How to Watch Sports Without Cable

It can be difficult to keep up with all the different channels and services you need to watch sports live. Whether you’re hesitant to cut the cord because of the live channels and access to locals or you are looking to consolidate your subscriptions, there are plenty of ways to watch sports without cable.

When it comes to watching live sports, you’ll find games across a variety of places: local channels, national broadcast networks, specialty channels, regional sports networks and, increasingly, streaming services.

If you’re just looking to watch some live sports coverage, you can do that for free from publicly broadcasted networks like ABC, FOX, CBS and NBC via over-the-air (OTA) TV. All you’ll need is a TV equipped with a digital antenna to watch OTA TV. Discover which antenna channels are available in your area with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Reception Map Tool.

But for diehard sports fans looking for the best and most comprehensive sports streaming service on the market, take a closer look at what each of the streaming services listed below offer when it comes to live sports coverage.

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Which Streaming Service Is Best for Live Sports?

Several TV streaming services also enable you to watch live coverage of your favorite sports teams, including:

• DIRECTV
• ESPN Unlimited
• Fubo
• Hulu + Live TV
• YouTube TV
• Sling TV
• Paramount Plus
• Peacock Premium
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Prime Video
• DAZN
• Individual league streaming services

Note: Check individual TV streaming providers channel lineups to learn about available programs in your area.

DIRECTV

Stream more live sports with DIRECTV than any other streaming service. DIRECTV gives you access to stream live sports across:

• Local channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CW
• National networks like ESPN, TNT, TBS, FS1, USA Network, etc.
• Specialty sports channels including ACC Network, Big 10 Network, Tennis Channel, Golf Channel, Sportsman Channel, etc.
• Premium sports add-ons like NHL Network, NFL Network, MLB Network®, as well as the NBA TV.
• Regional Sports Networks including FanDuel Sports Networks

DIRECTV also provides live score updates, notifications for when your favorite teams are playing and blackout playback options. Check out all the features for sports fans here.

Not to mention, streaming customers and MySports subscribers get access to ESPN Unlimited at no additional cost. That means you can catch games live on ESPN Select alongside ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

• Price: Starting at $49.99 per month + fees for the 1st month
• Free trial: 5 days for MySports Genre Pack

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ESPN Unlimited

Stream NHL games, UFC events, global soccer tournaments such as La Liga, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup, golf tournaments like the Masters and the PGA Tour, tennis tournaments like Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, select MLB games, college football and basketball, lacrosse and cricket leagues coverage and the X Games.

• Price: $12.99 per month
• Free trial: No
• Note: ESPN Unlimited is included in streaming packages and MySports Genre Pack from DIRECTV

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FuboTV

Stream live sports on channels like ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FS1 and FS2, belN Sports, the Big 10, the Golf Channel and most league networks and regional sports networks (RSNs). It should be noted that Fubo does not have TBS, TNT or truTV in its lineup.

• Price: Starting at $54.99/mo. for 1 month; Regularly $84.99/mo.-$114.99/mo.
• Free trial: 7 days

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Hulu + Live TV (With Ads)

Stream live sports on channels like ESPN, FOX, ABC, CBS, TBS, NBC, FS1 and FS2, TNT, TruTV, NFL Network and limited RSNs. With Hulu Plus Live TV, you’ll also get ESPN Unlimited and Disney+ with ads.

• Price: $89.99 per month ($64.99/mo. for first 3 months)
• Free trial: No

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YouTube TV

Stream live sports on channels like ESPN, FS1 and FS2, ABC, CBS, TBS, NBC, FOX, TNT, the Golf Channel, the Big 10 Network, the SEC Network and league networks like the NFL, MLB, and NBA Networks. YouTube TV has limited RSNs.

• Price: $82.99 per month ($72.99/mo. for first 3 months; offer ends 12/31/25)
• Free trial: Yes, but free trial lengths vary

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Sling TV

Stream live sports on channels like ESPN, NBC, FOX, TBS, FS1, USA, league networks for the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB, PAC 12, belN Sports, the Golf Channel and the Tennis Channel. Sling does not provide many local channels, nor does it have regional sports networks.

