As you would assume from the name, HISTORY began in 1995 as a channel documenting history, with a focus on WWII and U.S. landmarks. That all changed in the 2000s, when HISTORY pivoted to aliens, cryptids, and reality TV fare like “Ice Road Truckers,” “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch,” and “Pawn Stars.” Along the way, HISTORY even dropped a hit scripted drama in “Vikings” (which counts as history, in a roundabout way).
Today, HISTORY reaches over 60,000 American households on cable, satellite, and live streaming TV, which means it’s easier to find than Bigfoot or a “real” pirate spyglass to impress the skeptics down at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Let’s go searching for some HISTORY.
What channel is HISTORY on near me?
As an A&E Networks channel, HISTORY is available on most cable and satellite TV services in the U.S., but a little less so on live streaming TV. We’ve gathered the HISTORY channel numbers for 50 American cities and surrounding areas below.
HISTORY channels in major US cities
| City | Cox channel | DIRECTV channel | DISH channel | Optimum channel | Spectrum channel | Xfinity channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 46 |
| Anchorage, AK | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | — |
| Atlanta, GA | 59 | 269 | 120 | — | 47 | 52 |
| Austin, TX | — | 269 | 120 | 59 | 61 | — |
| Bakersfield, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | 56 | — |
| Baltimore, MD | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 37 |
| Boston, MA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 72 |
| Bronx, NY | — | 269 | 120 | 47 | 40 | — |
| Brooklyn, NY | — | 269 | 120 | 47 | 40 | — |
| Buffalo, NY | — | 269 | 120 | — | 41 | — |
| Charlotte, NC | — | 269 | 120 | — | 65 | — |
| Chicago, IL | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 78 |
| Cincinnati, OH | — | 269 | 120 | — | 75 | — |
| Cleveland, OH | — | 269 | 120 | — | 56 | — |
| Colorado Springs, CO | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 48 |
| Columbus, OH | — | 269 | 120 | — | 61 | — |
| Dallas, TX | — | 269 | 120 | — | 70 | — |
| Denver, CO | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 36 |
| Detroit, MI | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 53 |
| El Paso, TX | — | 269 | 120 | — | 58 | — |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 65 |
| Fort Worth, TX | — | 269 | 120 | — | 70 | — |
| Fresno, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 60 |
| Honolulu, HI | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | — |
| Houston, TX | — | 269 | 120 | — | 47 | 58 |
| Indianapolis, IN | — | 269 | 120 | — | 55 | 60 |
| Jacksonville, FL | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 192 |
| Kansas City, MO | — | 269 | 120 | — | 27 | — |
| Las Vegas, NV | 43 | 269 | 120 | — | — | — |
| Los Angeles, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | 72 | — |
| Louisville, KY | — | 269 | 120 | — | 54 | — |
| Memphis, TN | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 71 |
| Miami, FL | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 65 |
| Milwaukee, WI | — | 269 | 120 | — | 39 | — |
| Minneapolis, MN | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 54 |
| Nashville, TN | — | 269 | 120 | — | 44 | 43 |
| New Orleans, LA | 63 | 269 | 120 | — | — | — |
| New York, NY | — | 269 | 120 | — | 40 | — |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 61 | 269 | 120 | 59 | ?? | — |
| Orlando, FL | — | 269 | 120 | — | 43 | 51 |
| Philadelphia, PA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 75 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 61 | 269 | 120 | — | — | — |
| Pittsburgh, PA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 61 |
| Portland, OR | — | 269 | 120 | — | 34 | 50 |
| Sacramento, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 64 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 10 |
| San Antonio, TX | — | 269 | 120 | — | 66 | — |
| San Diego, CA | 55 | 269 | 120 | — | 56 | — |
| San Francisco, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 62 |
| San Jose, CA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 62 |
| Seattle, WA | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 37 |
| St. Louis, MO | — | 269 | 120 | — | 56 | — |
| St. Paul, MN | — | 269 | 120 | — | 68 | — |
| Tampa, FL | — | 269 | 120 | — | 54 | 45 |
| Tucson, AZ | 36 | 269 | 120 | — | — | 54 |
| Washington, DC | — | 269 | 120 | — | — | 50 |
Get HISTORY with cable or satellite
You won’t have to look long to find HISTORY on cable or satellite TV—if your provider carries channels like A&E and Lifetime, HISTORY is likely also in the channel lineup somewhere.
| Provider | Type | Price | HISTORY | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox | Cable | $20.00–$184.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Cox review |
| DIRECTV | Satellite | $89.99–$169.99/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read DIRECTV review |
| DISH | Satellite | $89.99–$119.99/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read DISH review |
| Optimum | Cable | $15.00–$140.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Optimum review |
| Spectrum | Cable | $40.00–$145.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Spectrum review |
| Verizon Fios | Cable | $105.00–$149.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Verizon Fios review |
| Xfinity | Cable | $55.00–$125.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Xfinity review |
Get HISTORY with a live TV streaming service
HISTORY is available on most live-streaming TV providers, including budget streamers like Philo and Frndly TV. But it’s nowhere to be found on YouTube TV or Fubo, which account for a sizable share of the live-streaming TV audience.
| Provider | Type | Price | HISTORY | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTV | Streaming | $94.99–$179.98/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read DIRECTV review |
| Fubo | Streaming | $14.99–$94.99/mo. | — |
View Plan Read Fubo review |
| Hulu + Live TV | Streaming | $88.99–$99.99/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Hulu + Live TV review |
| Philo | Streaming | $33.00/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Philo review |
| Sling TV | Streaming | $19.99–$60.99/mo. | ✔ |
View Plan Read Sling TV review |
| YouTube TV | Streaming | $82.99/mo. | — |
View Plan Read YouTube TV review |
Get HISTORY with a streaming app
With a cable, satellite, or live streaming TV account login, you can access the HISTORY app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast, and Samsung devices. You can also download and subscribe to the standalone, cable-free HISTORY Vault app for $5.99 a month or $59.99 annually.
What’s on HISTORY?
HISTORY is home to dozens of tangentially history-related reality shows and docuseries, including “Pawn Stars”, “Ice Road Truckers,” “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch,” “Forged in Fire,” “The Curse of Oak Island,” “American Pickers,” “Swamp People,” and the 22-season “Ancient Aliens.” HISTORY has in the past dabbled in scripted dramas like “Vikings,” “Project Blue Book,” and “Hatfields & McCoys,” but it’s currently all reality, all the time.
HISTORY channel guide FAQ
How do I watch the HISTORY channel on TV?
You can find the HISTORY channel on most cable and satellite TV services, like Xfinity, DIRECTV, Spectrum, Cox, and DISH.
Is HISTORY channel on Netflix or Hulu?
Past seasons of HISTORY original shows can be found on Hulu, including “Ancient Aliens,” “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch,” and “The Food That Built America.” On Netflix, you can find HISTORY’s “The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen,” “Theodore Roosevelt,” and the original “Vikings” series.
Who carries the HISTORY channel without cable?
Outside of cable and satellite TV, HISTORY is available as a live channel on several services, including Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and Philo. YouTube TV and Fubo are the only major live streaming TV services that don’t carry HISTORY.