eyes on the ball

The Best Streaming Services for Every Kind of Sports Fan

Whether you want to watch the NBA, the NFL, or darts.

Illustration: Martin Gee
Illustration: Martin Gee

It might not equal the hype and payoff of Barbenheimer, but the fall sports calendar will have you torn between screens, questioning your tastes in teams as you prioritize which games to watch. Take the bonkers fortnight that falls right in the middle of autumn: The last week of October heading into November will bring us the World Series, the return of the NBA (on Max now, apparently!), and the launch of the latter’s in-season tournament. And while that’s going on, you’ll have pro football and hockey, plus all the college sports, in full swing — truly a sports lover’s dream.

But from the NFL kickoff and beyond, fall can also be a nightmare if you’re a cord-cutter. League and local network deals change constantly, as do streaming prices and offerings, so it can be overwhelming trying to find the plan that shows your preferred games. Before you give up and return to cable, check out our guide to all services that feature live sports, with added info on what they’re airing and how much it’ll dent your bank account. This way you’ll never miss out on your favorite game, fight, match, race, or event — all you’ll have to worry about is whether to make chili, wings, nachos, or — better yet — some combination of the three.

Max

In addition to airing a British game show focusing on full-frontal dude nudity, Max is also bringing live sports to its catalogue of HBO/Warner Bros./Discovery content. Starting October 4, all Max customers can get five months of free access to a new Bleacher Report–branded tier of live sporting events, including MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA basketball, and U.S. national soccer-team games.

The basic gist is that Max will simulcast any games shown on TNT, TBS, and TruTV, all Warner-owned cable stations, plus some exclusive events and on-demand content like documentaries. And here’s how they get you — the free trial for this add-on is over at the end of February, after which you’ll have to pay $9.99 per month to keep watching through March Madness. If you’re completely new to Max, well, there’s an overwhelming amount of content on there, including Naked Attraction, the dating show with the dongs, but also HBO series and exclusives, Turner Classic Movies’ library of classics, Cartoon Network’s catalogue, and all the HGTV you could ever want.

Leagues available: NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA basketball, US national team soccer, and still-unannounced special events.

Cost: Max’s regular subscriptions start at $10 a month or $100 per year. The Bleacher Report add-on will cost $10 a month after February.

Free trial? Not for the streaming service itself.

Want Max?

Sling TV

The gist of Sling is that it offers up some of the broadcast and a lot of the cable channels at a much lower price than what you’d get from, say, Xfinity or Spectrum. There are two basic packages, Orange and Blue, that have different channel lineups. If you’re an NBA fan, Sling says you’ll want to go with Orange, as that includes three ESPNs and TNT — which will air the European-soccer-style in-season tournament through December — while Blue is better for college hoops with its inclusion of TBS and truTV. You can subscribe to both for $60 a month.

The big change to Sling’s packages this year is specifically for sports fans — you can prepay for the five-month “Season Pass” for $274, saving $76 over the regular price. The other huge improvement is the addition of ABC to its channel lineup, giving all users access to the NBA Finals and some NFL games. The downside is no Sling package includes CBS, which will air the Super Bowl, among other NFL games, and later in 2024, March Madness.

Leagues available: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Premier League, Ligue 1, Liga MX, golf, tennis, college football and basketball, and more, depending on the plan or add-ons you opt into.

Cost: Starting at $60 per month, with multiple add-on options.

Free trial? Not anymore. The current promo is for half off your first month, and you can cancel at any time.

Want Sling TV?

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu’s live-TV option is a lot like Sling, and it’s updating some of its offerings. The green giant now has 90-plus channels — over a dozen are dedicated solely to sports — but prices are going up. The cheapest option now is $69 a month for live TV only — to watch Hulu’s catalogue of movies and shows or get a bundle deal with Disney+ and ESPN+, and it’ll cost $76 starting October 12. The base bundle — those two other services, plus live TV and ad-supported access to the Hulu library — is only a dollar more per month but will also see a $7 price hike, as will every other plan.

