Best Streaming Services for Sports 2023: ESPN+, fuboTV, and More

Streaming services are finally delivering the sports we desire. But there’s a lot to choose from nowadays, so we’ve broken down the top services that lay out the best channel and league offerings for sports fans of any kind.

YouTube TV is our go-to overall pick because it’s the live TV streaming service to offer essential ESPN and FOX Sports networks on top of league-specific channels and NFL Sunday Ticket. If you want to upgrade an existing TV plan, ESPN+ has a wide range of league coverage, while Peacock offers an inexpensive mix of sports and entertainment.

Of course, there are several services to consider—each offering a unique lineup of channels and league coverage. So keep scrolling to see how each compares and why you might choose one over the other.

Jump to:

• Best streaming services for sports
• Head-to-head comparison
• Other top streaming services for sports
• What to look for in a streaming service

Best streaming services for live sports

• Editor’s choice: YouTube TV
• Best value: ESPN+
• Cheapest: Peacock
• Best sports bundle: Hulu + Live TV
• Best channel add-ons: Sling TV
• Most sports channels: DIRECTV STREAM
• Best for foreign leagues: fuboTV
• Live CBS Sports: Paramount+

Compare streaming services for live sports

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 U.S. and abroad. We’re talking NFL and NBA to Premier League and Formula One.

Editor’s choice: YouTube TV

If you want a solid blend of sports and entertainment, YouTube TV offers the best of both worlds. You’ll get 100+ live channels, including popular non-sport favorites like AMC, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Syfy, and more. With a sleek and familiar interface, YouTube TV is an excellent service overall, which is why it’s our favorite live TV streaming service at CableTV.com.

From a sports perspective, YouTube TV doesn’t have as many sports channels as DIRECTV STREAM. But it has the important ones and is the new home of NFL Sunday Ticket—making it the best service to watch NFL games.

Plus, the included cloud DVR comes with no limits but does delete recordings after nine months. It’s excellent for keeping up on games and even has a score-hiding “no spoiler” function.

​​Unfortunately, none of those games you record will come from MLB Network or NHL Network. (Sorry, baseball and hockey fans. YouTube TV doesn’t carry those channels.) Still, YouTube TV gives you a lot of sports and entertainment channels for $72.99/mo.

Best value: ESPN+

We say ESPN+ offers the best value for streaming sports because it has the most league coverage out of any service and costs only $9.99/mo. or $99.99/yr.

ESPN+ includes games from every major sports league in the United States, except for the NBA. It has every out-of-market NHL game, every XFL matchup, and expanded golf coverage via PGA Tour Live. And the buck doesn’t stop there—especially for soccer fans—as ESPN+ is the exclusive U.S. broadcast partner for the Bundesliga and La Liga. Basically, you’ll never run out of live sports to watch on ESPN+.

The service also has an extensive library of on-demand shows and documentary series focused on the world of sports. This includes the entire 30 for 30 library and Man in the Arena with Tom Brady.

While ESPN+ doesn’t grant you access to ESPN’s traditional channels and programming, you can always pair the service with a TV provider to get the complete ESPN experience. The simplest way of doing this is to sign up for Hulu + Live TV because it carries the ESPN networks and comes with ESPN+ at no extra cost.

Cheapest: Peacock

Being a sports fan can be expensive, but luckily you can save a lot of money with Peacock and still watch some of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Peacock no longer offers a free plan, so we recommend Peacock Premium Monthly ($5.99 a month) to get access to every sporting event offered. And it’s really an impressive lineup of sports—including the English Premier League, MLB, the PGA Tour, and WWE . . . a lot of WWE.

Apart from sports, Peacock Premium Monthly also includes next-day access to NBC shows and an impressive library of hit movies. The latest movies from Universal Pictures usually find their way to Peacock a few months after their initial theatrical release.

Best sports bundle: Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV offers the smallest amount of sports channels. While it includes the basics like ESPN, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports networks, it misses out on league-specific channels like MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network.

Like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV makes up for its sports shortcomings with its other features. In fact, it has the best original on-demand content out of all the live TV streaming services. And we’re not just talking about Hulu Originals—Hulu + Live TV includes Disney+ and ESPN+ at no extra cost. That’s a major plus in our book, especially considering the amount of sports content available on ESPN+ alone.

Best channel add-ons: Sling TV

Sling TV offers three base plan options. But, to get the most sports channels, you’d want the priciest one ($55 a month) with an add-on sports package ($15 a month). It involves a little more thinking and math—we know, not cool—but Sling TV can stream almost all the sports you can handle.

Sling Orange (30+ channels) and Sling Blue (40+ channels) aren’t terrible individually, but the combined Sling Orange & Blue plan nets you mainstream sports channels like ESPN and FS1. Combined with 20 more sports networks from Sling TV’s Sports Extra add-on, that’s over 30 sports channels for $65 a month.

Of course, you may not be interested in all of the channels in the $65-a-month option, in which case you might want to downsize to either the Sling Orange or Sling Blue plan alone. That would only be $40 a month, making it the cheapest live TV streaming option for sports. And hey, with Sling Orange or Sling Blue, you can still tack on their own individualized Sports Extra packages. Sling TV is nothing if not customizable.

The major downside with Sling TV is that it includes only 50 hours of cloud DVR space, which you can upgrade to an only-slightly-better 200 hours for an extra $5 a month. Good luck recording more than a handful of sports events with that allotment. We hope you’re not into NASCAR.

