Every few years a story comes along that turns me back into my parents: TV on in the kitchen, volume low, one eye on the ticker. The Strait of Hormuz ceasefire back-and-forth is one of those. And every time it happens I get the same text from a friend who cut cable ages ago: "Wait, how do I even watch CNN now?"

Fair question. The answer has actually gotten better in the last year, but it is also more fragmented than it used to be. So rather than dump forty options on you, here is the checklist I run through before I hand anyone my credit card for news. Work through it in order and you will land on the right setup in about ten minutes.

The before-you-subscribe checklist

  1. Do you actually need the cable news channels, or just live news?
  2. Which specific channel do you reach for first?
  3. Are you okay with a stream that runs a few minutes behind?
  4. Do you want international perspective, not just the US networks?
  5. Is this a two-week habit or a permanent one?
  6. Do you have local channels covered some other way?

Now let me explain why each of those matters, because the wrong answer to question one can cost you eighty dollars a month you did not need to spend.

1. Cable news channels vs. "live news"

This is the big one. If what you want is a professional anchor, live correspondents, and continuous coverage as things develop, you do not need cable channels at all. The broadcast networks each run a free 24/7 streaming news channel, and during a major international story they go wall-to-wall just like the cable guys.

  • ABC News Live is free inside the ABC News app, on Hulu and Disney+, and on YouTube.
  • CBS News 24/7 is free on the CBS News app, on Pluto TV, and inside Paramount+.
  • NBC News Now is free on Peacock, YouTube, and the NBC News app.

None of these require a login for the basic live feed. I keep CBS News 24/7 pinned on my Roku home screen for exactly this kind of week, and honestly the production quality is closer to the cable networks than most people expect. The tradeoff is you lose the opinion-hour personalities. If that is a loss for you, keep reading. If it is a relief, you might be done already.

2. Which channel do you reach for first?

Be honest here, because the answer changes the recommendation.

If it's CNN: CNN now sells its own subscription, CNN All Access, that includes a live feed of the actual CNN channel without a cable login. It launched at $6.99 a month, or about $70 for the year, and that is dramatically cheaper than any live TV bundle. The app is a little cluttered with articles and clips you did not ask for, but the live channel is right there and it works. This is my pick for CNN-only households.

If it's Fox News: There is no equivalent standalone live feed. Fox Nation, at around $8 a month, is a library of shows and specials, not the live channel. To watch Fox News live you need a live TV service that carries it, which is most of them. More on that in a second.

If it's MS NOW (the channel formerly known as MSNBC): Same story as Fox. No standalone live subscription that I would recommend without checking the official site first, so a live TV bundle is the path.

For a bundle, the cheapest route to all three cable news channels has usually been Sling Blue, which runs around $50 a month and carries CNN, Fox News, and MS NOW. Sling's interface is the clunkiest of the bunch, and it drops some local channels depending on your market, but for news specifically it punches above its price. Sling also frequently runs a discounted first month, so check before paying full freight.

One warning I always give: Fubo does not carry CNN. Fubo is a great sports service, but it never picked up the Warner Bros. Discovery channels. If CNN is your first stop, cross Fubo off the list.

YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV both run about $83 a month and carry all three cable news networks plus your locals. DirecTV Stream does too, and DirecTV also introduced a slimmer genre pack it calls MyNews, aimed at exactly this use case, that has been priced around $40 a month. I have not lived with MyNews long enough to have a strong opinion on it, so confirm the channel list on DirecTV's site before you commit.

3. Can you live with a delay?

Streaming runs behind. Sometimes it is thirty seconds, sometimes closer to two minutes, depending on the service and your device. For a ballgame that is maddening. For news it mostly does not matter, unless you are following along with a live blog on your phone and wondering why the anchor is behind your screen. If a delay would drive you nuts, an antenna is the only true real-time option, and it only gets you the broadcast networks and PBS, not cable news.

4. Do you want the view from outside the US?

This is where I get a little evangelical. A story like Hormuz is a Gulf story, a shipping story, and a diplomacy story all at once, and the US networks tend to cover it through a Washington lens. For the fuller picture:

  • Al Jazeera English streams its live channel free on YouTube and in its own app. It has been the network I turn to most during this particular story, simply because its Doha base means a lot of the mediation coverage is coming from down the street.
  • BBC News offers a free ad-supported live stream in the US through its app and on several free TV platforms. Availability shifts, so check the BBC site for what is current in your area.
  • Sky News streams live free on YouTube and shows up on Pluto TV.
  • DW News from Germany and France 24 both run free live streams on YouTube.

All of these are free and none of them need an account. If you have a Roku, Fire TV, or a Samsung or LG set, Pluto TV and the built-in free channel guides bundle several of them together in one place, which is how I actually watch them most of the time.

5. Two-week habit or permanent?

If you know yourself well enough to admit you will stop watching once this story cools off, do not sign up for anything with an annual commitment. The live TV bundles are month-to-month and let you cancel from the account page, but they are also annoying to remember. CNN All Access at $7 is cheap enough that it can sit there. YouTube TV at $83 is not.

My middle-ground suggestion: start with the free network streams and Al Jazeera for a week. If you find yourself still missing a specific cable channel, then buy the smallest thing that gets it. Sling Blue or CNN All Access, not the full bundle.

6. Are your locals covered?

If you go the Sling or CNN-only route, you will not have your local ABC, CBS, NBC, or PBS station. A basic indoor antenna, usually $20 to $40, solves that permanently and gets you the nightly network newscasts plus PBS NewsHour, which remains the most sober hour of coverage on any screen during a week like this. Most of the free streaming news channels above also cover the same ground, so an antenna is a nice-to-have, not a requirement.

What's changing this week

During the current Iran ceasefire negotiations, the networks are running extended live coverage, and both CNN All Access and the broadcast free streams have been carrying special reports rather than their usual programming blocks. Prices and channel lineups above are typical as of this writing. Sling and the big bundles adjust prices roughly once a year, so treat the dollar figures as ballpark and check the official sites before signing up.

My bottom line

For most people, the right move is to spend nothing. ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, NBC News Now, and Al Jazeera English cover a story like this thoroughly and for free. If you specifically need CNN, buy CNN All Access for $7 and skip the bundle. If you specifically need Fox News or MS NOW, Sling Blue is the cheapest honest way to get it. Only go to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or DirecTV Stream if you also want everything else those bundles include, because paying $83 a month for news alone is how cable got us in the first place.

I'll be over here with Al Jazeera on one screen and CBS on the other, wishing the two of them would agree on what time it is.

— Priya

— Priya Raman