Hulu gets local broadcast channels, including CBS for the Super Bowl, FOX, the ESPNs, FS1 and 2, TNT, NFL Network, the Golf Channel, and — for watching college hoops — TBS and truTV, among many more. Depending on where you live, you might get a regional sports channel — for example, if you live in New York, you’ll have SNY, home of the Mets. There’s the option of adding NFL RedZone, the Outdoor and Sportsman channels, and TVG for horse-racing. Just be sure to check over your local lineup before you sign up, as certain blackout restrictions might be in effect.

Leagues available: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, EPL, MLS, NASCAR, WWE, WNBA and UFC; major tournaments in golf, tennis, and more, per Hulu.

Cost: $69 per month for live TV only; $70 for the Disney and ESPN bundle with ads, ads when watching its on-demand library; $83 for the commercial-free bundle. All prices will increase by $7 a month starting October 12.

Free trial? After over a year without one, Hulu now offers a 30-day trial on all its plans for new and select returning customers.

Want Hulu + Live TV?

ESPN+

You can get ESPN+ as a stand-alone, but keep in mind that it’s not the same as watching ESPN the channel. Its live sports offerings are somewhat limited — more a welcome supplement or a budget-conscious add-on if you’re, say, a hockey die-hard, than a full-fledged live streaming service. Still, for the price it punches its weight, carrying several popular leagues for soccer, hockey, tennis, golf, cricket, lacrosse, and plenty of college sports. It has ESPN’s original documentaries, including all of the 30 for 30 series.

Leagues available: NHL (and several other hockey leagues), 180-plus MLB games, college football and basketball, international soccer leagues like Bundesliga and La Liga, lacrosse, several cricket leagues, plenty of combat sports, and more, per ESPN+.

Cost: It’s $10 per month, going up to $11 on October 12. You can also buy an annual subscription for $100 ($110 in October).

Free trial? The stand-alone ESPN+ doesn’t have a free trial.

Want ESPN+?

DirecTV Stream

With the exception of the NFL Network and some NBC sports channels, DirecTV has pretty much everything you can want for sports. The basic $70 package has ESPN and some other sports options, but you’ll want to go for the $85 Choice service to get college, regional, and MLB and NBA channels. For another $10, you get an added six sports channels, including CBS, NHL, Golf, and Sportsman. It allows you to simultaneously stream its content on up to 20 devices, which you might consider necessary if you own a bar, have a huge family, or live in a frat house.

Leagues available: NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, MLS, La Liga, Europa League, Champions League, golf, college sports, plus a wide swathe of regional sports and that you might otherwise need cable to get. Consult the full lineup.

Cost: Starting at $75 per month.

Free trial? Five days.

Want DirecTV Stream?

YouTube TV

With the basic YouTube TV subscription, you’re covered for the big networks for the most popular sports, plus the broadcast channels for big national games like the Super Bowl. A trio of ESPNs, FS1 and 2, CBS, and NBC Sports, plus the proprietary channels of MLB, NBA, NFL, Tennis, and Golf channels, and college networks like the SEC and Big Ten. If you’re looking to record events for next-day viewing or posterity, YouTube’s DVR is unmatched among streamers — the storage space is unlimited, with the caveat that you can only keep it for a max of nine months. Still, that’s enough to record your favorite MLB team’s entire 162-game season, plus playoffs, if you desire.

The big news with YouTube is that it’s also the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket, which shows out-of-market games. The season package runs $299 for those with a basic YouTube TV subscription and $399 for those without. Students get a massive deal at $109 for the year, so it might be time to get your child to sign up for their first streaming service. (Keep in mind that YouTube says these are “promo” prices, so they’re likely to go up soon.)

Leagues available: NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, NCAA, Premier League, FIFA World Cup, Liga MX, golf, tennis, and more, per YouTube TV’s full directory.

