5 Best Services to Get a HLN Free Trial

cord-cutting › hln free trial • February 22, 2025 • Our Staff

You can watch HLN with a free trial on DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Choice, or DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más.

Think CNN but with an extra dose of true crime: that's what HLN (previously known as Headline News) is. It used to exclusively air news programs, but since it rebranded in 2016, the channel has also kept up with the gore and crime that keeps most viewers hooked these days. Aside from its flagship show Morning Express and On the Story, HLN also broadcasts titles like Beyond Reasonable Doubt, Something's Killing Me, Vengeance, How It Really Happened, and of course, Forensic Files.

If you crave true crime and investigative stories, then HLN might just be for you. Watch HLN shows for $0 using a free trial from any of these streaming services: DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, and YouTube TV. Below is a curated list of the best streaming services you can try for free to watch HLN.

Our recommended three best services to get a hln free trial:
DirecTV Stream
124 channels included
 5 days trial Watch
Hulu with Live TV
102 channels included
 3 days trial Watch
YouTube TV
139 channels included
 7 days trial Watch

Get a 5-day HLN Free Trial on DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream is a live TV streaming service that offers four different subscription plans, all of which gives you access to unlimited simultaneous streams and DVR storage, as well as a free 5-day trial. Compared to other live TV services, DirecTV Stream’s free trial is on the shorter side (Fubo offers a 7-day free trial while YouTube TV has one that lasts up to 14 days), but it’s considerable that DirecTV has one at all, given the sheer heft of its package plans. They range from $74.99 to $154.99 per month, with the cheapest plan carrying more than 75 channels covering basic news, sports, and entertainment and the most expensive plan carrying more than 150 channels. The former includes channels like CNN, ESPN, and AMC, while the latter has everything you could ever hope for in TV: local and national live sports coverage, prestige channels like HBO and Showtime, and all of the major news networks.

Go to DirecTV Stream

Price: $86.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: ABC, ACC Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Are We There Yet?, AXS TV, BABY FIRST, BabyTV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNNi, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, CW, Daystar HD, Discovery Channel, Duck Dynasty, E! Entertainment, EarthxTV, Ebony TV, El Rey Rebel, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FMC, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Weather, Freeform, FUEL TV, Fuse Music, FX, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HerSphere, HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, ION Television, Jewelry Television, MotorTrend, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV Classic, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, News Nation, Nick Jr., One America News, Ovation, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, Poker GO, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Racing America, REELZ, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, Scientology Network, Scripps Sports, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, Spectrum SportsNet, SportsGrid, Start TV, SundanceTV, SYFY, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, The First, theGrio, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, WE tv, Women’s Sports Network

Get a 3-day HLN Free Trial on Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV is an obvious choice if you already have Hulu On-Demand, as you'll get to keep all your payment information and history, interact with a similar interface, and get a Live TV service without much effort.

Go to Hulu with Live TV

Price: $82.99/month

Free Trial: 3 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC Localish, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cozi TV, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN College Extra, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, History, HLN, ID, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Localish, Military History Chanel, Motor Trend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBCLX, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS local channels, Pop, QVC, RSNs, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Spectrum SportsNet, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA Network, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel

Get a 7-day HLN Free Trial on YouTube TV

Youtube TV is one of the best live TV packages out there. For $73/month, you’ll have access to more than a hundred channels, unlimited DVR space, and, for an additional fee, the option to stack on extras like an HBO subscription or an NFL Sunday Ticket to your base plan. Like most streaming services, Youtube TV’s standard free trial period last seven days, and it allows you to try all its features—including DVR and simultaneous viewing. But unlike most services, Youtube TV occasionally extends the trial period to 14 or even 21 days, and it allows you to try their add-ons in addition to their base plan for free too. You should note, however, that the base plan and the add-ons are billed separately, which makes sense considering their trial lengths are likely to vary. Another unique perk of Youtube TV’s free trial is that in the event you forget to cancel it on time, you can actually request a refund. It’s a case-to-case basis, but it’s worth noting since it’s not something most services will even allow. Although, like most services, once you’ve canceled the trial, you won’t be able to regain access to it.

Go to YouTube TV

Price: $72.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Airplay supported, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Shareplay supported, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox

Channel lineup: ABC, ABC News, ACCN, Adult Swim, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Big Ten Network, Bounce, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Docurama, Dove Channel, E!, ESPN, ESPN U, ESPN2, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, Justice Central TV, LAFC Channel, Law & Crime, Live Now, Local Now, Localish, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, My TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, NBCLX, NBCSN, NECN, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Orlando City Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, PC Mag, Pop, popular option, QVC, Recipe.TV, RSNs, Scripps News, Scripps Sports, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, TCM, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telemundo local channels, The CW, The Great Courses, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tru TV, Turner Classic Movies, TV Land, TYT, Unimas, Unimas local channels, Universal Kids, Univision, Univision local channels, USA Network, VH1, WE tv

Read also:

Get a 5-day HLN Free Trial on DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más

Like most live TV streaming services, DirecTV Stream has a dedicated plan for Latino live channels: this one is called Óptimo Más, currently priced at $86.99/month. It offers all the same perks as other DirecTV Stream plans, including a 5-day free trial, unlimited simultaneous streams, and unlimited DVR, but its 100-channel lineup is more or less split into two, English and Spanish. Among the English channels are CNN, Nickelodeon, USA, Disney Channel, and AMC, while some notable Spanish channels include Univision, TUDN, Cine Estelar, De Pelicula, Antena 3, and TyC Sports. If you prefer DirecTV Stream's other plans, like Choice or Ultimate, you can opt for DirecTV Stream's Spanish add-on—the sports-oriented Deportes, which costs $5/month, and the entertainment-focused Español, which costs $15/month.

