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Best Streaming Services for Sports 2022: ESPN Plus, fuboTV, and More

Major league sports are always in season. If you’re a cord-cutter, you can save big with the right streaming service.

Editor's choice

fuboTV

Price: $32.99–$109.99/mo.

Live channels: 111–166+

Sports channels: 35+

Free trial: 7 days

fuboTV

Price: $32.99–$109.99/mo.

Live channels: 111–166+

Sports channels: 35+

Free trial: 7 days

Best value

Paramount Plus

Price: $7.99–$12.99/mo. or $59.99–$119.99/yr.

Live sports: NFL, UEFA Champions League, March Madness, and more.

Free trial: 7 days

Paramount Plus

Price: $7.99–$12.99/mo. or $59.99–$119.99/yr.

Live sports: NFL, UEFA Champions League, March Madness, and more.

Free trial: 7 days

Best sports bundle

Hulu + Live TV / ESPN+ / Disney+

Price: $82.99–$95.99/mo.

Live sports: NFL, Big XII, UFC, and more

Free trial: N/A

Hulu + Live TV / ESPN+ / Disney+

Price: $82.99–$95.99/mo.

Live sports: NFL, Big XII, UFC, and more

Free trial: N/A

Best for combat sports

ESPN+

Price: $11.99/mo. or $119.99/yr.

Live sports: UFC, Top Rank Boxing, NHL, and more

Free trial: N/A

ESPN+

Price: $11.99/mo. or $119.99/yr.

Live sports: UFC, Top Rank Boxing, NHL, and more

Free trial: N/A

Best for basketball

Sling TV

Price: $40.00–$55.00/mo.

Live channels: 40–50+

Sports channels: 30+

Free trial: N/A

Sling TV

Price: $40.00–$55.00/mo.

Live channels: 40–50+

Sports channels: 30+

Free trial: N/A

Data effective as of post date. Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

fuboTV: We like fuboTV for its extensive coverage of almost every sport, but especially for its soccer channels like beIN SPORTS, TUDN, and an array of ESPN channels. You won’t get more soccer (eh hem, football) coverage anywhere else.

Paramount Plus: CBS owns Paramount Plus, so you can count on live NFL games, NCAA sports, UEFA Champions League matches, and more. And it’s cheap, especially if you bundle it with SHOWTIME (hello, boxing).

CableTV.com Sports logo featuring animated athlete with raised hands.

Hulu + Live TV: Hulu + Live TV with ESPN+ (and Disney+) is the best sports bundle around. For $82.99–$95.99/mo., you’ll get a ton of NCAA conference coverage, including ACC Network, Big Ten Network, Big XII games on ESPN+, and SEC Network.

ESPN Plus: While it doesn’t hold a candle to regular ESPN (the “Plus” is a bit of a misnomer), ESPN Plus will get you great combat sports action (like UFC and Top Rank Boxing matchups), Big XII games, and a ton of great on-demand docs and shows (like 30 for 30).

Sling TV: We highly recommend Sling TV for NBA and NCAA basketball action. You can get most NCAA power conference networks, NBA TV, and your favorite NBA team’s dedicated channel. What’s more, Sling TV is cheaper than most cable packages, and you can quit anytime.

Peacock: If you wanna save some dough, but you don’t wanna miss out on NFL Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, Premier League soccer, and more, Peacock will only set you back as little as $5.99 per month for live sports. Plus, Peacock has a ton of great on-demand content from the NBC and Bravo archives.

Compare streaming services for live sports head to head

Streaming service Price Live channels Sports channels Streams Cloud DVR Choose your plan
fuboTV
Editor's choice
$32.99–$109.99/mo. 111–166+ 35+ 3–10 250–1,000 hrs. View plans

Read fuboTV review
Paramount+
Best value
$7.99–$12.99/mo. or $59.99–$119.99/yr. 4 1 3–unlimited N/A View plans

Read Paramount+ review
Hulu + Live TV Bundle
Best sports bundle
$82.99–$95.99/mo. 70+ 15+ 2 Unlimited (for 9 mos.) View plans

Read Hulu + Live TV review
ESPN+
Best for combat sports
$11.99/mo. or $119.99/yr. N/A N/A 5 N/A View plans

Read ESPN+ review
Sling TV
Best for basketball
$40.00–$55.00/mo. 40–50+ 30+ 1–4 50–200 hrs. View plans

