- Streaming companies are doubling down on live sports.
- ESPN is set to launch a new sports TV service, while streamers like Amazon add more live sports.
- We break down the streaming options for sports fans, including how to get NFL, NBA, and more games.
Live sports are officially in their streaming era.
A bevy of new services are set to launch this year, including live sports offerings from ESPN, Fubo, and DirecTV. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime have been vying for sports rights, from NFL to soccer matchups. Even the Super Bowl is doubling down on streaming, with the big game set to run this year on Fox’s Tubi.
Sports fans now have more alternatives to cable TV. Streamers are starting to compete with traditional TV in areas like cost, the ability to watch your favorite out-of-market teams, ease and convenience, and the overall user experience.
The new offerings could hasten cable TV’s decline. Traditional pay-TV services such as cable and satellite lost roughly 50 million subscribers in the last 10 years, going from being in about 85% of households to 36% as of the third quarter of 2024, according to MoffettNathanson. Meanwhile, Leichtman Research Group’s analysis of seven top streamers, including Netflix, Disney+, and Max, found those platforms had added over 28 million domestic subscribers in the last year alone.
Still, there isn’t truly a one-size-fits-all approach to sports streaming like there is for other categories, such as music. Live sports are increasingly fragmented in the streaming world. Where sports fans once turned to the TV guide to find the game, they must now navigate broadcast, a slew of streaming options, and local channels.
“In the shift to streaming, sports fans have definitely drawn the short end of the stick,” Alan Wolk, the cofounder and lead analyst at TVREV, told Business Insider. “They’re the ones more than any other group or genre who are frustrated because it’s all over the place.”
If you’re a sports fan considering a switch to streaming, here is a comprehensive list of what leagues are broadcast where, how to find them, and how much it will cost.
Live-TV streaming services
The first step in making the jump is identifying your sports-viewing needs. Is it important to have your local teams? Are you looking to watch one team all year round? Or maybe you want to watch one league, like the NFL or the NBA, and you want to go all in on whatever access is available to you.
Companies such as Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV offer streaming alternatives to the basic cable bundle. These services carry live sports from most of the major broadcasters and sports networks, such as ESPN and TNT, as well as entertainment channels and DVR options.
Some also have local channels, but the regional offerings are generally less robust than those on cable.
Still, the packages are a bit cheaper, with most starting at around $80 a month, compared to the $140 cost of the average cable and internet bill in major US cities.
And you could pair any of these with an indoor TV antenna to access your local TV stations for games on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.
Here is a breakdown of the streaming-based cable alternatives and what they include:
More options are on the way. Fubo and DirecTV have announced “skinny” bundles of sports channels at lower price points because they aren’t laden with entertainment networks.
Streamers with live sports
Beyond the cable alternatives, many major streaming services carry live sports.
Below is a high-level overview of the popular US streamers, the sports they carry, and their prices. For the most part, each platform only offers a selection of games from each league. Amazon, for example, is set to stream 66 regular-season NBA games starting later this year, while NBC gets up to 100 games, with some running on streamer Peacock and others on its TV network.
Streaming services by sport
Cobbling together the best streaming services for you depends on the type of sports fan you are.
Wolk, the analyst, said there are two main types of sports fans: “You have fans of a team, and people who are fans of a sport.”
Wolk explained that if you are a diehard Boston Celtics fan, you might want access to all the team’s games without blackouts and the ability to watch games regionally when they’re broadcast on a local network like NESN, for example.
General fans of the sport would be more interested in a mix of NBA games, on the other hand.
Whether you want to watch one league or cram your weekends with sports, here is a breakdown of the streaming options by sport, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, college sports, and combat sports.
NFL
NFL games are available across several streaming services without a cable subscription. While national game broadcasts, like NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” are available for free with a digital antenna, you’ll need a streaming subscription to watch other matchups like the Thursday night games on Amazon.
Here’s where you can find most NFL games on streaming:
- Amazon Prime Video has “Thursday Night Football.” A stand-alone Prime Video subscription costs $8.99 a month. If you have a Prime membership ($14.99 a month), the games are included.
