For a long time, one of the most significant problems for cord-cutters has been the availability of live sports. Along with news, sports is a genre synonymous with a cable subscription.
Thankfully, the situation is starting to improve. Today, there are lots of sports streaming sites available online, including many streaming live sports. Some are free, while others require a monthly subscription.
If you want to discover the best sports streaming sites (all of which are entirely legal), keep reading.
1. Fubo TV
If you like to watch a diverse range of sports, FuboTV is one of the best sports streaming sites out there. You can watch the NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, multiple soccer competitions (including the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, MLS, the UEFA Champions League, and Copa Libertadores), WTA tour events, the IndyCar Series, boxing, cycling, and more.
How much does it cost? The basic plan starts at $74/month, and it provides access to 168 channels with over 100 sporting events. In addition to that, the basic plan offers a multi-view feature of up to 10 TV screens at home.
2. Hulu + Live TV
The Hulu + Live TV subscription starts at $69.99/month. The package is inclusive of Hulu, Disney+, and most sports channels, including CBS Sports Network, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and NFL Network. Hulu also includes other live TV channels for news and entertainment.
However, the downside of Hulu + Live TV is that some of the live sports coverage is restricted depending on where you live. The package is also available with ads, even if you’re watching Hulu or Disney+. Then again, it’s one of the cheapest options if you want to catch up on live sports events with a diverse selection of sports channels.
3. YouTube TV
If you want a good alternative to Hulu + Live TV, you could try YouTube TV. Its basic plan starts at $64.99/month, but after three months, the price increases to $72.99/month. As a subscriber, you can access over 100 live channels, including ESPN, NFL Network, NBA TV, CBS Sports Network, and MLB Network.
If you want more sports channels, you can pay an extra $10.99/month to access BeIN Sports, Fight Network, Fox Soccer Plus, and NFL Redzone, among other sports channels.
Here is the thing though: your access to some specific live sports events could be limited depending on your region. But if you have that problem, you could try using a VPN service to change your location.
4. Apple TV
Apple TV is the best option if you want to watch Major League Soccer or if you're a fan of Lionel Messi. Its MLS Season Pass starts at $12.99 if you've subscribed to Apple TV+ at $6.99/month. But if you don't have an Apple TV+ account, you can pay $14.99/month to watch the MLS.
The best part about Apple's MLS Season Pass is that it’s not just limited to US viewers; you can watch anywhere in the world in 4K video quality. Another cool thing is that you can watch Friday Night Baseball if you have an Apple TV+ account.
5. Sling TV
You can watch the NFL, NBA, college football, and soccer on Sling TV for $20 in your first month. That’s unbelievably cheap, but the price doubles in your second month.
What you need to know about Sling TV is that it offers three packages: Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange & Blue with extra sports channels. The Sling Orange package is available with ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 package, while the Sling Blue is inclusive of Fox Sports 1.
However, if you want the comprehensive sports package, you’re required to pay for the Sling Orange & Blue subscription at $55/month and an extra $15 to access 24 sports channels like NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Bein Sports, NFL Redzone, and NBC Golf.
6. Red Bull TV
Unfortunately, it's not easy to watch live sports streaming online for free. Due to the amount of money in top-level professional sports, almost all the big leagues in any discipline sell their content to paid broadcasters.
There are some exceptions, however. One of which is Red Bull TV. It generally focuses on extreme sports, so you will find coverage of events like the Cliff Diving World Series, the Mountain Bike World Cup, Red Bull Airborne (surfing), Phoenix Am (skateboarding), and the Freeride World Tour (skiing).
Some of the more mainstream free sport streams on Red Bull TV include the FIA World Rally Championship and the MotoGP Rookies Cup.
7. NBC Sports
Another top sports streaming site is NBC Sports. Anyone who has a cable, satellite, telco, or live streaming TV subscription that includes NBCSN can sign into the app and watch live TV.
You can use NBC to watch Sunday night NFL, college football, NASCAR, all of the major golf championships, the NBA, the English Premier League, the MLB, the Tour de France, tennis, and an endless amount of horse racing.
8. ESPN
Do you want to watch Monday night NFL games? Then ESPN is the network you need. It's one of the largest dedicated sports networks in the world. As you'd expect, its video portal is one of the best sports streaming sites on the internet.
In addition to the NFL, ESPN also holds rights to college football, MLB, and the NBA. ESPN is also a premium destination for soccer fans, with rights to the US national side, the Mexico national side, and all of the major European leagues.
Once again, you will need to have an existing subscription with a cable, satellite, or IPTV provider to log in and use the service.
Live ESPN channels available include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPN Deportes.
What About Single Sports Apps?
Most of the major US sports offer their own streaming services. Depending on your preference, you could sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB.tv, NHL TV, or NBA League Pass. MLS fans can sign up for MLS LIVE. You can also watch the English Premier League online.
Some of the subscriptions aren't cheap. The NFL Sunday Ticket requires a DirecTV plan, MLB.tv is $25/month, while an NBA League Pass starts at $14.99.
The exception is NHL.tv; it offers lots of out-of-market games for free, though the biggest games still require payment.
All the services operate blackouts for local market games.
Choose the Streaming Platform That Suits Your Needs
There are plenty of sports streaming platforms to choose from, depending on your budget or preference. Most sports streaming apps also give you the option to watch live sports events on different TVs at home simultaneously. If you want to reduce the subscription cost, you could consider password sharing with your friends or family members.