Houston TV Stations: Every Local Channel and How to Watch Them

Houston TV stations list

These are the ten main Houston TV stations, with the number your TV shows, the network, the call sign and the city each one is licensed to. Station data comes from the FCC station database and RabbitEars.info (checked October 17, 2026).

Channel	Network	Station	Known as	Broadcasts on	Licensed to	Language	On IPTVZ
2.1	NBC	KPRC-TV	Local 2	UHF 35	Houston	English	Yes
8.1	PBS	KUHT	Houston PBS	VHF 8	Houston	English	Yes
11.1	CBS	KHOU	Channel 11	VHF 11	Houston	English	Yes
13.1	ABC	KTRK-TV	ABC 13	VHF 13	Houston	English	Yes
20.1	MyNetworkTV	KTXH	My 20	UHF 19	Houston	English	Yes
26.1	FOX	KRIV	Fox 26	UHF 26	Houston	English	Yes
39.1	The CW	KIAH	CW 39	UHF 34	Houston	English	Yes
45.1	Univision	KXLN-DT	Univision 45	UHF 30	Rosenberg	Spanish	Yes
47.1	Telemundo	KTMD	Telemundo 47	UHF 22	Galveston	Spanish	Yes
67.1	UniMás	KFTH-DT	UniMás 67	UHF 36	Alvin	Spanish	Yes

Houston also has smaller over-the-air stations. They include ION on 49 (KPXB, Conroe), MeTV on 51 (KYAZ, Katy), Estrella TV on 61 (KZJL), TBN on 14 and Daystar on 22. "Broadcasts on" is the station's real transmission channel. It matters more than you would think, and it explains most antenna trouble further down.

Every station in the table is part of the IPTVZ lineup. You can search them by name in our full IPTVZ channel list.

What channel is ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in Houston?

Over the air, ABC is channel 13, CBS is 11, NBC is 2 and FOX is 26 in Houston. PBS is 8 and The CW is 39. Those numbers come from the stations themselves, so they are the same on every antenna TV in the area.

• ABC: 13 (KTRK)
• CBS: 11 (KHOU)
• NBC: 2 (KPRC)
• FOX: 26 (KRIV)
• PBS: 8 (KUHT) and The CW: 39 (KIAH)

Cable and satellite boxes use their own numbering, so FOX might sit on a completely different number in your provider's guide. Our Houston channel numbers guide goes network by network, subchannels included.

Free subchannels on Houston TV

Every Houston station broadcasts extra channels after the dot, and they cost nothing with an antenna. A subchannel is an extra channel a station sends on the same signal, shown with a dot number such as 13.2. Channel 13.1 is ABC, while 13.2 and 13.3 are two more networks from the same station. Here are the ones worth knowing, from the RabbitEars Houston listing:

Channel	Network	What it shows
2.2 / 2.3	Start TV / Heroes & Icons	Classic dramas and crime shows
8.2 / 8.3	Create / PBS Kids 24/7	Cooking and travel, kids' shows all day
11.3 / 11.4	True Crime Network / Comet	Crime documentaries, sci-fi movies and series
13.2 / 13.3	Localish / Charge!	Feel-good local stories, action movies
26.2 / 26.3	Catchy Comedy / FOX Weather	Classic sitcoms, live weather
39.2	Antenna TV	Older sitcoms and late-night reruns
47.2 / 47.4	TeleXitos / Cozi TV	Spanish-dubbed action series, classic TV
49.2 / 49.8	Bounce / Grit	Movies and series, westerns
51.1	MeTV	Classic TV from the '60s to the '90s

Somewhere in Houston, someone is watching Heroes & Icons on 2.3 at 2 a.m. and has no idea it is free. Now you know too.

Which area the Houston stations cover

The same stations serve the whole Houston TV market, not just the city. A TV market, which Nielsen calls a DMA, is the area that receives the same set of local stations. That includes Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Pasadena, Baytown, League City, The Woodlands, Conroe and Galveston. If you live anywhere in that area, the table above is your lineup.

Several stations are licensed to cities outside Houston, and the FCC lists them that way. Telemundo 47 belongs to Galveston, Univision 45 to Rosenberg and UniMás 67 to Alvin. ION 49 is licensed to Conroe, and MeTV 51 to Katy. With an antenna, distance and terrain decide what you receive. With streaming or IPTV, your address inside the area makes no difference to the picture.

Heading north toward Bryan and College Station? That is a different TV market with its own stations, covered in our Waco, Temple and Bryan TV guide.

