How to Watch Court TV: Live Trial Coverage, Schedule, and Streaming Guide
- 🔑 Court TV is free to watch with no subscription via its own app (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, iOS, Android) and live stream at courttv.com, plus free ad-supported platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel — no cable login or credit card required for any of these.
- For paid live-TV bundles, Court TV is currently carried by DirecTV (Entertainment package), Fubo (Pro package), and YouTube TV (Base Plan) — but it is not included on Hulu+ Live TV or Philo, so check before switching services if Court TV is a must-have channel.
- Paid Sling TV does not carry Court TV, but Sling operates a separate free ad-supported tier called Sling Freestream that does carry it — the two share a name but have different channel lineups, and mixing them up is an easy mistake to make.
- E.W. Scripps agreed on 9 February 2026 to sell Court TV to Law&Crime Network, the true-crime studio led by Dan Abrams and owned by Jellysmack; the sale closed the next day, and Law&Crime has said Court TV will stay a distinct, trial-focused brand.
- Exact cable and satellite channel numbers for Court TV vary by provider and zip code, so there is no single universal channel number — Court TV runs its own Find Us tool at courttv.com to look up the correct number for a specific address.
- Streaming prices for DirecTV, Fubo, and YouTube TV shift often with promotional trial periods, so treat any listed price as approximate and confirm the current rate with the provider before subscribing. No odds, spreads, or win-probability models are used anywhere in this guide.
Court TV can be watched for free with no subscription through its own app and live stream, or as part of a paid live-TV streaming package like DirecTV, Fubo, or YouTube TV. The network built its identity on gavel-to-gavel courtroom trial coverage, and in 2026 it changed hands from E.W. Scripps to the true-crime studio Law&Crime. Here’s exactly where to find it, what it costs, and what’s actually on.
What is Court TV?
Court TV is a US cable and streaming network devoted to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of courtroom trials, paired with true-crime original series. It first launched in 1991, went dark during the Turner Broadcasting era, and was relaunched in May 2019 by E.W. Scripps. Rather than scripted crime drama, its programming centers on real trials as they happen in the courtroom, with legal analysts breaking down testimony between sessions, plus a library of past trials and original true-crime shows filling out the schedule.
Who owns Court TV now?
As of February 2026, Court TV is owned by Law&Crime Network, not E.W. Scripps. According to Scripps’ own announcement, the company agreed on 9 February 2026 to sell Court TV to Law&Crime, the true-crime studio led by ABC News chief legal analyst Dan Abrams and owned by media company Jellysmack; the sale closed the following day. Law&Crime has said it plans to keep Court TV running as a distinct, trial-focused brand rather than folding it into its own properties, while also pushing more of Court TV’s archive — reportedly more than 3,000 past trials — onto YouTube. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Can I watch Court TV for free?
Yes — Court TV’s own app and live stream are free with no subscription required. You can watch at courttv.com directly in a browser, or download the free Court TV app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, or Android. The network also runs as a free ad-supported (“FAST”) channel on several platforms, including Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel. None of these require a cable login, a streaming subscription, or a credit card — you just open the app or site and watch.
Which paid streaming services carry Court TV?
Court TV is currently included on DirecTV, Fubo, and YouTube TV, but not on Hulu+ Live TV or Philo. Specifically:
- DirecTV carries it on the Entertainment package, DirecTV’s entry-level streaming tier.
- Fubo carries it on the Pro package, the service’s base live-TV tier.
- YouTube TV carries it on the Base Plan.
| Service | Tier | Price |
|---|---|---|
| DirecTV | Entertainment | ~$60–90/mo |
| Fubo | Pro | ~$75–90/mo |
| YouTube TV | Base Plan | ~$60–83/mo |
These prices swing depending on whether a new-subscriber trial or promotional rate is active — DirecTV and YouTube TV, for example, have both run introductory pricing well below their standard monthly rate, with the full price kicking in after a few months. Fubo’s Pro tier also carries a separate regional sports fee on top of the listed price. Because promos change often and vary by signup date, treat any number here as a rough guide and check each provider’s own signup page for the price and free-trial length being offered right now.
Does Sling TV have Court TV?
It depends which Sling you mean: paid Sling TV does not carry Court TV, but Sling’s free ad-supported tier, Sling Freestream, does. These are two separate products from the same company. Sling TV is the paid live-TV bundle, and Court TV is not part of its channel lineup. Sling Freestream is a no-cost, no-account, ad-supported streaming hub Sling operates alongside its paid service, and Court TV is one of the channels available there. If you’re comparing paid options, don’t count Sling TV as a way to get Court TV — but if free FAST channels are on the table, Freestream is another no-subscription option alongside Tubi and Pluto TV.
Is Court TV on cable or satellite?
Traditional cable and satellite carriage varies by provider and by zip code, so there’s no single channel number that works everywhere. Availability depends on your local cable system, satellite provider, and market. Court TV runs its own “Find Us” tool at courttv.com, where entering a zip code or provider returns the correct channel number for that specific market — that’s a more reliable way to find your exact channel than any general list, since numbers differ from one cable system or region to the next.
What kind of programming is actually on Court TV?
The core of Court TV’s schedule is live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of active courtroom trials, filled in with legal-analysis segments and original true-crime series. When court is in session on a covered case, Court TV airs it live as it happens, with anchors and legal analysts providing context during breaks and recesses. Outside of active trial hours, the network runs original series — its long-running true-crime interview format has aired multiple seasons — along with re-airs of past trials from its archive. Because trial schedules depend on real courtrooms and real dockets, the specific lineup of cases being covered rotates and shifts week to week; check Court TV’s own program guide or app for the current day’s schedule rather than relying on a fixed weekly grid.
The bottom line
Court TV remains easiest to access for free — its own app, courttv.com, and FAST platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Sling Freestream all carry it at no cost. If you’d rather have it as part of a bundled live-TV package, DirecTV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all currently include it, though not Hulu+ Live TV, Philo, or paid Sling TV. With Law&Crime now running the network as of February 2026, the trial-focused format is staying put for now, even as more of its archive migrates to YouTube — so whichever way you tune in, gavel-to-gavel coverage is still the point.