Editor’s choice: DIRECTV STREAM

While DIRECTV STREAM may be the streaming version of DIRECTV—CableTV.com’s best TV provider for sports—you’ll need its CHOICE™ plan or higher to get the best experience. At $84.99 a month, the CHOICE plan is the most expensive plan among our top sports streaming picks. But it comes with the best regional sports and local coverage of any live TV streaming service.

Those regional sports networks (RSNs) are what make DIRECTV STREAM shine the most. Because DIRECTV STREAM is within the DIRECTV family, it benefits from having the most RSN coverage. For instance, no other streaming service carries Altitude Sports or the Bally Sports Regional Networks. That makes DIRECTV STREAM a crucial service for cord-cutters living in the regions of those networks—especially for fans of MLB, MLS, NBA, and NHL.

For the longest time, the biggest penalty against DIRECTV STREAM is its complete lack of any NFL-dedicated channels. But NFL Network made its way to DIRECTV STREAM’s Sports Pack ($14.99 a month) in August 2023.

Best for foreign leagues: fuboTV

If you’re willing to pay for it, fuboTV can give you more sports channels than most live TV streaming services. This includes some channels you may have never heard of—unless you’re really into soccer. While fuboTV launched as a fútbol-centric streaming service, its channel offerings now include entertainment networks and custom add-on options.

The service strengthened its network lineups even more after striking a deal with Disney in the summer of 2020. It was a big win for sports fans because ESPN networks found their way onto fuboTV, including college conference channels like ACC Network and SEC Network.

Unfortunately, fuboTV doesn’t carry core Warner Bros. Discovery networks. You won’t see channels like TBS, TNT, and truTV in any fuboTV plan. It’s a significant loss because TNT carries a lot of nationally televised NBA and NHL games, while TBS airs many MLB games. You can also say goodbye to watching most of March Madness.

Our recommendation: If you’re a diehard soccer fan, you’ll want the Elite plan ($84.99 a month) with the International Sports Plus add-on ($6.99 a month). Together, the plan and the add-on will give you access to some of the top soccer leagues in the world through channels like beIN SPORTS, GolTV English, and FOX Soccer Plus. That’s a lot of fútbol to keep your retinas busy, but now the monthly price tag is $91.98 a month.

Live CBS Sports: Paramount+

Paramount+ has some great original series like Star Trek: Picard and 1883, but the streaming service excels most in its handling of live sports. In order to get the most live sports coverage, though, you’ll first need the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan ($11.99 a month).

With the higher-tier plan, you’ll be able to watch live SHOWTIME content and your local CBS affiliate within the Paramount+ app. This expands the app’s already strong roster of live sports, giving you complete access to NFL on CBS, Bellator MMA, and UEFA Champions League broadcasts.

College basketball also runs rampant on Paramount+, but you’ll want to check out our How To Watch College Basketball guide for the complete lowdown on that.

Other top streaming services for sports

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is another top streaming service to consider for watching live sports—especially as it’s now the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football. In addition to NFL games, Prime Video also shows select WNBA games and ONE Championship fights to all subscribers at no additional cost.

You can also take your Prime Video experience to the next level with its wide selection of sports add-on channels, including NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and MOTOR TREND.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is one of the latest streaming services to offer exclusive live sports. Its Friday Night Baseball programming kicked off in 2022, and its MLS Season Pass hub launched this year.

For now, live sports are somewhat limited on Apple TV+. But the service is just $6.99 a month and is home to several high-quality original series. Ted Lasso, anyone?

DAZN

DAZN is one of the best streaming services for combat sports—featuring Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing fights. It also has UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) matches alongside niche sports like pool, darts, chess, and snooker.

The biggest downside to DAZN is its price. At $24.99 a month, you’d expect the service to include a deep library of mainstream sports. The price is incredibly disappointing if you’re interested only in specific leagues like the UWCL. Plus, PPV fees still exist for select combat events.

ViX

If you prefer sports en Español, ViX is the best streaming service to have in your corner. The TelevisaUnivision platform streams content from popular Spanish-language networks like Galavisión, TUDN, UniMás, and Univision. Plus, you’ll see exclusives that don’t appear anywhere else.

Sports fans will benefit the most from ViX’s daily dose of live events—from Liga MX and UEFA competitions to Argentine Primera División and Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games. It also doesn’t hurt if you’re a telenovela aficionado because ViX comes packed with Spanish soap operas.

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.

Check out our Upcoming Sports Events guide and other sports-specific pages for a better idea of how to watch your favorite leagues. We also have more sports viewing guides featured on our CableTV.com Sports hub page.

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.

YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are the very best for recording live TV. The two services have unlimited DVR space, and all recordings stay active for up to nine months.

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.

Final take

We love YouTube TV because it strikes a good balance between sports and entertainment channels. It has unlimited cloud DVR storage, but its NFL Sunday Ticket add-on takes the cake. You’ll also get key national channels for the best local and primetime coverage from non-football leagues like MLB, NBA, and NHL.

For on-demand streaming apps, the $9.99-a-month ESPN+ offers the best value with thousands of live sporting events each year. Peacock Premium has an even lower starting cost at $5.99 a month, making it the cheapest option out there. But we suggest checking out each service’s sports coverage before committing to a plan.

Sling TV is a cheaper alternative for streaming live TV, and it has many add-on options that you can choose from to meet your needs. There’s also fuboTV and its massive channel lineups that primarily cater to watching popular foreign sports leagues.

Sure, Hulu has live sports, but Hulu + Live TV doesn’t have the deepest lineup of sports channels. However, it comes with both Disney+ and ESPN+, making it a more enticing service all around.

Best streaming services for live sports FAQ

Methodology

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.