” – whichever comes first.
You can also only stream on 2 devices at once with fuboTV, tying it with DirecTV Now and Hulu With Live TV.
You can download fuboTV for the Amazon Fire TV at the Amazon App Store. You can also watch on your browser, iOS and Android, and on most modern streaming platforms like the Apple TV.
Try it for free now, with a 7-day trial at fuboTV.
Sling TV
Sling TV is the first internet TV service that launched in America, and it still has the most subscribers. With good features and a $20/month subscription for their lowest-tier package, it’s not hard to see why.
Subscription plans and channels
Sling TV does subscription plans slightly differently than other services. You choose between two base plans: Sling Orange ($20/month) and Sling Blue ($25/month). The channels included in each package are different, and there is some overlap.
| 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 |
You can choose to subscribe to one of the base plans, or subscribe to both for
$55 per month
, and get full access to all channels.Sling Orange has 30 channels, and costs $20 per month. It does not include the USA Network, but does include ESPN and some other highly-desirable channels.
Sling Blue will give you 45 channels, including the USA Network and a lot of other entertainment channels like TNT and Bravo.
Features
Sling does give you a cloud DVR, but you don’t get it for free with your service. You’re going to need to fork out an extra $5 per month to get a DVR. The DVR includes 50 hours of storage, without any slot restrictions or expiration dates.
Sling TV also has some confusing streaming restrictions. Sling Orange channels can only be watched on 1 device at a time. Sling Blue channels can be watched on 3 devices at a time. If you buy both Sling Blue and Orange, these limits will still apply for each individual service.
You can get Sling TV for Amazon Fire TV, as well as most other streaming platforms and devices.
Sign up for the 7-day free trial to try out Sling TV for yourself.
DirecTV Now
As you may expect from an internet TV service from a major satellite provider, DirecTV Now has the best selection of channels.
Subscription plans and channels
DirecTV Now lets you choose between four different channel packages.
- Live A Little – 60+ channels, $35/month
- Just Right – 80+ channels, $50/month
- Go Big – 100+ channels, $60/month
- Gotta Have It – 120+ channels, $70/month
You get the USA Network as part of the “Live A Little” package, so you don’t need to spend too much to watch your favorite USA Network programming. The most basic subscription tier also includes just about every other popular cable entertainment channels like AMC, A&E, Comedy Central, The CW, TBS, TLC, and TNT.
If you choose to upgrade to the “Just Right” plan, you will get even more channels like The Cooking Channel and Nicktoons. The “Go Big” plan will give you even more coverage, with channels like Oxygen and Logo. And the “Gotta Have It” plan has too many channels to even list here – check out the full lineup to see all of them.
Features
Compared to the features of other internet TV streaming services, DirecTV Now is a bit lackluster. Its biggest strength is its large package of channels, and reasonable price.
The biggest issue with DirecTV Now is that you don’t get a cloud DVR with your subscription. Every other streaming service offers this, though some charge an extra fee. But with DirecTV Now, you don’t even get the option to pay to unlock a DVR. There is a beta program ongoing, which is available on Amazon Fire TV, but it’s only open to a few users.
You can also stream only on 2 devices at once. However, DirecTV Now plans to relaunch their service this spring, and provide cloud DVR coverage and a 3-device streaming policy to all users. They still haven’t announced when this will happen, though.
You can get DirecTV Now for all Amazon Fire devices from the Amazon App Store. You can also get it on iOS and Android, in your web browser, and on all other major streaming platforms.
You can try DirecTV Now for free for 7 days at the DirecTV Now website.
PlayStation Vue
You don’t need a PlayStation to subscribe to PlayStation Vue. In fact, it’s available on the Amazon Fire TV, and most other streaming platforms. Though the name is confusing, PlayStation Vue is a good streaming service, especially for larger families.
Subscription plans and channels
PlayStation Vue offers 4 different channel packages, similar to DirecTV Now.