Why ABC 13 and CBS 11 drop out on Houston antennas

ABC 13, CBS 11 and Houston PBS 8 broadcast on VHF channels 13, 11 and 8, while every other main Houston station uses UHF. Small indoor antennas often struggle with VHF, so those three are usually the first to break up or vanish after a scan.

This is the most common Houston antenna complaint on Reddit. A scan picks up 100-plus channels, NBC, FOX and CBS included, and still no ABC. One viewer who finally got it back wrote that moving the antenna "even an inch" made it disappear again. You know the one: the game is on ABC this week, and the antenna has opinions.

Our finding: We matched the stations Houston viewers on Reddit say they lose against the FCC's station records. The one named most often, ABC 13, is one of only three main Houston stations on VHF. The other two are CBS 11 and PBS 8. Every other main Houston station broadcasts on UHF.

VHF (very high frequency) is the older TV band, channels 2 to 13. UHF (ultra high frequency) covers channels 14 to 36, where most stations broadcast today. The on-screen number does not tell you the real channel, either. NBC shows up as 2, yet KPRC actually transmits on UHF channel 35, according to the FCC. ABC is the opposite case: it shows as 13 and really is on 13, a VHF channel.

1. Use an antenna rated for VHF-high. Channels 7 to 13 need it. Many flat "leaf" antennas list only UHF in the small print.
2. Go high and aim it. An attic or a window facing the towers beats a TV stand. The FCC DTV reception map shows the direction and signal strength for your address.
3. Rescan after every move. For CBS, also look for 11.11: station KTBU in Conroe rebroadcasts KHOU on UHF, so it may come in when 11.1 does not. ABC 13 has no such backup for regular TVs.
4. Or take the antenna out of the equation. Streaming and IPTV deliver ABC 13 over your internet connection, so the VHF problem does not apply.

The same VHF pattern shows up in other Texas cities too. Our guide to why some Texas channels won't come in on an antenna lists every VHF station in the state.

NextGen TV in Houston

Yes, Houston has NextGen TV. Two shared signals carry the ATSC 3.0 versions, according to RabbitEars. KIAH on UHF 34 carries NBC 2, Houston PBS 8, CBS 11, CW 39 and Telemundo 47. KTXH on UHF 19 carries ABC 13, My 20, FOX 26, Univision 45 and UniMás 67. You need a NextGen-capable TV or tuner to see them. Older TVs simply keep showing the regular versions, so nothing breaks if you skip it.

One side effect: after a rescan, some TVs list the same station twice, or number channels in an unfamiliar way. That is the NextGen versions showing up, not a broken TV.

How to watch Houston local channels without cable

There are five realistic ways to watch Houston locals, and they trade cost against reliability in different ways. An antenna is free but picky. Cable is reliable but expensive. Streaming services vary by station. Here is the honest comparison.

Option	What it costs	Houston locals	Watch out for
Antenna	One-time purchase	Every station you can receive	VHF stations 8, 11 and 13 indoors
Cable or satellite (Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH; Spectrum or En-Touch in some areas)	Monthly bill plus equipment	All main locals	Promo prices that rise, box fees, contracts
Live-TV streaming (Fubo, DIRECTV streaming)	Monthly bill	Depends on the service	Fubo lists a national CBS feed instead of KHOU 11
Free station apps (ABC13, KPRC 2+)	Free	Local news streams	News only, not the full channel
IPTVZ	From $29.99 for 3 months, $74.99 for 12	All ten main stations plus Space City Home Network	Needs a steady connection, about 15 Mbps per HD screen

Already paying Xfinity? Our guide to leaving Xfinity in Houston shows how to drop the TV package, keep the internet and switch without losing a channel.

On streaming services, check the station list before you subscribe. TheStreamable's Houston listing (October 17, 2026) shows Fubo with ABC 13, FOX 26, NBC 2, Telemundo 47 and CW 39. For CBS, it lists a national feed instead of KHOU 11. It shows DIRECTV with ABC 13, CBS 11, FOX 26 and NBC 2.

Now the money part. An Astros fan on Reddit said their alternative was Fubo at about $90 a month. Our 12-month IPTVZ plan is $74.99 in total, which works out to about $6.25 a month, with every Houston station above plus 19,000+ live channels. Worth it if you want your locals, your sports and the cable channels in one app, without a contract. It runs on a Firestick, Smart TVs, Apple TV and Android devices.

What IPTVZ costs in Houston

Every IPTVZ plan includes all ten main Houston stations, Space City Home Network and 19,000+ live channels. You pay once per period, with no contract and no box rental.