Read Sling TV review
Peacock
Cheapest
$7.99–$13.99/mo. or $79.99–$139.99/yr. 50+ N/A 3 N/A

Read Peacock review
DIRECTV STREAM
Most RSNs
$69.99–$149.99/mo. 65–140+ 20+ 3–unlimited 20 hrs. View plans

Read DIRECTV STREAM review
YouTube TV
Best DVR
$72.99/mo. 100+ 15+ 3 Unlimited (for 9 mos.) View plans

Read YouTube TV review

Data effective as of post date. Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Each of our top choices is available on a wide range of compatible devices because convenience is key for cord-cutters. After all, the best streaming service is the one that offers the content you want while also being the most accessible to your TV setup.

These services offer access to numerous sports leagues from around the world. So, no matter which one you choose, you’ll get coverage of some of the biggest sporting events in the US and abroad. We’re talking NFL and NBA to Premier League and Formula One.

What to look for in a sports streaming service

Choosing a streaming service for sports can be a daunting task, especially with major league sports appearing across several different services.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a few tips for determining what makes a streaming service right for your sports-viewing needs.

Sports teams and leagues

When it comes to finding the best streaming service for sports, you want to find the service that carries the teams you love and support. Sure, fuboTV has the most sports-oriented channels, but that doesn’t matter if none of those channels carry the sports you enjoy.

You might be more inclined to review our sports-specific pages for a better idea of the best ways to watch your favorite leagues.

App availability

After finding your favorite sports and leagues, the next most important thing to be aware of is whether or not the streaming service you choose is available on your preferred streaming platform.

Most of the services we’ve highlighted in this article are widely available across major streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. Still, it’s always worth double-checking your device’s app store before deciding on a streaming service.

If you’re new to streaming, head over to our Best Streaming TV Devices page for a closer look at our favorite devices.

DVR specs and on-demand content

With live TV streaming services, you’ll want to make sure the amount of Cloud DVR space available to you meets your needs. Sports with events or games that occur several times a week can easily crowd your DVR. If your daily schedule makes it difficult to watch sports live, you’ll want to make sure you choose a live TV streaming service with adequate space.

On-demand streaming services like ESPN+, Peacock, and Paramount+ don’t come with DVR options. Because of their on-demand nature, each service automatically stores most live events for a certain duration of time. For example, Premier League matches on Peacock are available to stream for 30 days after they air.

Best streaming services for live sports FAQ

Which streaming services have live sports?

Several live TV streaming services carry live pro and college sports. YouTube TV, fuboTV, Sling TVHulu + Live TV, and DIRECTV STREAM are the most popular live TV streaming services for sports. On-demand streaming services like ESPN+, Peacock, and Paramount+ also have some live sports.

Does Amazon Prime Video have live sports?

The only live sports included in an Amazon Prime Video subscription are NFL Thursday Night Football games and select WNBA matchups. The service does have additional channel add-ons you can purchase, such as NBA League Pass and Paramount+, which include their own live and on-demand sports content.

Can I watch sports on Netflix?

You won’t find any live or on-demand sporting events on Netflix. However, the streamer has plenty of movies and series centered around sports. We recommend checking out the nostalgia-infused Cobra Kai and the documentary series Last Chance U.

What is the best free streaming service for sports?

You can stream sports content for free on apps like Pluto TV, Sling Free, and Tubi. But you won’t get many live games on any of those platforms. Instead, we recommend a one-time purchase of an over-the-air antenna. Simply connect that $20–$60 device to your TV, and you’ll get local channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC—all of which air live sporting events throughout the year.

Do regional sports blackouts apply to streaming?

A regional blackout applies to live TV streaming just as it does with cable and satellite, meaning a nearby team’s games may appear on a specific regional or local channel based on your physical location. Not every available TV plan will include regional sports networks, but you can avoid blackouts on certain streaming services by using a VPN (virtual private network) to mask your location.

Why should you trust us?

Our sports-obsessed experts spent over 1,000 hours testing live TV streaming services to determine the best ones for watching sports. We compared both overall and sport-specific channel lineups and examined what kind of league coverage each service’s channel lineups encompass. We also looked at TV plans, prices, and extra features, as well as the technical specifications of every service.

To learn more about our methods, check out our How We Rank page.

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