In today’s entertainment landscape, the traditional reliance on a live TV provider is diminishing. Most viewers can get by with on-demand streaming services and over-the-air (OTA) TV access. But sports fans will miss crucial games and events still tied to regional and national cable channels.
Of course, plenty of sports coverage is no longer available on cable, satellite, and live TV streaming services. That’s why we armed ourselves with six on-demand streaming platforms and an OTA antenna. We wanted to see what coverage is available and how the price compares to a traditional TV plan.
Our on-demand streaming game plan
During our experiment, we used the premium versions of the six on-demand streaming services listed below. The total monthly price was $75.94—roughly the price of premium live TV streaming services. But we also used a Mohu Leaf 50 antenna, which is a one-time cost of $39.99 a month.*
| Service | Plan | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Prime Video | Prime Video w/ Amazon Prime membership | $14.99/mo. |
View plans Read Prime Video review |
| Apple TV+ | — | $9.99/mo. |
View plans Read Apple TV+ review |
| ESPN+ | — | $10.99/mo. |
View plans Read ESPN+ review |
| Max | Ad-Free w/ B/R Sports Add-on | $15.99/mo. |
View plans Read Max review |
| Paramount+ | Paramount+ with SHOWTIME | $11.99/mo. |
View plans Read Paramount+ review |
| Peacock | Premium Plus | $11.99/mo. |
View plans Read Peacock review |
Data effective as of post date.
Sports coverage from on-demand streaming services
We enjoyed extensive sports coverage alongside hit movies and TV shows from the OTA antenna and six streaming services.
While our table below provides key highlights, it’s worth noting that not all services fully cover each league and event. But we were happy to access most local and prime-time NFL games, every PGA Tour tournament, most matches featuring the U.S. Soccer national teams, and every Grand Slam tennis tournament.
| Service | Coverage | Live channels |
|---|---|---|
| TV antenna | MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, PGA Tour, college sports, UFL, WNBA, WWE, and more | ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, and more |
| Amazon Prime Video | Thursday Night Football, NWSL, WNBA, ONE Championship, Overtime Elite, and more | — |
| Apple TV+ | Friday Night Baseball and MLS | — |
| ESPN+ | UFC, NBA, NFL, NHL, college sports, PGA Tour, F1, Bundesliga, La Liga, Top Rank Boxing, Wimbledon, and more | — |
| Max (w/ B/R Sports Add-On) | MLB, NBA, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, All Elite Wrestling, U.S. Soccer, UCI tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and more | TNT, TBS, and truTV (sports only) |
| Paramount+ with SHOWTIME | NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, NWSL, Serie A, PGA Tour, and more | CBS |
| Peacock | NFL on NBC, NASCAR, Premier League, IndyCar, Big Ten, WWE, PGA Tour, Olympics, Tour de France, and more | NBC |
Data effective as of post date.
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Sports coverage we missed
You can get rid of cable and still watch sports—a lot of sports, actually. But our streaming-antenna game plan had some holes regarding what aired on regional sports networks (RSNs) and premium cable channels. Here are the main things we missed:
- In-market MLB, NBA, and NHL matchups
- Monday Night Football games exclusive to ESPN
- NASCAR on FS1 and USA Network
- FIFA World Cup games on FS1
- Premier League matches on USA Network
- Ligue 1 soccer on beIN SPORTS
- League channels like NFL Network and NBA TV
- College conference channels like ACC Network and SEC Network
Additionally, it was annoying to jump between apps when watching back-to-back coverage on different services. This problem doesn’t happen often, but it’s a big headache during March Madness.
Pro tip: We can’t get every MLS game without MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. But with the Apple TV+ subscription, we can add an MLS Season Pass for a discounted $12.99 a month (instead of $14.99 a month).
Live TV services aren’t necessary for certain sports fans
Casual fans can easily watch major sporting events by combining an OTA antenna with on-demand streaming services. The monthly price of the six services we used in our experiment is comparable to live TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. But even then, you don’t need every on-demand service to enjoy the sports you love.
But if you ditch cable, satellite, or live TV streaming services, you’ll miss out on premium channels. Networks like ESPN, FS1, and USA Network carry a lot of sports, as do regional sports networks. Fortunately, some standalone services offer in-market and out-of-market coverage, as outlined in our RSN Streaming guide.
Why you should trust us
Our sports experts spent hundreds of hours watching and researching sports across on-demand streaming services and antenna TV. We examined each service’s diverse lineup of sporting events and scrutinized coverage gaps. We compiled our findings to provide informed insights into the accessibility and breadth of available sports content through cable TV alternatives.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
Disclaimer
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Amazon.com price as of 2/16/24 10:30 a.m. CT. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