Cost: $73 per month.

Free trial? Yes, but lengths can vary. (Consult YouTube’s explainer on this.)

Want YouTube TV?

Fubo TV

Fubo basically has all the main broadcast and cable options, except for TNT, TBS, and truTV (sorry to March Madness fans), and, unless you sign up for League Pass for $15 a month, out-of-market NBA games. But other than that, you can play around with the packages and add-ons to figure out which configuration is right for you. For example, there’s the $11 per month add-on, billed quarterly, that’s all about international sports, specifically soccer, with ESPN and Fox’s Deportes channels, plus Real Madrid’s proprietary channel. There’s something for everyone here, except, of course, those who crave the analysis from Shaq and Barkley on TNT.

Leagues available: NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, college football and basketball, WWE, golf, NASCAR, MLS, Premier League, Brasileirão Serie A, Liga MX, and a lot more.

Cost: $75 per month.

Free trial? Seven days.

Want Fubo TV?

Peacock

NBC’s streaming service has a lot of sports, but outside of Premier League soccer and the Olympics, it’s in somewhat of a piecemeal fashion. During the NFL season, you’ll get the Sunday night games plus the Football Night in America pregame show, and, returning after last season’s debut, Peacock airs Sunday morning baseball, with a select slate of contests starting at 11:30 a.m. and noon ET. So it’s an affordable option if you’re in the market for specific sports — or if you just want to pay $5 for a single month to catch the Olympics next time around.

Leagues available: The Olympics (in full), NFL, MLB (on Sundays), WWE, NASCAR, Premier League, rugby, cycling, Big Ten and Notre Dame football, and more.

Cost: $6 a month or $60 a year.

Free trial? None.

Want Peacock Premium?

Paramount+

Paramount+’s sports offerings are similar to Peacock’s in that they’re limited but can be the right fit depending on your tastes. For the basic, ad-supported $5 plan, you’ll be able to watch the CBS NFL games plus English-language coverage of all the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League matches. Then there’s the $10 Premium tier, which adds in NCAA basketball (with the entire tournament available), the Masters and other PGA events, SEC on CBS games, and Combate Global MMA. If you’re only signing up for this service to watch the college-basketball tournament, you can always go for the seven-day free trial and cancel your Premium subscription right after the winner is crowned in early April.

Leagues available: Limited NFL, college basketball, UEFA, PGA, and some MMA.

Cost: Starting at $6 per month for the basic version, or $12 a month for the bundle with Showtime.

Free trial? Seven days.

Want Paramount+?

Apple TV+

Apple’s foray into both live programming and the sports world began with a deal with the MLB to exclusively broadcast two games every Friday night. That partnership will run for six more seasons, alongside Apple’s latest offering: Major League Soccer, home of Lionel Messi. MLS Season Pass is available at a slight discount to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a handful of games available at no extra cost, so it’s not the completely free expansion of content fans would’ve preferred. (Hop to the league-specific services section below for more on that stand-alone offering.)

Leagues available: MLB, MLS.

Cost: $7 per month.

Free trial? Seven days.

Want Apple TV+?

Amazon Prime Video

You’re not going to sign up for Prime for the sports coverage, but if you’re looking for some games to go along with your Rings of Power and next-day delivery of gardening gloves, the streamer has a few offerings: Thursday-night NFL and select WNBA games, plus some Yankees tilts if you live in the New York region. Otherwise, you can always just add in a premium subscription, like NBA League Pass for $100 a season.

Leagues available: Limited NFL, WNBA, and baseball offerings, plus add-on options, including the NBA (League Pass), boxing (through Showtime), and MLB (through MLB.tv).

Cost: $15 per month.

Free trial? Thirty days.

Want Amazon Prime Video?

DAZN

For American subscribers, DAZN caters mostly to fight fans, with plenty of exclusive live and on-demand boxing and MMA, excluding UFC. On top of that, you’ll get documentaries, soccer, snooker, and darts.

