Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the living room, Shark Week is back. I’ll admit I really didn’t know what that was until recently. Is it a spin-off of the Sharknado franchise? Is Steven Spielberg somehow involved?
Apparently, no.
Shark Week is a themed block of shark-related TV programming that airs every year on the Discovery channel. This year, the event is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and to mark the occasion Discovery has a diverse—dare I say toothy—lineup of shark content at the ready. It begins tonight (Sunday, July 22) at 7 p.m. ET with Alien Sharks: Greatest Hits, followed by Bear vs. Shark at 8 p.m., and Shaq Does Shark Week at 9 p.m. You can find the full schedule here.
Because I often write about cord-cutting, some PR folks had pitched me a few Shark Week ideas aimed at people without cable. Frustratingly, Discovery is one of the more difficult cable channels to find on stand-alone streaming platforms (it’s missing from Sling TV and YouTube TV, for instance), so I decided to write this handy guide, even though, again, I didn’t really know what Shark Week was.
If you go to the Shark Week page, you’ll find a link for how to watch it live online, but that’s only going to help you if you have login credentials from a cable or satellite TV provider. If you’re true cord-cutter without access to a cable login, I’ve rounded up a few services that offer live streaming of the Discovery channel below.
- PlayStation Vue: Sony’s streaming service offers Discovery as part of its core package. It’s also running a five-day free trial. Find it here.
- DirecTV Now: The AT&T-owned service offers Discovery as part of its “live a little” package. Find it here.
- Philo: This low-cost service is still relatively unknown, but that’s changing. Lo and behold, Discovery is among the 40 channels it offers. Find it here.
- Free Content From Discovery: If you don’t feel like signing up for a streaming service, Discovery is offering some Shark Week content for free online. Find it here.
Finally, if you’re a Roku user, the folks there have published their own “How to watch Shark Week” guide. Check it out the full post here. Happy shark hunting!
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