- ESPN+, which costs $11.99 a month, has most Monday-night games.
- Paramount+, which starts at $7.99 a month, streams the NFL games that air on CBS.
- Fox is streaming the Super Bowl for free on Tubi this year.
- NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV is the simplest way to watch teams outside your market. You can add the package on top of an existing YouTube TV subscription or as a standalone service through YouTube (pricing for the 2025-26 season hasn’t been announced yet). It can also be bundled with NFL RedZone for an extra $10.99.
- NFL RedZone, which shows the key moments from every game on Sunday afternoons, is also available as an add-on to live-TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu+Live TV, Sling TV, and the standard YouTube TV plan.
NBA and WNBA
NBA and WNBA games mainly stream on Max, for now, and through the leagues’ direct-to-consumer platforms.
- Max streams a selection of NBA and WNBA games. It’ll cost $9.99 a month with ads, plus an additional $9.99 a month for the B/R Sports add-on.
This is set to change with the coming 2025-26 season, where NBA and WNBA games will be spread across Amazon, Peacock, and ESPN’s upcoming stand-alone service.
The NBA and the WNBA also each have a League Pass, which are a one-stop spot for out-of-market games.
- NBA League Pass starts at $49.99 a season. It can also be bundled with a YouTube TV subscription for an additional $14.99 a month.
- WNBA League Pass is $12.99 a month.
MLB
MLB has its own streaming service and streams some games through partners Apple TV+ and Roku.
- Apple TV+ streams “Friday Night Baseball,” which features a doubleheader every Friday when in season. The service costs $9.99/month.
- Roku offers Sunday MLB games for free with a Roku streaming device.
- MLB Network, the league’s TV network for live out-of-market games, offers a stand-alone streaming subscription for $5.99 a month. For an extra dollar a month, it offers an “At Bat” bundle with live game audio, minor league games, and highlights.
Soccer
- NBC’s Peacock streams a selection of live Premier League matches. The service costs $7.99 a month with ads.
- Paramount+ has the rights to the UEFA Champions League games through its standard subscription, which costs $7.99 a month.
- Apple TV streams Major League Soccer through the league’s direct-to-consumer option, MLS Season Pass. It costs $14.99 a month through the Apple TV app, or $12.99 a month with a $9.99 Apple TV+ subscription.
For women’s soccer, NWSL matches are streamed across Paramount+, ESPN+, Amazon Prime Video, and league’s free streaming service, NWSL+.
College sports
College sports have a streaming home on ESPN through an exclusive deal with the NCAA.
- ESPN+ carries a selection of ESPN’s rights to 40 NCAA championships, like football and women’s basketball, with some rounds exclusively available on the platform.
- Paramount+ also carries a few college events, including the March Madness games that air on CBS.
- Peacock has Big Ten games.
- B/R Sports has the rights to college football and the March Madness tournament through a Max subscription.
Combat sports
Combat sports like boxing or MMA are included in some streaming subscriptions, but some are pay-per-view and cost an additional fee to watch. The price can vary by match.
- ESPN+ has UFC and the PFL. Pay-per-view fights are also on ESPN+.
- Fight Pass, UFC’s streaming service, is $9.99 a month or $95.99/year. The pass gives you the entire UFC library, pay-per-view preliminary fights, and other combat sports.
- Netflix streams WWE’s “Raw” on Monday nights, which premiered earlier this year to 4.9 million viewers around the world.
- Peacock streams other live WWE events.
What’s next: stand-alone ESPN and ‘skinny’ sports bundles
The landscape of sports TV many soon look very different. In the coming year, expect to see:
- The fall launch of ESPN’s flagship streaming service, which is expected to include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News and some college conferences, along with the ability to watch things that are on ESPN+.
- A new sports-TV bundle from Fubo.
- A “skinny” sports bundle from DirecTV called MySports. MySports will allow DirecTV users to pick and choose which networks are most important to them, and bundle them together for $49.99 for the first three months.
However you go about this new era of sports TV, there will be no shortage of content to consume. Whether you choose one service for a single sport or a combination of streamers to replace cable TV, the options are there for you to explore.
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