I cut cable years ago, mostly so I could stop paying for 180 channels to watch one football team. News was the thing I assumed I'd lose. I didn't, but CNN turned out to be the trickiest channel to get back, because it's a cable network through and through. No antenna on earth will pull it in.

That means a lot of people pay for a big live TV bundle when a much cheaper option would have covered them. Before you hand anyone a credit card, run through this list.

The before-you-subscribe checklist

  • 1. Decide whether you need the actual cable feed, or just CNN.
  • 2. Try the free stuff for a week.
  • 3. Count the other channels you'd really watch.
  • 4. Check that your TV or streaming stick runs the app.
  • 5. Look for a login you already have.
  • 6. Know how you'd cancel before you sign up.

Six boxes. Here's what each one means.

1. The cable feed, or just CNN?

This is the fork in the road, and most guides skip it.

CNN sells its own standalone streaming subscription through its website and app. It launched at $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and it bundles live CNN programming with on-demand shows, documentaries and full access to CNN's articles. It's by far the cheapest paid way to get the network.

The catch is that it's CNN's streaming product, not a guaranteed carbon copy of the channel your parents get on cable. The lineup can differ from the linear feed, so if there's one specific show you care about, check the official site to confirm it's included before you pay.

If you need the true, full-time cable channel, exactly as it airs, you're shopping for a live TV service. That's a different price bracket entirely, and it's where box three comes in.

One thing to cross off your list: HBO Max used to carry a live CNN feed, and it no longer does. If an older article tells you to get CNN that way, that article is out of date.

2. Try the free stuff for a week

I mean this literally. Give it seven days before you spend anything.

CNN Headlines is a free, ad-supported channel that shows up on several free streaming platforms and smart TV channel guides. It's a curated loop of CNN reporting, not the live cable feed, and it won't carry every breaking moment the way the main channel does. For a lot of people, though, it's enough.

Beyond that, CNN.com and the CNN app put plenty of video clips out for free, though heavy readers will run into the article paywall eventually. CNN also posts clips and segments to its YouTube channel.

If what you really want is live news in general, not CNN specifically, you have even more free options: NBC News NOW, ABC News Live and CBS News 24/7 all stream at no cost. I keep one of those running on election nights and big weather days and rarely feel deprived.

If you get to the end of the week and you're still missing the real thing, fine. Now you know you're paying for something you actually want.

3. Count the other channels you'd really watch

A live TV bundle only makes sense if CNN isn't the only thing you'd use it for. These are typical prices, and they change often, so confirm before you sign up.

Sling Blue, around $46 a month, is the cheapest mainstream bundle with CNN. It's the one I'd pick, and I'll admit my bias: Blue also carries TNT and TBS, which matters to me for basketball, hockey and baseball, plus NFL Network. If a sports fan lives in your house, this box gets ticked twice.

DirecTV sells smaller genre packs over streaming, including a news-focused one called MyNews at roughly $40 a month. It includes CNN alongside the other cable news networks. If you want CNN, MSNBC-style coverage and Fox News side by side and don't care about anything else, it's a tidy fit.

YouTube TV, about $83 a month, and Hulu + Live TV, around $90 with Disney+ and ESPN's streaming content folded in, both carry CNN. They're excellent services. They're also wildly expensive if news is your only reason for signing up. Only go here if the household would use the whole thing: local channels, sports, kids' stuff, all of it.

Two services to skip for this purpose: Philo doesn't carry CNN, and Fubo has historically gone without the Warner Bros. Discovery channels. Check Fubo's current lineup if you already subscribe, but don't sign up expecting CNN.

My rule of thumb: if you can't name three channels besides CNN that you'd watch weekly, don't buy a bundle. Go back to box one.

4. Check that your device runs the app

It's a dull step, and it saves a lot of grief. Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and most recent smart TVs handle all of the services above. Older smart TVs are another story: the built-in app stores on some sets stop getting updates, and that's how you end up with a subscription you can only watch on your phone.

Sling's interface is clunky, honestly. It works, but it feels a generation behind YouTube TV's. Whether that's worth nearly forty bucks a month to you is a personal call. For me it isn't.

If your TV is the weak link, a basic streaming stick costs about as much as one month of a mid-priced service and fixes the problem for good.

5. Look for a login you already have

Before you pay for anything new, find out what you already have access to. If someone in your household pays for cable, satellite or a live TV streaming service that includes CNN, that login typically unlocks live viewing in the CNN app and on CNN.com. Plenty of people have a pay-TV package bundled with their internet and don't realize it comes with app access.

Check your internet bill too. Some providers toss in a slim TV package or streaming perks that nobody in the house ever activated.

6. Know how you'd cancel

News viewing comes in waves. You want it badly during an election, a major storm or a huge breaking story, and then you don't open the app for six weeks. So subscribe in a way that lets you ride those waves.

Every option I've listed is month-to-month with no contract, which is the whole point of leaving cable. Still, keep a few habits:

  • Subscribe directly on the service's website when you can. Cancelling through a third-party app store adds a layer of confusion.
  • Skip the annual plan on CNN's subscription unless you're sure you'll use it year-round. The yearly price is the better deal only if you would have stayed all twelve months.
  • Set a calendar reminder the day you sign up. I do this for every service I own, and it has saved me real money.

What's time-sensitive right now

A quick note on why CNN is trending as I write this. A CNN Travel story about an American who left Las Vegas for a 'Blue Zone' island, one of those places known for people living past 100, is getting passed around. That's a written feature on CNN's website, not a broadcast you need to tune in for, so you don't need any subscription to go find it.

Also worth knowing: CNN's corporate ownership and streaming strategy have been in flux, and prices, bundles and app features tend to shift when that happens. Treat every number in this guide as typical, not guaranteed, and check the official site before you commit.

My bottom line

For most people who miss CNN after cutting the cord, the answer is the free options first and CNN's own subscription second. That tops out around seven dollars a month, which is less than a stadium beer.

Buy a live bundle only if you'd use the rest of it. If you do, Sling Blue is the value pick, especially if you want TNT and TBS for sports like I do. The DirecTV news pack suits the pure news junkie. YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are for households replacing cable wholesale, not for people chasing one channel.

Paying eighty-plus dollars a month for a single news network is the exact trap cord-cutting was supposed to get us out of. Tick the boxes in order and you won't fall into it.

That's the list. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a game on.

— Dana

— Dana Whitfield