Go to DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más

Price: $86.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung Smart TV

Channel lineup: ¡Hola! TV, A&E, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Antena 3, Are We There Yet?, Atres Cine, Atres Series, Ax Men, AXS TV, BabyFirst HD, BabyTV, Bandamax, Bob Ross, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Canal 22 Internacional, Caracol TV, Cartoon Network, Centroamérica TV, Cine Estelar, Cine Mexicano, Cine Nostalgia, Cinelatino, Cinema Dinamita, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNNi, Cold Case Files, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, Daystar, Daystar Español, De PelÍcula, De PelÍcula Clásico, Deal Zone, Discovery, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Documentary+, Dog Whisperer, Dove TV, Duck Dynasty, E!, EarthxTV, Ebony TV, Ecuavisa Internacional, El Rey Rebel, Enlace, ESPN Deportes, Estrella News, Estrella TV, EWTN Español, FailArmy, Family Handyman, Family Movie Classics, Fight Network, Food Network, ForoTV, Fox Deportes, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FUEL TV, FX, FXX, Galavision, GolTV, Great American Family, HerSphere, History Channel, History en Español, HITN TV, HLN, Hogar de HGTV, Horror by ALTER, HSN, Ice Road Truckers, INFAST, InWonder, Jewelry TV, Joel Osteen, Lifetime, MeatEater, MEGA TV, Meganoticias, Modern Marvels, MotorTrend, Movie Favorites by Lifetime, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV, Multimedios, Nat Geo Mundo, National Geographic channel, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nosey, NTN24, Nuestra Tele, Nuestra Vision, ONCE MEXICO, Origin Sports, Paramount Network, Pasiones, PBS Kids, Perú Mágico, Players TV, PokerGO+, PowerNation, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Racing America, Recipe.TV, RFD-TV, Scientology Network, Scripps News, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, Sony Cine, SportsGrid, Start TV, SUR Perú, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TC Internacional, TeenNick, TeleCentro, Telefe, Telemundo, The Design Network, The Pet Collective, Time, Tiny House Nation, TNA, TNT, Tr3s, TUDN, TV Chile, TV Globo, TVE, TyC Sports, Unimas, Univision, Univision TLNovelas, UnXplained Zone, UPtv, USA Network, VePlus, VH1, VICE 271, Videorola, Vme, WAPA América, Weather Channel, Women’s Sports Network, Yahoo! Finance, Yu-Gi-Oh!, ZooMoo

Get a 5-day HLN Free Trial on DirecTV Stream Choice

There's a reason why DirecTV Stream Choice is the provider's most popular package to date: it carries over 105 channels, many of which are specialty sports channels like Big Ten Network, MLB Network, and NBA TV; it has local channels and RSNs where available; it offers premium add-ons like Starz and HBO; and maybe most important of all, it's still under a hundred bucks, which is not something you can say about most live TV packages these days. In other words, Stream Choice is for those looking for extra sports coverage while wanting to enjoy the usual benefits of DirecTV, like unlimited screens and DVR, and keeping it all under a reasonable budget.

Go to DirecTV Stream Choice

Price: $114.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby First TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS local channels, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fanduel TV, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, Fuse, FX, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Gem Shopping Network, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, HLN, Home Shopping Network, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MeTV, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, One America News, Ovation, OWN, Paramount Network, PBS local channels, PopTV, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, TV Land, Univision East, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv

What are the best services to get a HLN free trial?

You can get services to get a HLN free trial with DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más, or DirecTV Stream Choice.

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Let's recap the streaming services that offer a free trial for HLN.

Which streaming service offers the longest trial to HLN?

The streaming serices that offer the longest free trial to HLN are in order: YouTube TV (7 days), DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más (5 days), DirecTV Stream Choice (5 days), DirecTV Stream (5 days), and lastly Hulu with Live TV (3 days).

How to get a HLN free trial on Roku?

A free trial to HLN on your Roku device is possible with a subscription to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más, or DirecTV Stream Choice.

How to get a HLN free trial on Amazon Fire TV?

You can subscribe to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más, or DirecTV Stream Choice to get a free trial to HLN on an Amazon Fire TV stick.

How to get a HLN free trial on Apple TV?

You can subscribe to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Óptimo Más, or DirecTV Stream Choice to get a free trial to HLN on an Apple TV device.

Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.

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The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.