Plan	Price	Works out to
3 months	$29.99	About $10.00 a month
6 months	$49.99	About $8.33 a month
12 months	$74.99	About $6.25 a month
24 months	$129.99	About $5.42 a month
5 years	$259.99	About $4.33 a month

For comparison, YouTube TV's main plan is $82.99 a month at its regular price (checked October 17, 2026). Our guide to IPTV in Houston compares a full year of each option and explains what internet speed and device you need.

Houston sports on local TV

Texans games air on Houston's local stations, while the Astros and Rockets are on Space City Home Network. That split is why a plain antenna covers football but not baseball or basketball.

• Texans (NFL): most games are on KHOU 11 (CBS), KRIV 26 (FOX) or KPRC 2 (NBC), depending on which network has the game. Games that air nationally on cable, like ESPN or NFL Network, also reach a local Houston station. NFL rules put them on broadcast TV in the teams' home markets.
• Astros (MLB) and Rockets (NBA): Space City Home Network is their exclusive local home. Since December 3, 2025, it is also sold on its own as SCHN+, at $19.99 a month or $199 a year, reported Houston Public Media.
• On IPTVZ: Space City Home Network is in the lineup, next to the local stations.

Prices for every option, playoffs included, are in our guide to watching the Astros and Rockets without cable.

Spanish-language TV in Houston

Houston has three major Spanish-language stations: Univision 45 (KXLN), Telemundo 47 (KTMD) and UniMás 67 (KFTH). Estrella TV broadcasts on 61, and Telemundo's 47.2 carries TeleXitos. All three major stations are in the IPTVZ lineup, along with the national Univision and Telemundo channels.

For newscasts, telenovelas and Spanish-language sports in one place, read our guide to Spanish-language TV in Houston.

Houston local TV FAQ

What are the local TV channels in Houston, Texas?

The main Houston stations are NBC 2 (KPRC), PBS 8 (KUHT), CBS 11 (KHOU), ABC 13 (KTRK), MyNetworkTV 20 (KTXH), FOX 26 (KRIV), The CW 39 (KIAH), Univision 45 (KXLN), Telemundo 47 (KTMD) and UniMás 67 (KFTH). Smaller stations include ION 49, MeTV 51 and Estrella TV 61.

What channel is FOX in Houston?

FOX is channel 26 in Houston, station KRIV, also known as Fox 26. That is the over-the-air number. On cable or satellite, check your provider's guide, because providers use their own numbers.

What is channel 20 in Houston?

Channel 20 is KTXH, Houston's MyNetworkTV station, known as My 20. It is the sister station of FOX 26 and airs MyNetworkTV programming and syndicated shows.

What channel is Houston PBS?

Houston PBS is channel 8, station KUHT, run by Houston Public Media. Its subchannels include Create on 8.2 and PBS Kids 24/7 on 8.3.

How can I watch KHOU 11 without cable?

With an antenna, if it receives VHF channel 11 where you live. Without an antenna, choose a service that carries the local KHOU feed: TheStreamable lists it on DIRECTV, while Fubo shows a national CBS feed. KHOU 11 is also in the IPTVZ lineup.

What channel is Univision in Houston?

Univision is channel 45 in Houston (KXLN). Telemundo is 47 (KTMD) and UniMás is 67 (KFTH).

Do I need an antenna to get local channels in Houston?

No. An antenna is the free option, but cable, satellite, live-TV streaming and IPTV all deliver Houston locals without one. IPTVZ carries all ten main Houston stations and starts with a free 24-hour trial.

Is NextGen TV available in Houston?

Yes. RabbitEars lists NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) versions of NBC 2, Houston PBS 8, CBS 11, CW 39 and Telemundo 47. You need a NextGen-capable TV or tuner to watch them.

The easiest way to get every Houston channel

If you only want the basics and live close to the towers, a VHF-capable antenna is hard to beat on price. If you want every station, the Astros and Rockets, and the cable channels without a monthly cable bill, IPTV covers it in one app. Spoiler: the cheapest setup is usually the one you don't have to fiddle with.

• Houston's big four are NBC 2, CBS 11, ABC 13 and FOX 26.
• ABC 13, CBS 11 and PBS 8 are VHF stations, the usual antenna trouble spots.
• The Astros and Rockets live on Space City Home Network, not on the local stations.
• All ten main stations and Space City Home Network are in the IPTVZ lineup.

Want the bigger picture? Go back to the overview of local channels in Texas. Ready to watch? A free 24-hour IPTVZ trial takes a couple of minutes to start, and our plans begin at $29.99 for 3 months.