Best Ways to Watch Hallmark and Lifetime Channels

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Bottom line

If you want all the feels this holiday season (and the rest of the year, for that matter), then Lifetime and Hallmark are must-have channels. Luckily, there are lots of ways to get both channels, and we’ve collected the top options below.

To start, AT&T WatchTV is the cheapest livestreaming service on the market. It’s a bit basic but so affordable that we still love it. Sling TV is also a great option at a decent price with awesome sports coverage to boot, but picking your package can be a bit complicated.

And if you just want the best channel selection out there, snag DISH satellite TV service. It will cost you a little extra, but the 190+ channels might be worth it to you.

Keep reading and we’ll go through the details of each service and find the perfect fit for you.

#1 AT&T WatchTV

Cheapest livestreaming provider

AT&T WatchTV is the cheapest option out there for TV. For only $15 a month, you get a package of 35+ popular channels including Lifetime and Hallmark. We absolutely love that most of the channels are popular favorites like TBS and FOOD but hate that there aren’t any sports or local channels.

Of course, you could always just add an inexpensive OTA digital antenna to cover your local needs, but we wish at least a few local affiliates were included.

You do kind of get what you pay for with AT&T WatchTV. There’s no DVR and only one stream allowed per account. You’ll have to be on the couch when your show starts, otherwise you’ll just miss it completely. The service does have some on-demand shows, but that doesn’t really make up for the lack of DVR.

All in all, we like AT&T WatchTV’s cost and lineup but wish it had a few more frills and trimmings we’ve come to expect from other streaming services. Also, be warned—it doesn’t work on Rokus, so if you’re a Roku fan, move on to our next offerings.

For everyone else, check out AT&T WatchTV for yourself using its 7-day free trial.

#2 Sling TV

Best for sports

With 30+ live channels, Sling TV is a solid choice if you want to watch Hallmark and Lifetime—plus, it’s our top pick for sports coverage (your partner may thank us later).

Sling has three package options starting at just $25 a month. Plus, right now you can also get 40% off for the first three months. Either Sling TV’s Orange or Blue package will get you access to Lifetime, but you have to add the $5-a-month Lifestyles Extra to get Hallmark too and truly live your best TV life.

The Lifestyles Extra add-on carries 10 additional channels including Hallmark, Hallmark Drama, and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. That should cover all your much needed drama, romance, and sometimes straight-up cheesy needs.

It doesn’t matter whether you pick the Orange or Blue package when it comes to Lifetime and Hallmark, but it does matter for just about everything else. For instance, Sling Orange includes ESPN and Disney while Sling Blue has the NFL Network and USA. The channel lineups are pretty different so you need to decide what’s important to you. Of course, you could just sign up for the Orange & Blue package and get it all.

Of course, not everyone in your life may prioritize Hallmark and Lifetime. Fortunately, if you have a roommate or partner who’s all about sports, Sling TV is the best bang for their buck, too. With ESPN, the NFL Network, Fox Sports, and more, Sling TV should allow you to catch at least some of your team’s action.

We also like that Sling TV offers a DVR, but a 50-hour cloud DVR for an extra $5 a month doesn’t stand up to some of the other streaming DVRs out there.

In short, picking the right package on Sling TV can sometimes be confusing, but once you find it, you’ll probably love it. Try it out yourself with Sling TV’s free seven-day trial.

#3 DISH

Best overall channel coverage

DISH is all about the premium TV experience. Basically, if you’re looking for the most channels and the coolest features, then DISH is where you should start.

We suggest looking at the America’s Top 200 package. With this package, you get more than 240 channels including Hallmark and Lifetime for $79.99 a month. Plus, right now, DISH will also send you two Google Home Minis free for signing up. Score!

One of the coolest perks of DISH is access to the best DVR ever—the Hopper 3. Start oohing and ahhing now because this DVR is truly amazing. The $15-a-month Hopper 3 allows for 16 simultaneous streams and 2,000 hours of recording. You’ll have room to record all 40 of this season’s new Hallmark Christmas movies—and plenty more.

The downsides of DISH are its two-year contract and not-exactly-cheap price. While it’s not the most flexible option, we think DISH’s channel coverage and excellent DVR are worth the extra cost.

Dark horse: Hallmark Movies Now

If you’re looking for Hallmark and only Hallmark goodness in your life, we suggest you sign up for its very own subscription service, Hallmark Movies Now.

At $5.99 a month, this service offers access to 1,000 hours of original Hallmark content, including favorite movies from the Hallmark Hall of Fame. To see what’s available on the service, test it out with a 7-day free trial.

Final take

No matter which of the three services you choose, you’ll be sure to get some holiday fun with Hallmark or Lifetime.

Whether you pick AT&T WatchTV for an affordable, albeit slightly barebones, streaming service or Sling for its additional sports coverage, streaming is an easy way to get the TV you need.

If you think more traditionally, DISH offers a great channel selection and DVR, so we’re on board. Whatever your choice, sign up and begin watching today.

How to watch Lifetime and Hallmark channels FAQ

How many Hallmark movies are there?

Too many to count. If we had to venture a guess, it’d be somewhere around 500. But that won’t be the number for long. In fact, this season alone, Hallmark is adding 40 new Christmas movies to their roster. We’ll keep counting.

What is the most popular Hallmark movie?

Boy, this question is hard. Everyone seems to like Hallmark movies so much that it’s hard to pick just one. For example, IMDB’s Top 100 Hallmark movies lists the rom-com In My Dreams as number one, but we’d feel remiss if we didn’t mention the much more serious and beautiful Silent Night that takes second. We suggest looking at Hallmark’s own Hall of Fame for more must-see movies this season.

What is the most popular Lifetime movie?

In order to do this question justice, we need to break Lifetime’s movies down by category. For example, the best movie in drama is Speak, while Lifetime’s best crime movie is Death of a Cheerleader. If you’re looking for romance, we like William & Kate or the best Christmas is The Spirit of Christmas. As for just plain, overall popular, IMDB lists Blue Lagoon: The Awakening as the most popular Lifetime movie.

Are all Hallmark Christmas movies the same?

We’re not going to lie—there are a lot of similarities between Christmas Hallmark movies. Yes, in most, girl moves to a new area, meets boy, hates boy, learns about herself, falls for boy, kisses boy, understands Christmas, and lives happily ever after, but that’s part of the charm. Sometimes you need some down-home, feel-good, slightly predictable fun.