- Access – 45 channels, $40/month
- Core – 60 channels, $45/month
- Elite – 84 channels, $55/month
- Ultra – All Elite channels plus HBO/Showtime, $75/month
You get the USA Network with the lowest-cost “Access” package, as well as some other channels like AMC and FX, ESPN, and CNN. For the price, each cable channel package is a pretty good deal.
However, DirecTV Now does offer a slightly better channel selection. The main reason PlayStation Vue might be better for you is its great, family-friendly features.
Features
There are two reasons that PlayStation Vue is great for families.
First, it has an extremely generous 5-device streaming policy. Within your home network, you can stream on 5 individual devices at once. That’s more than any other pick on our list (except for the Hulu With Live TV + Unlimited Screens package, which costs an extra $15/month).
You also get an unlimited, 28-day DVR. You can save as many hours of shows as you want for 28 days, with no other restrictions.
If you want to ditch cable, but you don’t want to be restrained by low simultaneous streaming limits, PlayStation Vue is definitely right for you.
You can watch PlayStation Vue on your Amazon Fire TV, as well as on iOS, Android, and your web browser. Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast are also supported, as well as PlayStation consoles. Unsurprisingly, though, the Xbox is not supported.
If you’re interested in PlayStation Vue, you can try it with a free 5-day trial now.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu With Live TV was only released late last year, but is quickly becoming a favorite cable alternative among cord-cutters, even though it’s technically in a beta period.
Subscription plans and channels
Hulu With Live TV offers only one subscription plan. For $40/month, you get somewhere between 40-70 channels, based on your geographic location and local network partnerships.
You get a lot of great entertainment channels. You’ll get the USA Network, as well as A&E, Cartoon Network, FX, and FreeForm. Notably, though, you won’t get AMC.
Overall channel coverage is solid, with cable news, sports, and entertainment channels represented, as well as local ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC affiliate channels.
One big benefit of your Hulu With Live TV subscription is that you get a free Hulu base-tier membership. You can access the entire library of Hulu content for free, though you will need to pay an extra $4/month if you want to watch commercial-free.
Features
Hulu With Live TV includes a 50-hour DVR, free of charge with your subscription. For a $15 monthly fee, you can boost this to 200 hours of storage with the “Enhanced DVR” package.
By default, you can only stream on 2 devices simultaneously. However, you do have the option of a $15/month “Unlimited Screens” package. This package lets you stream on unlimited devices on your home network, and on up to 3 devices outside your network.
If you want, you can combine both of these add-ons for a $20/month fee, which is a decent cost savings.
Platform support has recently expanded, too. You can now watch Hulu With Live TV on Amazon Fire devices, as well as iOS and Android, web browsers, and most other TV-based streaming platforms like Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV.
The USA Network App
You can access the USA Network app with either a cable login, or your login to any of the above internet TV streaming services.
In the app, you’ll be able to watch a variety of clips and other exclusive content, as well as on-demand episodes of your favorite shows such as Mr. Robot, and a live stream of the USA Network.
You can download the USA app here, from the Amazon App Store. Performance is okay, though some user reviews mention that constant buffering often causes some interruptions, and ads are often served up repeatedly.
YouTube TV – Not Available on Amazon Fire Devices
Wondering why YouTube TV isn’t on our list? It’s because Google and Amazon are still involved in a silly corporate feud. From Amazon refusing to sell Google products, to Google blocking Amazon Fire TV users from using the YouTube app, there is some bad blood between these companies.
That means there’s no support for YouTube TV on any Amazon Fire TV devices. That’s a shame, because a $35/month YouTube TV subscription gives you a great selection of channels, a 9-month unlimited DVR, and a 3-device simultaneous streaming policy. These features make it one of our top cable alternatives.
Already got a YouTube TV subscription? Just use the USA Network app!
You can’t download YouTube TV directly to your Fire TV, but you can still use your login credentials to unlock content on the USA Network app.
By doing so, you can access both live TV and VOD content. It’s not an ideal workaround, but if you are an existing YouTube TV subscriber, and you want to watch content on your Amazon Fire TV rather than a Chromecast, it’s your best bet.
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.