• Price: Starting at $45.99 per month
• Free trial: No

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Paramount+

Paramount+ offers select sports coverage. With the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan, subscribers can stream live CBS sports, including NFL games, UEFA Champions and Europa League matches, Serie A, NWSL, PGA Tour events, college football and basketball and other select soccer leagues. The Essential (ad-supported) plan does not include live CBS access, and games airing on TBS, TNT, or truTV are unavailable.

• Price: Essential Plan with ads – $7.99 per month; Premium Plan for $12.99 per month
• Free trial: 7 days

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Peacock Premium

Peacock offers select live sports coverage with a Premium subscription, including Premier League soccer, NFL games on NBC, the Olympics, Big Ten and other college sports, WWE events, golf tournaments, and motorsports like IndyCar and SuperMotocross. Starting with the 2025–26 season, Peacock will also stream select NBA and WNBA games.

• Price: $10.99-$16.99 per month
• Free trial: No

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Apple TV+

Stream MLB games on Friday nights. Apple TV+ subscribers can also stream MLS games with an additional MLS Season Pass subscription. Current Apple TV+ subscribers get a discounted rate for the MLS Season Pass: $12.99 per month or $79 per season.

• Price: $12.99 per month
• Free trial: 7 days

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Amazon Prime Video

Stream Thursday-Night NFL games and select NBA, WNBA and MLB games with a standard Amazon Prime Video subscription. Subscribers can add on subscriptions such as the NBA League Pass, MLB.tv and Showtime (boxing) for additional fees.

• Price: $8.99 per month (Prime Video without Amazon Prime membership)
• Free trial: 30 days

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DAZN

Stream live and on-demand boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) events (excluding UFC events). DAZN also features UEFA Women’s Champions League, Liga F, Championship League Snooker, Premier League Darts, World Pool Championships, Champions Chess Tour, Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) Tour, esports, extreme sports and select sports documentaries.

• Price: $29.99 per month ($19.99/mo. with 1 year contract)
• Free trial: No

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Individual League Streaming Services

The MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS offer their own services for live sports coverage, which enables subscribers to access out-of-market games that are unavailable on local affiliates.

Note: The NHL’s streaming service, NHL.tv, is included with ESPN+.

MLB.tv

MLB.TV streams out-of-market regular-season games live and on demand (subject to blackout restrictions) and offers offseason content like spring training games, documentaries, classic programs, World Series films, and archived games. Nationally televised matchups on FOX, FS1, ESPN, TBS, and MLB Network are available only after they air.

• Price: $129.99 per season for access to all teams; $109.99 per season for a single-team subscription; $24.99 for offseason package
• Free trial: 7 days

NFL Sunday Ticket

NFL Sunday Ticket is available exclusively through YouTube TV. It lets you stream out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games through YouTube TV or Primetime Channels. It supports unlimited home streams and two on-the-go. Local, nationally televised, preseason, and postseason games are not included, but you can bundle with NFL RedZone or YouTube TV for broader coverage.

• Price: Starting at $85/mo. or $276/season
• Free trial: Varies

NBA League Pass

Stream hundreds of live NBA games with NBA League Pass. Subscribers also get access to NBA TV, which provides 24/7 coverage, classic NBA games since 2000, and original shows like Game Time, Shaqtin’ A Fool and High Tops.

• Price: Starting at $16.99/mo. or $109.99/season
• Free trial: No
• Note: NBA League Pass is also available for DIRECTV satellite customers

MLS Season Pass

Stream all regular season MLS matches, MLS playoff and MLS Cup matches and Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass. Season Pass is available through the Apple TV app or through DIRECTV.

• Price: Apple TV+ subscribers: $12.99/month or $79/season; non-Apple TV+ subscribers: $14.99/month or $99/season
• Free trial: No

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What’s the Best Way to Watch Sports Without Cable?

Signing up for a TV streaming service is the best way to watch sports without cable. Relying on OTA TV alone means you’ll only have access to a few major networks, not to mention you’ll need to be within range of your local broadcasting station to pick up a clear picture with your digital antenna.

Stream Live Sports on DIRECTV

There are plenty of streaming services that offer live sports, but none match the flexibility and coverage of DIRECTV. Whether you want a comprehensive live TV lineup with the DIRECTV CHOICE™ plan or a sports-focused option like MySports, DIRECTV lets you stream the way you want all season long.

DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.