Leagues available: Women’s UEFA soccer, MMA, boxing (including an archive), Masters snooker, and Premier League darts.

Cost: $20 per month with a year-long commitment, $25 for a plan you can cancel with 30 days’ notice, or $224 per year.

Free trial? None.

Want DAZN?

Twitch

If you’re looking to watch eSports, certain traditional sporting events, or just randos doing whatever they feel like, you can just head to Twitch without signing up. The streamer doesn’t have regularly scheduled games and bouts but does have deals in place with top leagues and fighting promotions to broadcast select events throughout the year, so it can be a fun place to watch and chat along, but it’s not a place to go if you’re looking for consistency in your viewing. The paid subscriptions are more for supporting certain channels and come with varying perks, including unique emoticons, ad-free viewing, exclusive streams, and subscriber-only chat functions.

Cost: Free to watch, subscriptions start at $5 per month.

Want Twitch?

League-Specific Services

Three of the top four major sports leagues in the U.S. — the MLB, NFL, and NBA — each have their own subscription service for out-of-market games, making those ideal for folks who live far away from their team of choice. (The NHL’s dedicated service, NHL.tv, was rolled up under ESPN+ in 2021.)

As mentioned above, YouTube TV is currently offering NFL Sunday Ticket at a promo cost of $299 for subscribers to its base plan subscribers ($399 for Primetime), and it looks like that price will go up as the season progresses. We have yet to see how well Sunday Ticket will perform technically but given YouTube’s ease of use, we expect it to avoid the technical glitches that plagued DirecTV customers in the past. For another $40, you can add the Red Zone channel to any plan, except for the student discount subscription: that’ll be an extra $10 on top of the steeply discounted $109 for the season.

MLS Season Pass, a service from Apple dedicated solely to the American soccer league, was the streaming sports world’s biggest debut of 2023, prior to Sunday Ticket. Featuring every game plus team content, documentaries, classic games, and more, fans from around the globe can subscribe for the rest of the season at $29. Though it was initially thought that Apple TV+ subscribers would get this at no extra charge, it turns out that these customers can only stream the package at a discount: $13 a month or $79 a year.

NBA League Pass gives you access to every game with the exception of regional blackouts and national broadcasts on channels like ESPN and TNT. (Blacked-out games are available everywhere for rewatching a few hours after they conclude — if you’re an avid fan.) You can pick a single team’s broadcast for $90 per season or the whole league for $100 on one device or $150 for simultaneous streaming on three devices with no commercials. The subscription includes access to NBA TV, classic games, and original programming.

MLB.tv, meanwhile, is a great option for most people looking to watch out-of-market games. We say “most people” here because there are some truly baffling blackout restrictions affecting people in areas where they can’t access the regional sports networks that show certain teams’ games. For those that can access the MLB.tv games of their choice, they’ll have the option of choosing between the home and away television and radio broadcasts — with Spanish-language broadcasts sometimes available. You can subscribe for a single team’s broadcasts at a discount, and the MLB usually offers discounted plans as the season progresses, so you can wait to see if your club of choice is actually worth a damn.

Cost: Varies widely by sport, plan, and time of year.

Free trials:
MLB.tv: Seven days.
NFL Sunday Ticket: TBA.
NBA League Pass: Seven days.
MLS Season Pass: None announced.

Buy an Antenna

Yes, you can still get television over the airwaves, literally. Even some of the cheapest digital antennas let you get the major broadcast networks that host sports — ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox — without any subscription, provided you don’t live in a completely remote location. Believe it or not, there are even some rabbit-eared versions you can buy on the cheap to get HD viewing of whatever major events, like the World Series, Super Bowl, and NCAA tourney, are on.

Cost: Antennas Direct’s ClearStream Eclipse TV model is great and goes for $40, but cheaper models will also get the job done.

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The Best Streaming Services for Every Kind of Sports Fan