As successful as the MTV rebrand has become, sometimes you just want to make like Bowling For Soup and go back to the old days. Go back to watching hits by the decade on I Want My 80s and 90s Nation, or genre playlists like House of Pop, Rock Block, and Yo! Hip Hop Mix.
These days, you get a much better experience with it as you can access MTV Classic with just your internet connection and a live TV subscription.
To watch MTV Classic without cable, simply sign up for a subscription to any of the live TV services below. You can read more information about each of their different prices and offers to determine which service gets you the most bang for your buck.
Quick answer
You can stream MTV CLASSIC live without cable on:
The cheapest way to watch MTV CLASSIC is with Philo
Philo costs $28/month, making it the most affordable way to stream MTV CLASSIC . The second cheapest option is YouTube TV at $82.99/month.
Our team recommends DirecTV Stream for MTV CLASSIC
DirecTV Stream also includes ESPN, ABC, TNT, TBS, and Lifetime.
MTV CLASSIC on DirecTV Stream
Price: $86.99/month • 5 days free trial • Total channels: 75-150+ • On-demand: Yes • DVR limits: Unlimited, 9 mo. expiration • Profiles per account: 5 • Simultaneous at-home streams: 3 • Picture-in-picture: Yes • Multiview: Yes
DirecTV Stream is a streaming service that offers everything from live TV, local channels, on-demand films, sports packages, and even premium cable networks like HBO and Starz for an additional fee. Its plans, which start at $70/month, are on the pricier side of live TV, but that’s because it offers unlimited DVR and streams on top of at least 75 channels, depending on the plan you pick.
DirecTV Stream channel lineup:
A&E, ABC, ACC Network, AccuWeather, AMC, American Heroes, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, Aspire, AXS TV, BabyFirst, BBC America, BBC News, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bounce, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, CNN En Español, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, daystar, Destination America, Directv 4K, Directv 4K Live 1, Directv 4K Live 2, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, Earthx TV, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FanDuel TV, FM, FMC, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, Fuse, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, FYI, Great American Family, Grit, Hallmark Channel, HBO, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, HLN, Hogar de HGTV, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, Jewelry TV, Justice Central, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, Newsmax, Newsmax TV, NewsNation, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Origin Sports, Ovation, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS Kids, Pop, PowerNation, Pursuit, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, Science Channel, Scientology Network, SEC Network, Shop LC, ShortsTV, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, SportsGrid, Sportsman Channel, Starz, Starz Encore, Starz Encore Action, Starz Encore Black, Starz Encore Classic, Starz Encore Family, Starz Encore Suspense, Starz Encore Westerns, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Tennis Channel, The Design Network, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Tru TV, TUDN, TV Land, TV One, TVG, Unimas, Universal Kids, Universo, Univision, UPtv, USA, VH1, Vice, WE tvMTV CLASSIC on Philo
Price: $28/month • 7 days free trial • Total channels: 70+ • On-demand: Yes • DVR limits: Unlimited, 1 yr expiration • Profiles per account: 3 • Simultaneous at-home streams: 3 • Picture-in-picture: Yes • Multiview: No
At just $28/month, Philo is one of the most affordable on-demand and live TV streaming services out there. It boasts over 70 live channels, including AMC, Lifetime, and Paramount Network, 70,000 movies, and unlimited DVR. If you ever find Philo’s base package wanting, the service also allows you to stack add-ons like Starz and MGM+ to your plan.
Philo channel lineup:
A&E, AccuWeather Network, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Catchy Comedy, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Deck the Hallmark, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, FETV, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Gusto TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, KIN, Law & Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MotorTrend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Oprah Winfrey Network, Paramount Network, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Pop TV, RetroCrush, REVOLT, Revry, Ryan and Friends, Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Story Television, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Holiday, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, WE tvMTV CLASSIC on YouTube TV
Price: $82.99/month • 7 days free trial • Total channels: 100+ • On-demand: Yes • DVR limits: Unlimited, 9 mo. expiration • Profiles per account: 6 • Simultaneous at-home streams: 3 • Picture-in-picture: Yes • Multiview: Yes
Often dubbed as the best cordless replacement to cable, YouTube TV is a live TV streaming platform that gives you access to more than 100 channels, sporting events, local channels, unlimited DVR space, and up to three simultaneous streams. But what really gives YouTube TV its edge is customization; depending on your needs, you can easily add premium channels like HBO, sports channels like NFL Redzone, and Spanish channels like Unimas to your preferred lineup.
YouTube TV 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 Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Docurama, Dove Channel, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, 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 Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HLN, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, Justice Central TV, LAFC Channel, Law & Crime, Live Now, Local Now, Localish, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2, My TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, NBCLX, NBCSN, NECN, NewsNation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Orlando City Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, PC Mag, Pop, QVC, Recipe.TV, Scripps News, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, TCM, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telemundo, The CW, The Great Courses, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tru TV, TV Land, TYT, Unimas, Unimas local channels, Universal Kids, Univision, Univision local channels, USA, VH1, WE tvMTV CLASSIC on DirecTV Stream Ultimate
Price: $109.99/month • 5 days free trial • Total channels: 140+ • On-demand: Yes • DVR limits: Unlimited, 9 mo. expiration • Profiles per account: 5 • Simultaneous at-home streams: Unlimited • Picture-in-picture: Yes • Multiview: Yes
DirecTV Stream Ultimate is the second-biggest package offered by DirecTV Stream. With it, you get up to 160 channels (up 40 channels from the previous tier) across entertainment, sports, and news. That’s almost any channel you can think of—from TBS and USA; to ESPN and CBS Sports; to CNN and BBC News; and so much more. You get it all, plus tens of thousands of on-demand titles for the price of $109.99/month (saving you roughly $40/month from the package after it), so if the budget allows, it's worth trying the Ultimate plan yourself.